NEWS - weeeek

NEWS have had a fairly slow year, release wise, but as they say it's quality, not quantity. weeeek firmly cements NEWS' return however, in a great comeback year that has seen the six travel to Taiwan for a sell out concert, and hit the top of the charts with all they have released.

NEWS should be very thankful to GReeeeN (who wrote their new song) because, quite simply, weeeek is one of the very best NEWS songs yet. It is full of infectious energy from the start, bounding straight into the chorus after a short intro that builds neatly with its choice of percussion. The verses do not let up this pace; rapped in a rap/sung Ketsumeishi style, all the boys handle their lines well although as one criticism, Nishikido Ryo does sound a little as if he is shouting the words during the first verse. The melody is balanced between a rock melody with firm pop sensibilities and, as a whole, weeeek works perfectly. Just one note however about the lyrics - this is no song about lost love or indeed anything to do with love, unlike many pop songs. Instead, the song bemoans long working weeks and finding strength to be a salaryman. One can really empathize with Masuda Takahisa as he sings 'I've got plenty to do but I don't feel like doing anything at all; with only 4 hours sleep a day'. This twist alone makes it a great song, not to mention the tune's other strengths!

With Me is a slightly more typical Johnny's Entertainment b-side using lyrics, melody and an arrangement of bells. While verses belie a different song with a highly mature sound that feels alien to the JE world, the chorus is definitely more of the norm. The vocals and harmonies are all performed smoothly although Tegoshi Yuya's vocal solo is stunning; his voice simply continues to improve at an incredible rate. With Me may sound somewhat ordinary but when ordinary is done well, it doesn't matter and while this is the weakest track on the single it is still a superb song.

The final track on the limited edition version is Why. While it is clear why Why is a b-side, it is one of the best heard this year. The moody and slightly raw acoustic guitar combined with haunting strings reveals a song with a maturity far beyond anything either NEWS or any JE group has made before. It follows the 'strings and guitar' arrangement yes, but in a fresh and very pure way. The English is sung clearly and Kato Shigeaki's voice sounds good! Why is quite simply incredible.

The CD finally includes a karaoke version of weeeek.

weeeek comes highly recommended. There is not a faltering track on the limited edition version, which demonstrates how NEWS are rapidly maturing as a sextet and becoming one of JE's musically finest bands.

Note: this review refers to the Limited Edition.