AAA – CHOICE IS YOURS [Boys Only Mini Album]

June 19, 2008 at 9:30 pm (AAA) (AAA, Oricon Year 2008 Albums)

AAA’s fourth mini album, entitled Choice Is Yours, was released on 06.18.08. This mini-album only features the male members of AAA and consists of 6 songs to really show off what these boys can do.

Crash opens up this mini-album. the song begins with a cool instrumentation before going into the first verse. The boys sing their way through this effortlessly as their smooth voices work with the instrumentation, which features some rock elements to it to make it all the more enjoyable. The hook really begins to deliver that energy and their vocals still maintain that strength. The chorus picks up the energy with louder vocals as well as what sounds like a crowd yelling with them. The rap works perfectly with the energy level of Crash and is a perfect fit in this song. The song finishes with awesome instrumentation, bringing the song to a close. Crash is a perfect way to open up the album as it brings energy and talented vocals from the boys.

Hasta la vista ～アスタ・ラ・ビスタ～ follows as the next track on the album. The song opens up with an orchestal instrumentation that evokes almost a slow magical feeling before the song’s true beat comes in, introducing more uptempo elements. The first verse comes in and the vocals sound great over the music and creates an atmosphere filled with sexual energy. The hook begins to pick up the lyrical rapidity to make the chorus pop. The boys harmonize well and their voices mix to make a perfect sound. The song is an excellent song that keeps up the energy after Crash.

ZAPPER appears as the third track. The song opens up with an uptempo and cool-sounding instrumentation before going into the chorus, a catchy section with dance beats filled behind the music. The first verse follows and the vocals fit perfectly with the music and keep that same fun dance sound. As the song progresses, it doesn’t get repetitive or tiring at all as the boys keep the listener engaged. The rap section sounds a bit nasally at points but is a welcome part that keeps the song fresh and interesting. The boys’ range is shown as they hit the higher notes and also deliver more power into some notes. ZAPPER is an excellent dance track that shows off the boys’ vocal talents.

The fourth song is Crying Freeman. A more mellow uptempo instrumentation opens up the song before some twinkling sounds come in that are somewhat remisiscent of winter. The first verse alone really shows how great the boys can vocalize. The vocals reach to the higher notes to more powerful notes that show off true range. The chorus sounds great as the vocals combine with the music to solidify the atmosphere previously established. Instrumentation really comes to life during the pure instrumental section, where the guitar in particular seems to step out and make its presence known. That same beautiful music finishes off the song just as wonderfully as it began. Crying Freeman is an excellent song that shows off vocal talent over a winter-time instrumentation.

BET is the fifth song on the album, which puts a focus on both singing and rapping. The song opens up with a variety of vocals that show off the boys’ range over a fun instrumentation. The chorus is really catchy with some great harmonization as well as some more aggressive rap lines. Following is the rap section, which sounds particularly aggressive to draw attention to the song. The most notable point about BET is the more aggressive approach to the song, which makes it stand out all the more and it is a great semi-final track. The song is fairly short but it definitely packs a lot of punch in that small amount of time.

The final song on the album is あきれるくらいわがままな自由. The song begins with a beautiful instrumentation that has elements of winter that emerge from it to enhance the beauty. The first verse starts and the vocals sound absolutely wonderful. The chorus features the boys harmonizing well and showing off their vocal prowess to really make the emotions come out strongly. The third verse features a slight change in instrumentation along with even more power behind the vocals that keep the song alive. The English line “baby please come back to me” just displays the emotional presence of the song. This song is an excellent way to finish the album as it a great representation of the sounds of winter and the boys’ vocals are at their excellent usual quality.

In order to promote the new mini album, a PV for Crash was made. The PV opens up with the five boys walking into a mine dressed for the part in miners’ gear. The rest of the video features the boys performing dance moves in the mine. The video is pretty simplistic as it is a dance video but it is still enjoyable and it matches the energy of the song well. The video ends with the mine caving in.

Album Ranking: A

The boys really went all out for the release of their mini album, CHOICE IS YOURS. The album features six tracks, that all show off the guys’ vocals and some great beats. The two ballads, Crying Freeman and あきれるくらいわがままな自由 evoke winter-time feelings and the boys really do bring the songs to life. The uptempo dance songs all get the job done perfectly, Crash in particular, and really show off the boys’ flare. If a mini-album for the girls is upcoming then hopefully they will keep this quality.