°C-ute - Sakura Chirari

Sakura Chirari is the debut single from the Hello!Project group, °C-ute. This group has been around since 2005 and was created from the girls not chosen to form Berryz Koubou.

The title track, Sakura Chirari, is additive in its own right. The singing is not particularly strong when compared to °C-ute's other singles, but it does complement the 'light and fluffy' mood of the song. The biggest selling point of this single is the music itself. Sakura Chirari is purely pop, and the moderate beat of the song has the ability (as many Hello!Project songs do) to make one want to learn the dance or at least watch the PV for extended periods of time. The song should come with a warning label -- too much replaying will cause overexposure to too much cute (no pun intended).

The second track, JUMP, features catchy guitar riffs that aren't found in the first track. While this B-side has a higher energy, the choice of instruments makes it seem out of place and disrupts the pop mood set by the title track. This song features somewhat stronger singing, but it stills seems to have been an ill choice for the voices of °C-ute. Perhaps JUMP is more suited for the style of another Hello!Project group or perhaps on an album of an older, more vocally mature °C-ute.

Considering this single was °C-ute's debut release, it shows that this young group has potential as their voices mature in the upcoming years. The first track being a good match for the girls' voices, while the other seeming a little more experimental showing that they're not afraid to broaden their music's sound.