Super Eurobeat 121

1.D.Essex - Hyper Star Energy (Delta)
A new number, and SEB is still going strong, like we're right away showed by none else than D.Essex. We've heard songs before dedicated to eurobeat clubs in Tokyo, and this song follows that path as an ode to Twin Star. The general D.Essex energy is present to the maximum and you can't really expect anything but class from a song that has the word hyper in it. The lyrics are cool, the vocals work marvellously, the melody kicks ass and even when the sounds are more than the typical eurobeat this song is a perfect opener for the album. Please car take me to Twin Star really soon!
Rating : 10

2.Domino - Stop (A-Beat C)
The album kicked off in a real blast, and the level doesn't decrease a bit when Domino takes control. The magnificent vocalist presents us with another catchy song that is irresistible and you just have to sing along to the song. For some reason I always thought Stop could be a rather calm song but noo, nothing like that. The track is energetic, catchy, cute and over all just what we've come to expect from the name Domino. A great song to carry on her long list of magnificent materials.
Rating : 10

3.Triumph - One Night In Bangkok (Time)
For the first time in ages, I totally loved a song by Time, they have done good and okay songs (though mostly bad ones) but this time they managed to create a catchy song I really can say I love. The typical Time elements have been mixed with cool Asian sounds that make the sound very memorable and as the vocals work really well the song works well. The melody is also really pretty and the c-melody works like it does in 9 cases out of 10.
Rating : 9+

4.Robbie Grain - I Don't Wanna Be Your Love (Delta)
A new name from Delta, and as most names do she also blows the jackpot with her first song. The song reminds me a lot of Cherry though the vocalist sounds different so perhaps we have a new singer in our hands? The song has a catchy beat that is backed up by great sounds and Robbie's great vocals. The chorus is very fun to sing to and the c-melody works just perfectly, it's always great to hear new talents from the different labels and I sure hope that we'll hear more from Robbie in the future as well.
Rating : 9½

5.Brian Ice - One Day (A-Beat C)
I always combine Brian Ice to Eurobeat Disney as those were the first albums where I bumped into him, and he himself still seems to have that same kind of mood going on as this song sounds very much like a song taken from some of the Eurobeat Disney albums. The vocalist himself is rather nice and the song also in it's simplicity works nicely, the only real problem is that the song starts to repeat itself quickly and after a couple of replays it has already lost most of its edge. Fun for a while.
Rating : 7

6.Time Force - Don't Let Me Down (Time)
Time does another surprise move with this song, as they present a song that combines more common eurodance elements with eurobeat and we get an interesting hybrid between these two genres. The song itself is rather awesome and the sounds are good, but the only bad thing with the song are the vocals that seem very lifeless and the vocalist doesn't seem to be singing with any actual enthusiasm, more like somebody was holding a gun on his forehead. If we leave the vocals out this is an extremely good song by Time.
Rating : 9+

7.Niki Niki - Summer (Time)
Now this is one scary song. The first time I heard it I was feeling that it had to be a joke, the vocals sound horrible and the backgrounds sound at first really bad. The song really took a lot of replays before I began finding good features about it. The vocals and the backgrounds aren't very well done, and the only actually good part with the song is the c-melody that has a higher level than the rest of the song. Even a lot of replays couldn't make this song good though, but it earned a better grade though.
Rating : 6½

8.Lolita - Sexy Hi Sexy Eyes (A-Beat C)
I'm not sure if I should even review Lolita songs very well as my opinions always tend to be similar to the previous ones. But I'm not the one to blame, it's A-Beat C's fault for giving her all of the best songs. This is yet another upbeat Lolita song with a catchy chorus and happy sounds that will make you feel good. Also one of my favorite Lolita songs thorough her long history due to it's simple yet effective melody.
Rating : 10-

9.David "Off" - Stronger (Delta)
I am not sure if this is just temporarily, but I began listening to this song for the first time and I had to check the booklet again as I thought it was Kevin Johnson, so perhaps we're dealing with the same vocalist. Also the backgrounds have the typical Clara Moroni vocals backing up the song itself. The song is rather midtempo and a bit mellow which is not common for eurobeat, it actually feels even a bit sad which at first was mostly a turn off for me, but once I got into the song I began liking it a lot. Nice change of pace for the genre.
Rating : 8½

