[WORLD GROOVE] Currently listening to Tenjo Chiki - Piranha

GROUP: Tenjo Chiki (also known as “The Grace”)

CD SINGLE: Piranha

LABEL: SM Entertainment/RhythmZone

CATALOG #: SMJTCD0207/B

DURATION: 38.2 minutes

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. Piranha
2. My Everything
3. Just For One Day feat. Jejung from Tohoshinki
4. The Club [STY Gin n' Tonic Remix] feat. SEAMO
5. Piranha [instrumental]
6. My Everything [instrumental
7. Just For One Day [instrumental with JEJUNG]
8. Just For One Day [instrumental with TENJO CHIKI]

DVD: Region 3, 4:3, Duration: 5 minutes

1. Piranha music clip

I have a few Tenjo Chiki CD singles on my “to review later” shelf but it was not until I saw a performance of “Piranha” for “a-nation 2007″ that left me speechless by their sexy choreography and vocals.

So, naturally did my research to find out who this group is and to find out that Tenjo Chiki is a Korean quartet that goes by the name “The Grace”. Similar to Tohoshinki, they have several names in Asia but for the sake of this review, I will use the Japanese name Tenjo Chiki.

The four women consist of So. California girl Stephanie, Sunday (who released CD singles in Japan back in 2004-2005), Dana (released two solo albums in Korea) and Lina (member of Korea’s IsakNJiyeon).

I admit I was surprised that one of the members was Dana (a person I listened to during the time S.E.S. was around and bought the SMTown Christmas albums) and Lina of IsakNJiyeon, so naturally I went back and started listening to the CD singles and now all into this group. And Stephanie, I’ve seen her perform (and showcasing her awesome dance moves) on the SBS Korean variety show “XMAN” but never really put two and two together that Tenjo Chiki is CSJH.

The version I am reviewing is the limited version of “Piranha” which has an extra track (includes a remix for “The Club”) and is their fifth CD single.

The first track “Piranha” is an up-tempo dance track which utilizes the women’s vocals and also an upbeat number showcasing the women’s dance choreography.

The second track “My Everything” is a very cool slow jam, showing the sensual side of the group.

The third track “Just For One Day” features the women teaming up with JEJUNG of Tohoshinki. The song is another sensual slow jam but definitely will attract the fans of Tohoshinki. JEJUNG’s vocals are smooth and the the overall track

The fourth track which is a bonus track for the limited edition version features an “STY Gin n’ Tonic Remix” for their song “The Club”. The song was the group’s second CD single with a collaboration with music artist SEAMO. This version of the song is a head bopping, dance number with a good emphasis of bass drum. But I love the original version much better.

The remaining four track feature instrumentals for the first two tracks and two instrumentals for “Just For One Day” which include one with JEJUNG and the other with Tenjo Chiki.

As what MAX and SPEED did for the dance R&B quartet of the 90’s, Tenjo Chiki takes it a notch further by really going sexy (Koda Kumi sexy) with the hip twists and much more and the vocals of the women are reminiscent of artists such as Christina Aguillera and how I enjoyed them through their performance on a-nation is further enhanced by the accompanying DVD that shows how sexy these women are. Differently a different contrast from what we have seen from S.E.S. or even BoA.

The DVD features the music video clip for “Piranha” and shows the women doing a dance off with four male dancers. A video featuring sexy dance choreography!

The CD insert features the Japanese lyrics but also includes another foldout which has the Korean lyrics of the songs.

The women have just released their first Japanese album titled “Graceful 4″ back on November 14th. In a way, I’ve been wanting to see a new quartet dance group along the same lines as MAX and SPEED in Japan that can dance and sing and take it to a new level without being idolish.

And I can absolutely say that their music video and live performance of “Piranha” has caught my eye and now I’ll be tuning into this group.

Overall the CD single showcases their music and vocals through “Piranha” and their two slow jams on this CD single. Enjoyed this music CD single a lot.

The music video of “Piranha” is simply sexy and awesome to watch.

I know I’m reviewing this late and probably preaching to the choir for those who enjoy the group but for those who haven’t, I highly recommend checking out the CD+DVD version to get the audio and video experience of this quartet.