[WORLD GROOVE] Currently listening to AMI SUZUKI joins ALY & AJ – Potential Breakup Song

January 12, 2008 by Dennis Amith

ARTIST: AMI SUZUKI joins ALY & AJ

CD SINGLE: Potential Breakup Song

Label: Avex Trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31326/B

DURATION: 24:24

RELEASED ON November 28, 2007

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Potential Breakup Song
feel the beat
Potential Breakup Song [sugiurumn Remix]
Potential Breakup Song [Instrumental]

DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 4 minutes

Potential Breakup Song Music Video

Wow! That is the word that came to mind when I first listened to this CD single.

In 2007, Avex Trax has been doing these cool collaborations between Suzuki Ami and various artists with her album “CONNETTA” and various CD single releases featuring Suzuki Ami collaborating with Otsuka Ai, HAL, Buffalo Daughter, Nakata Yasutaka (capsule) and many others in Japan.

But in November 2007, Suzuki Ami’s latest CD single release would feature a collaboration with the California sisters Aly & AJ who had the Summer 2007 hit “Potential Breakup Song” and do a Japanese version of the song but overseeing the project was DJ and producer Sugiurumn (many J-Pop remix listeners are familiar with his work with Hamasaki Ayumi, m-flo, hitomi, CHEMISTRY, Ketsumeishi, etc.).

If anything, the song gave Suzuki Ami some International recognition because when Aly & AJ performed the song in Japan with her, automatically fans in America started to put out YouTube videos featuring Aly & AJ with Suzuki Ami and fans of the American sisters started to dig the Suzuki Ami Japanese version.

I enjoyed Aly & AJ’s version of the song but was blown away when I first heard Suzuki Ami and ALY & AJ’s Japanese version. The song was catchy and Suzuki Ami sung the song smoothly and personally, I just dig it! Overall, a very cool pop song and rendition of the English original.

As for the coupling song, “feel the beat”, the song features Suzuki Ami singing all in English with repetitive lyrics of “I feel the beat”, “I feel the sound”, “I feel the music”, etc. It’s more or less a long instrumental with Suzuki repeating the lyrics over and over. The song is produced by Sugiurumn and mixed by Kumasaka Satoshi.

The Sugiurumn remix of “Potential Breakup Song” has that Avex – VELFARRE house, dance club feel to it. I’m more biased to the title track version though, which is a very good version.

The DVD of “Potential Breakup Song” is actually very cool and features Suzuki Ami in a different light. No funky hair extensions or diva-ish look. Pretty much Suzuki Ami showcasing her sexiness and her curves. A very sexy music video and definitely made me forget those “infinity 18″ pre-Avex years and definitely gave me a new impression of the singer. HOT!

As for the CD insert, just a bifold with the interior featuring the lyrics and the other page featuring photos of Suzuki Ami, ALY & AJ and Sugiurumn and song credits.

Although Suzuki Ami may not have the chart topping hits when she dominated the late 90’s as a teen but I really enjoy what Avex is doing with her music and really pumping new life into her as a music artist and to her music overall.

There are way too many women on the Avex sub-labels who have their identity of dance music and now, Avex is giving an identity to Suzuki Ami as of late by not staying within certain boundaries but breaking the J-Pop paradigm by aligning herself with a variety of musical producers of different musical genres.

With “Potential Breakup Song”, the collaboration with ALY & AJ and working closely with them as opposed to just doing a cover of their hit song was a very cool move on Avex’s part and also to have them sing together in Japan showcasing both the English and Japanese versions and definitely introducing Suzuki to ALY & AJ’s fans outside of Japan.

All in all, I really dig the Japanese version of “Potential Breakup Song” and the collaboration with Sugiurumn worked out positively and with the CD+DVD has definitely caught my interest and seeing what further collaborations Avex has up their sleeves for Suzuki. I look forward to that.

I definitely recommend AMI SUZUKI joins ALY & AJ’s “Potential Breakup Song”.