Morning Musume - 12 Smart review

Before continuing, make sure you're aware than anything written in this post is purely my OPINION, which I have a right to share. If you don't agree with it, then you don't have to read it, so no hating.

12, Smart

01. Give me Ai

If by "Ai" the song means "Ai-chan" the song does just that. By no means does she whore the song like Michishige in Fantasy ga Hajimaru, but she is the main lead, as it should be. The song has a nice feel to it, the overlapping lines add a nice touch after the solos, I think it gives the song more flavor, not that it needs it. I am disappointed in the lack of Aika solos though, even Shige got a solo, and Riho one less than Reina, which seriously disappoints me. I think this is probably the biggest "Good bye, Aichan" song on the album when it comes to lines, so I kinda wish Aika had gotten at least one solo.

All in all, the song is nice, and it really suits Aichan. Definitely a good start to a great album

Rating: 9/10
Album Rank: #5

02. Only You

The first "single song" that shows up on this album, and my least favorite. When this song originally came out I hated it. I hated the outfits, the PV, Gaki being autotuned on her only two solos, and the fact that Riho was the only gen 9 with solos after Maji Desu ka Suka was so fair. One major thing that irritates me about this song, and songs like it, is that the choruses are 100% solos and there are NO lines with all 9 girls singing. Even in songs I love, either of these things can drive me up the wall. When I think of "chorus", I don't think of "part of the song that has 2-3 versions that repeats 2+ times throughout the song." I think of the singers "coming together for at least one or two lines." The ideal chorus, I think, is like that of Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game "group line - solo - group line - solo", or even complete group like in Maji Desu ka Suka, it depends on the type of song.

Listening to Only You and comparing it with the other songs on this album, it really doesn't stand up to the same standard as the songs this album has brought, or even the other singles on this album.

Rating: 3/10
Album Rank: #12

03. Silver no Udedokei

My first thought before I heard this song was something under the lines of "Oh great, it's Reina and Riho..." so I didn't expect much out of it. I will say right now: I hate Reina/Riho as leads, so they both have a negative bias already, I won't deny it. However when I got to Reina's first solo, it wasn't THAT bad, Riho even started off okay, though that plan plummeted by the third line of her first solo. So far it was nothing impressive by any means, but it wasn't bad either. Next thing I hear is Gaki/Aika rap and, I'm not even lying, those two owned the song. I could listen to this song on repeat for hours just because of those two. I just love the "Don't Cry, Dry ya Eyes" lines, and the raps are amazing.

So overall, Gaki and Aika's raps made this song go from "okay 5" to "Ohmigawd 12/10" to me, so I commend whoever planned that.

Rating: 10/10
Album Rank: #1

04. Suki da na Kimi ga

I love Fuku-hime, and I don't hate Shige by any means, but one thing I've learned to hate is autotune. It DOES make Shige sound better generally, but it makes the song sound fake and stupid. Not to mention, now I can't tell who sings what, or if there are even any solos. Don't get me wrong, the song itself is really cute and fun and if it under normal circumstances I'd probably give it a 6 or 7 even just because I love the song, but the autotune is a major turn-off for me and it drives me crazy with all the extra echo effects in addition to the autotune.

The song itself is good, but the effects aren't.

Rating: 4/10
Album Rank: #10

05. Kaiketsu Positive A

For some reason this song kinda gives me a jazz-y feeling. But it's cute. I love the sound of the solos, and it's great that all the members get at least 1 solo, it's nice to hear all of their voices for once. The song itself is also nice and fun. All the "Wow"s make me think of Appare Kaiten Zushi, but the song is totally different and a lot better. I won't say this much, but I even like the Reina lines in this song, and I mean her voice, not the lines (if we're talking about the lines, I like just about every line in the song). The composition is good too, I think. The repetition of "Kaiketsu Positive A" constantly throughout the song gets kind of annoying, but not near as bad as the repitition of other songs I've heard come from H!P.

There's really not much I can say other than "Good job"

Rating: 9/10
Album Rank: #4

06. Kono Ai wo Kasanete

Okay, this is another major bias off the bat - I love Gen 5, so this being the last TakaGaki song forever I already loved it before I even heard it. But one particular thing came out of it that I haven't heard for REAL from a new Morning Musume song in a long time - harmonies. TakaGaki already blend like bread and butter, but when you throw harmonies into the mix also, it's like angels singing. The vocalization, not that there was much, but the little bit that there was was nice, I have to hand it to Aichan, she's amazing at vocalizing. The song itself probably could be better, but I love it the way it is, so I really don't care.