10.Norma Sheffield - Forever Mine (A-Beat C)
So again the album takes a dive a bit deeper as the familiar name appears to terrorize us poor fans. I am not competely sure if there are many people who even really like Norma a lot, just what I've heard from various people. Her style is just a bit too calm for my taste and the similarity of her songs confuses me too much. Again a song I wouldn't listen to unless I was doing this review.
Rating : 6+

11.Helena - Voices (Time)
This song has definitely copied some trance song as I got the biggest Deja Vu feeling ever and it was certainly related to some trance song. The intro is rather bombastic and it sounds really good, unfortunately the intro ends suddenly and a more common Time music world takes over. The chorus works well and the c-melody changes the athmosphere again completely and it suits the song well. What the song could've done is that they would've used the good soundsworlds from the intro more as they really sounded a lot better than what we now got.
Rating : 7+

12.Leslie Parrish - Dedicated To You (Delta)
Leslie Parrish is pretty much the equivalent for Norma Sheffield on Delta as her most songs are very much alike and they suffer from similarity and the final touch. The only difference is that Leslie's materials are much faster and aggressive which also fits Clara Moroni's vocals very well. Though this song is pretty standard and left me feeling empty inside, not good.
Rating : 6½

13.Mr. M - Radio Tokyo (Time)
Another hybrid song from Time on the same album. This song starts out sounding rather trance-ish, and slowly starts to add the eurobeat elements into the mix, and quite surprisingly the mix works really well. The vocals, the sounds, the melody all work well and in particular the chorus is very efficient. This song doesn't resemble the general style that Time does and it's a refreshing breeze of wind. Nice song that could've had a bit more energy in it.
Rating : 8½

14.Lisa Bee - High On Devotion (Time)
Female voices go weird when vocoder is used and this song scared me for a second that they'd use it a lot. Fortunately the vocoder is only included in the intro and slightly used to alter the voice. The song itself is so different from the normal Time materials and this song would actually fit Euromach very well, the song has a cheery upbeat mood and the song just screams to have a fun parapara dance to it, specially the c-melody kick ass, another example of what Time can do if they just put their heart into it.
Rating : 9

15.Mega NRG Man - Express Love (A-Beat C)
This track has earned a classic status due to the fact that it's been used in multiple compilations, and everytime I hear it I combine it with a certain ParaPara AllStars special performance. The song itself is very catchy and practically Mega NRG Man at his best. The song has an excellent chorus with cool use of the synth, and when the c-melody even works marvellously I was convinced that perhaps I really will start to like all of the male vocalists in eurobeat slowly.
Rating : 9

16.Vicky Vale - Shibuya Girl (Delta)
Vicky Vale is one of the names on Delta who like Suzy Lazy always release great songs and from the songs Vicky Vale has done, this is definitely one of the best ones, if not the best. The song has a nice touch due to the lyrics regarding ganguros and the general theme revolving around the Shibuya shopping district. A great song with a great melody and a killer chorus, I can't ask for much more as this one is definitely yet another highlight for this album.
Rating : 10

17.Powerful T. - Fight Fire With Fire (A-Beat C)
Two songs left, and two promising titles. The high quality of Powerful T. is here again and like his name says we get another powerful song that works plain brilliantly. This song is definitely one of the best ones as the track shines on every way I can think of. The sounds are very powerful and the lyrics boost up the song a whole lot. The chorus itself is something to praise as the vocals range from one edge to the other and still sound brilliant, unbelievebly well produced and sung materials.
Rating : 10

18.A-Beat Friends - From Japan To Italy (A-Beat C)
And on to the final song. This time by A-Beat Friends another title with the familiar prefix. The vocalists range from Dave to Karen to Domino and the harmony works really well. The most easily recognizable vocalists are Dave & Karen who also get the most lines on the song. Strangely enough the song isn't very good and must be one of the worst performances by any of the A-Beat X names. The song is very calm and sounds more like general pop or something that would've been taken from a Eurobeat Disney album, not bad but not good either.
Rating : 7

Final Words :
For a change we get a variable SEB. The level ranges up and down, and fortunately we're moving on the better end for the most part of the album: D.Essex, Domino, Robbie Grain, Lolita, Vicky Vale & Powerful T. present the best songs on the album, but many songs aren't left far behind as the level is pretty high. The few low points here and there don't matter a lot, and the good thing with the album is that Time presents a lot of good songs that they don't do very often and the worst song on the album isn't even by Time. A good album with multiple jewels for longlasting fun. I wouldn't skip getting this album, as it really shines on many levels.

Final Score : 8½

Reviewed by Bore