V6 - Honeybeat (Limited Edition A)

V6 fans have had a hard time of late as despite their 10th Anniversary last year, fans were treated to two fairly forgettable singles. For their 30th single, they have gone for a theme of 'cheering'; it is being described on Japanese music television as an 'Ouen' song, meaning 'to cheer someone on'. Honeybeat is happy, bouncy and perfect for sad winter months.

Honeybeat begins with short, slow introduction before launching itself into the chorus and the first line of 'I want to make you shining smile'. It is an energetic chorus with a rock beat that rushes along at a fast pace, and the guys seem to work well together with no voices seeming stretched or out of line. A short musical interlude follows continuing the rock based melody before it fades away for the verses.

Unfortunately though, the lack of melody in the verses can make flaws in V6's voices seem more apparent and hinders the pace of the song. Two members at a time sing the verses, and the drop in sound causes it to suddenly resemble karaoke rather than a polished single. Thankfully the verses are very short and soon more voices join for another rendition of the fantastic chorus. It's a shame as Honeybeat could have been a great V6 song, along the lines of Wa ni natte odoru or Believe your Smile, but instead it is slightly let down by the verses. The last third of the song continues the fast pace of the chorus, leaving the listener with a pleasant memory of the song but, overall, it seems to have missed something en route.

Boku to Bokura no Ashita is a fairly formulaic rock-pop ballad. The song begins gently with the vocals of Morita Go and Miyake Ken, both of whom are not as strong as some of the others in their vocal work. They are soon replaced though by Inohara Yoshihiko and Okada Junichi who introduces some needed smooth vocals into the soft guitar melody. It picks up into an orchestrated and fairly grand sounding chorus that continues with the vocals of all six members. As a whole, the melody has a strangely melancholic feel, picking up particularly near the end when the melody becomes more passionate building to a rousing climax.

Honeybeat is a single that fans of V6 will enjoy, but sadly is unlikely to stand out enough to earn any new converts. It is a shame as it has real promise with the fantastic chorus of the title track, but the verses and average coupling song let down the single.

This limited edition release of the single also contains a DVD with the promotional video for the coupling track, Boku to Bokura no Ashita.