Here is my review:
Drifting All Night / Dejo
Yes, this is what I was waiting for! A riff for the ages, great vocal work, and so much more in the package! What did I expect from De Jorio? This is awesome!
10/10
Crazy Disco in Tokyo / Pimky
The lyrics work well. They do. The chorus is pretty good. The riff is impressive, but not
Drifting All Night levels. The vocals are fairly intriguing, but have a weird feel to them. It's better than I expected, but not the best.
7/10
Stand Up 8 / Fastway
Well, this is unexpected. The vocals are your normal Fastway - nothing too shabby, but not superior. As with a lot of Fastway songs, the riff is the star of the show. The chorus just doesn't click. The song mostly makes sense, but what the hell does 'Stand Up 8' imply?
8/10
Vamos Chicanos / Franz Tornado
Okay, this song is pretty good. But the riff - what the hell? I can't even handle it! The sampling is also unsettling. There is the good ends of the piece, but there are also the bad ends.
6/10
Baby Countdown / Ken Martin
Yes! Manuel is back with a vengeance! The deep Manuel vocals work PERFECTLY with the lyric sets. Even without much of a riff, the Manuel vocal work throws all of that discontent out the window. If only this was under the Manuel alias...
9/10
Down Down Will I Fall in Love? / Tipsy and Tipsy
I can say that this is satisfying. It's not another
Mister Go, yet it is also not another
Forever in my Mind. The vocal work is great here, and as with Baby Countdown, it takes up for the fairly disappointing riff that would have torn the song apart. And hey, the tempo is at least sensible here!
7/10
Fly Me to the Moon / Dream Fighters
First things first, the darker vocals from Dima work perfectly!!! I have always been a sucker for some Dima vocals, and this song indeed fuels the flames. The riff is also really good. The only part I do not like much is the chorus, it seems somewhat unoriginal due to its resemblance to his earlier work
Mikado. (Get me right,
Mikado is great, but it is overrated.)
9/10
Highway Star / Cherry
Okay, this song is still somewhat disappointing. The vocals are a letdown. The riff is good, but still disappointing. However, it still gives me a sense of nostalgia for Rebel Yell (personally, my favorite piece under this alias). I am impressed, yet also disappointed at the same time.
6/10
Mighty Wind of Change / Irene
First, we get Dark Evil. Now, we get Tanith. And this is as impressive as ever. The chorus and riff are top notch. The riff reminds me of Fastway's
Revolution. This is still not a
Way Up Across the Sky, but it is still a good piece from Irene. It reminds me of a less ecstatic Kaory. This is a good song.
8/10
Bad Boy Blue / Leslie Parrish
Okay, the vocal work is somewhat disappointing, not as good as in the Para Para dance video posted earlier in the topic. The riff is as good as ever, and even gives me a hyper-techno feeling. This was the most anticipated song on the album in my eyes, and it does not disappoint; yet it is still not the best.
8/10
Psycho Killer / Luke
Let's be honest - NONE of Luca's modern songs will probably top
Dreamlover or
Super Rider. Luca's work on this song is mediocre at best. The riff is okay, but not great. As I am not a fan of Luca's style, I personally do not like this song that much. It is okay, but not the best.
6/10
Eurobeat Summer / Honey Hime
Yes! Honey Hime is the new generation of Eurobeat/J-Euro. The vocals are amazing, the riff works fairly well, and this just adds on to the many thrills Honey Hime has presented to the Eurobeat community. Great job, guys!
10/10
All in all, this is a very impressive complex. There were plenty of ups, such as Dejo's, Ken Martin/Manuel's, and Dream Fighters' presentations; but there were also the downs, such as Luke and Cherry's presentations. This is up there in my favorite SEB albums as of this point. Good job to everybody involved, this was awesome!
Album Score: 8/10
NOTE: I have yet to hear
You're My Sexy Lover or
Koiototo Amazora. Reviews for these two songs may come later.