VISION FACTORY presents FLOWER FESTIVAL

It really seems that springtime is the favorite time of the year for all Japanese people. Thus, it is not a big surprise that the label SONIC GROOVE brought out the sampler VISION FACTORY presents FLOWER FESTIVAL during spring. You could describe this CD as an ode to the splendor of flora that comes back to life during that season. Well-known artists like OLIVIA, Lead and many more are featured on this disc.

hiro and her lively Sakura are a great prelude for the sampler. Among its light and cheerful character, the nice bass and the catchy rhythm stick out. The next track will remind you a bit of old Backstreet Boys songs; nevertheless, Miura Daichi’s Special Story is a very catchy tune. It's mid-tempo, but with a well-rounded chorus that keeps it from being boring. The tempo drops a bit with 365 hi no hanakotoba, which is a leisurely paced ballad with a slight hip-hop influence in the vocals. The song is pepped up by trumpets and an electric guitar during the bridge. After that, Komorita Minoru’s Ai no dalia resounds from the speakers. It's a song which sounds pretty sluggish and old-fashioned and is possibly only interesting for those over the age of fifty. The total composition of the track, the sound itself and the vocals doesn't lend itself to pleasing younger listeners.

Thankfully, Ai no dalia is followed by a welcome change. With Caribbean flair, an easygoing rhythm and interesting vocal intonations, White Velvet by Takahashi MaryJun is markedly better. The next song, the rock'n'roll styled Hiyashinsu, has a catchy tune and impresses with a full chorus, too. Then, all lovers of the leisurely hip-hop will have their fun with Matsuyukisou ~Snowdrop~. The duo Oota Crew focuses its attention on the holidays and offers a slight touch of Christmas, but it never seems to be misplaced on the sampler. OLIVIA enchants her listeners with a noticeable calmer song, Bleeding Heart. It is pretty emotional with her high, but very pleasant voice and a dreamy composition. An acoustic guitar, percussion and a hardly perceptible electric guitar create the musical background for this charming winter tale of a song.

Of course, such an album can’t be without a real heartrending ballad. Hinoi Asuka and her track Suiren, on which she is accompanied by a piano, delivers. Subsequently, the tempo picks up again with the lively Himawari. In the song you often hear a flute, which sounds like a shakuhachi, and because of this instrument a slightly melancholy tune is created. Unfortunately, the bright voice of the singer doesn’t fit the melody correctly; it only seems to come together in the chorus. Therefore, a really impressive flute solo occurs during the song to compensate the slight flaw. Finally, Lead gets the honor to close this "FLOWER FESTIVAL." For this, the sugar sweet, calm ballad Dear My Flower was chosen. A low bass, as well as classical piano and strings, accompany the typical polyphonic boy group vocals, and even the boys' solos sound great.

The sampler of VISION FACTORY presents FLOWER FESTIVAL is convincing through its well-balanced arrangement. With this compilation, every pop fan will have fun, because there is truly something for everyone. The only song worth skipping is Komorita Minoru’s Ai no dalia, and even then it's just one song among plenty of other goods ones.