DA PUMP is a male pop/hip-hop group consisting of the members
ISSA, KEN and
YUKINARI. The members not only sing, but are also talented dancers. The group made their debut in 1997 after graduating from the Okinawa Actor's School, where they received training for a career in the showbiz industry.
In September 2006, the three men of
DA PUMP released their 24th single
ALRIGHT!. The CD was released in both a CD and a CD+DVD version. Both versions have six tracks, and the DVD contains the PV of the title track and making of footage.
ALRIGHT! has an intro that promises the rest of the song to be a happy, summery song to which you can dance. This track is a mix of a pop melody with a hiphop beat. After the chorus, a rap part follows. The vocal parts during the chorus are a bit weak, which consequently makes the chorus lack power. The rap parts are definitely stronger and of better quality. The scratch part near the middle makes for a nice change. It's a nice summer song, but unfortunately the song isn't as great as it could have been because of the chorus.
MO'Fia starts with vocals and a very interesting sound effect. The vocals flow perfectly with the beat, which is addictive, and it's a great summer dance song. With this song,
DA PUMP really manages to create images of a warm summer night in a Latin country. Most likely you will do just what the chorus tells you to do: "Shake your body!" This song also contains an interesting style of singing towards the second half, it may be described as a traditional vocal style. Even though
MO'Fia is not the title track, it could have carried the single on its own.
The next track starts with an electric guitar that has a bit of a nostalgic feel to it. The same feeling seems to return in the vocal parts and the piano line. The music is nice, but it seems like the vocalists of
DA PUMP get a little bored by the slow pace and their voices just lack energy. Only the rap part gives this song some energy.
Next up are three
Back Track versions of the previous songs, which are basically just instrumental or karaoke versions. It's a nice addition for the fans, especially the
Around The World (Studio live Version 2006 Back Track), because without the vocals that lacked energy in the normal version, you can now enjoy the music itself, which is very relaxing.
DA PUMP's 24th single is a great mix of pop and hip-hop. Two of the three songs are very danceable. Combined with the laid-back
Around The World (Studio live Version 2006), it would have been a good single to be released in the summer, but the CD came out at the end of September. Though, after hearing the songs, the listener can happily think back to his summer holiday.
If you're interested in
DA PUMP, you should definitely check out their
official website, where you can find some comment clips and a PV.
