Regular edition

It seems like 2009 is the year for members of duos to step out and release solo singles, starting with Tackey & Tsubasa, followed by their sempai, or senior, KinKi Kids. As Takizawa Hideaki of Tackey & Tsubasa prepares to release his third solo single of 2009, Hikari Hitotsu, or One Light, on Sep 23, Domoto Koichi of KinKi Kids churns out a new single Ayakashi, or Something Suspicious, on his own while his aikata, or partner, Domoto Tsuyoshi gets ready for his solo single Rain scheduled for sale on Sep 9.

The Domoto duo currently holds the Guinness World Records for the most number of singles debuting at Number 1 on Japan’s Oricon charts and released their latest single Yakusoku, or Promise, in January. Something Suspicious continued their winning streak, debuting again at No. 1 on Oricon when it was released in Japan on Jul 29.

Something Suspicious is Domoto Koichi’s third solo single, with his previous one No More released more than a year ago in the name of Maizu Tsukasa, the main character he played in Japanese drama Sushi Prince!. As one of the four “dancing kings” of his managing company Johnny’s & Associates (the other three being Higashiyama Noriyuki of Shonentai, Akasaka Akira of now-defunct Hikaru Genji and Imai Tsubasa of Tackey & Tsubasa), it is natural to expect a single of dance tracks from him.

Sure enough, the title track “Something Suspicious” is a catchy dance track that would have you humming and tapping your fingers along. The other track in the single “Awaken Yourself” is also pretty catchy and has more of a rock element in it. Even for non-Japanese speaking fans, it wasn’t difficult to make out what the songs were about as half the lyrics were in English. The tunes for both songs were composed by Koichi, while American-born lyricist Aratamika penned the lyrics. She has had a long term working relationship with Koichi and wrote almost all his songs since his first solo single Deep in your heart/+Million but – Love.

As with most singles by artistes under Johnny’s & Associates, Something Suspicious comes in a number of different editions, and this time Something Suspicious has 3. The “Limited Edition” comes with the 2 tracks mentioned above, as well as a DVD containing the promotion video (PV) and the making of “Something Suspicious” PV. The PV matches the atmosphere of the song well, and fans can swoon over Koichi’s sexy dance moves amongst a group of female dancers, however this UrbanWire reviewer doesn’t understand the shot of Koichi hugging a woman with her back naked right at the end. The making of the PV shows the unused scenes of Koichi lip-synching to the lyrics, and the little accident during the filming of the dance parts. Something worth looking out for would be how the ending dance routine was coordinated and Koichi counting his beats in English.

The “First Press regular edition” comes with a bonus track “Falling -2009-“, also composed by Koichi. Not surprisingly, it’s yet another dance track and similar to the first two songs. Finally, the “Regular Edition” comes with all these 3 tracks mentioned and a fourth track “Peaceful World -2009-“. “Peaceful World -2009-” is a ballad for a change, and Koichi shows off astonishingly powerful vocals in it.

If you are looking for something different from most KinKi Kids songs, Something Suspicious is a good start, as Koichi maintained a decent performance. Otherwise, Koichi seemed to have just continued on the proven formula of his previous solo works. And this UrbanWire reviewer will now count down to the release of Rain by his aikata Tsuyoshi and look forward to any surprises he would bring.

Title: 妖 〜あやかし〜 Something Suspicious
Artiste: 堂本光一 Domoto Koichi
Language: Japanese
Record Label: Johnny’s Entertainment
Release Date: 29 July 2009 (Japan), 14 August 2009 (Rest of Asia)