TakaGaki will be missed, by me at the very least, so way to leave with a beautiful song like this.

Rating: 10/10
Album Rank: #2

07. Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!

I loved this song since the preview came out. Since then the love has worn off a bit, but I still love the song, and even on this album, it manages to shine to me. I really wish it had some Shige/Aika solos, and even some Gen 9 non Riho solos, but the song itself is just so fun, there's no point in pouting about it when the song itself is so nice, so for this once I'll let it slide. One thing I don't like much about it, though, is the choruses group parts. I think it's kinda weird how they have "All - solo - small group - small group - small group - solo - solo". It's kinda stupid, I think... and I think it would sound better without that.

This song is a lot of fun to sing, but it needs better line distribution. But for Aichan's last single, it's really touching.

Rating: 7/10
Album Rank: #7

08. Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shita

Kare to Issho is a fun, upbeat song, I think. It's cute and the video, also, is adorable and fun. Honestly one of the most creative PVs I've seen in a while come from Hello Project. But everyone seems to get turned off by the fact Shige is the lead in it. Wanna know what I think about that? LEAVE HER ALONE! Shige gets the award for "most improved singer in H!P" in my opinion, and I'm not saying she's a great singer, but I'm saying she's definitely earned this. And how many of these people liked Fantasy ga Hajimaru? Maybe not many, but since she completely whored that song, forming your opinion of this one based on her it stupid. I personally think Shige sang this well and even Reina and Riho sounded good. Ai, Aika and Gaki, too, were amazing at their lines, as expected.

Kare to Issho is a cute song with a fun, silly feel to oppose Kono Chikyuu's serious, future-heading-appeal.

Rating: 8/10
Album Rank: #6

09. My Way ~Joshikou Hanamichi~

Giving the song a listen, nothing about it really stood out to me when it came to the song itself. The one thing that DOES stand out to me, though, is how fair the line distribution is in the song. Everyone gets at least 2 solos. But in all honesty, other than that the song is kind of lame, not bad, but not good either... I'm not impressed by it in the least and it's the most likely song on this album for me to skip just because it seems like one of H!P's "template songs" (Meaning it sounds to me like the basic H!P song before it's given some spice~)

My Way is just kinda boring to me, it's not bad though...

Rating: 4/10
Album Rank: #11

10. Otome no Timing

Definitely a cute song to fit Aika, Erippon, and Zukki. Somehow this song reminds me of the Tanpopo # version of Dekoboko 17 since Aika has the "spare lines" (left over solos after evenly or close to evenly dividing them among the singers) which she's only ever gotten in Haru Beautiful Everyday, and even then none of the live versions were full so she lost her solo chorus. Being put with two Gen 9 members is very beneficial to Aika-chan and I'm happy for her. But other than that the song is only okay.

Congrats to Mitchi I guess.

Rating: 5/10
Album Rank: #9

11. OK YEAH

The first time I heard this song I wasn't sure if I was impressed or overwhelmed. Probably around the third time I heard it I decided it was both. This is one of the most interesting line distributions I've seen... Ever I think XD. The song itself is also lots of fun. The effects are slightly overdone, I think, but with how much is going on with the song at the same time, it really doesn't make much of a difference. I'm also really impressed with how many lines Gaki, and even Shige got. Aika still only got one solo, but still. The song is so much fun

This song is definitely an entertaining one. I honestly can't wait to see what the dance will look like when the concert perf comes out.

Rating: 9/10
Album Rank: #3

12. Maji Desu ka Suka

This song was great when it first came out, and even now it's awesome. Really fair distribution, perfect for the debut song of a new generation. I can't really use any other excuse to say this other than it's been "overexposed" to me. I'm not worn out on it by any means, I still love the song, but it's much less amazing than most of the songs on this album since I know this song so well.

It's a good song, with good distribution, just getting kind of old.

Rating: 7/10
Album Rank: #8

12, Smart Overall Review: I love it. It's definitely better than Fantasy Juuichi was, and much easier to get addicted to than just about every other album I have heard. It's almost as good as 10 MY ME and 4th Ikimasshoi, I think.

Rating: ★★★★