Ongaku Cafe (The 2000s): hitomi – Peace (December 2007)

If you are a hitomi fan or heard and liked “I am” from the anime series “Inuyasha” or liked her song “Kimi no Tonari” from the “Persona 2: Innocent Sin” video game or have been interested in her music period, this album is an easy recommend from me.

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ARTIST: hitomi

ALBUM: peace

LABEL: LOVE LIFE

CATALOG #: avcd-23425~7

DURATION: [CD 1: 60 minutes], [CD2: 48.5 minutes], [CD3: 60 minutes]

RELEASED on December 5, 2007

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CD 1:

1. Let’s Play Winter
2. WE ARE “LONELY GIRL”
3. CANDY GIRL
4. GO TO THE TOP
5. Sexy
6. In the future
7. by myself
8. BUSY NOW
9. problem
10. PRETTY EYES
11. Sora
12. Progress
13. Someday

CD 2:

1. Kimi no Tonari
2. WISH
3. MADE TO BE IN LOVE
4. there is…
5. taion
6. LOVE 2000
7. MARIA
8. Kimi ni KISS
9. INNER CHILD
10. IS IT YOU!

CD 3:

1. I am
2. innocence
3. SAMURAI DRIVE
4. Understanding
5. flow
6. BLADE RUNNER
7. hikari
8. Kokoro no tabibito
9. SPEED*STAR
10. Japanese girl
11. Love Angel
12. CRA”G”Y*MAMA
13. GO MY WAY
14. Ai no Kotoba

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Reviewed back in December 2007

I remember the day that hitomi debuted back in 1994. I was like the ultimate fan boy of hitomi, buying all her CD singles and albums and I just remember that one commercial when she was driving with Komuro Tetsuya (TK) in a limo and she came out of the car and I was like “Wow! She’s hot!”.

Of course, I never expected much of her in the beginning, model turned vocalist. Hot body that is emphasized quite a bit in her music videos and I remember her performing at TK Dance Clamp in 1995 performing “WE ARE “LONELY GIRL” but when the music video for “CANDY GIRL” came out, the song went through the roof. Heck, it was even a blast to hear other artists such as Amuro Namie singing it on the karaoke tv show “The Yorumo Hit Parade”.

But then I started to watch this singer go from sex kitten of the TK family to improving her talent as a musician. Playing a guitar and also noticed an improvement with her onstage performance and even with her vocals as the years progressed.

Within the last thirteen years, I have seen multiple collaborations with undergroup musicians to hip hop artists and rock bands to not too long ago with reggae duo MEGARYU.

Within that thirteen years, she has improved herself as a person not wanting to be the model with a face but to go back to college and graduate. Having twins (a boy and girl) and to be in charge of her own record label “LOVE LIFE” on her 10th Anniversary with Avex.

And in 2006, although having released the album “Love Concent”, hitomi was busy with promotion of her film “Akumu Tantei” and on stage for “Waiting for the Sun”, fans have been clamoring for something new from the performer.

Here were are in December 2007 with “peace”, a three-disc collection of all of hitomi’s 37 songs from CD singles beginning from “Let’s Play Winter” (November 28, 1994) all the way to “Ai no Kotoba” (September 13, 2006).

But there are rumors running around that this may be the final release for hitomi and that the singer is retiring. And if that is the case, “peace” is truly the definitive hitomi collection released.

You get every song that she has released as a CD single and unlike other compilations where they tend to split the releases into several volumes, fortunately for fans, you get it all on this three-disc release.

Also, released on the same day is a special limited edition release which includes a DVD that features ALL music videos by hitomi including concert footage and more. I wish I can comment on the DVD but I am reviewing the regular three-disc release.

As for the CD insert, the insert features a booklet with all lyrics of all songs and a few photos of hitomi.

What can I say about hitomi, she has had an awesome 13 years and still looks as hot now as when she debuted back in 1994. Her vocals have improved throughout the years and if it’s really the end of her run as a singer (which I hope is not true), “peace” makes a fitting finale if that is the case.

You really can’t go wrong with “peace” because you get all of her CD single releases in one album as opposed to a “vol. 1” and a “vol. 2” which is typically the case for a lot of Japanese music artists.

When it comes to hitomi, I can look back in the past and how her music was a big part of my life and the fact that I featured her so much during the early and mid-90’s on the Neo-Tokyo 2099 BBS for years and listening to all the music is just very nostalgic for me and all in all, there is just no way you can’t fault this release.

If you are a hitomi fan or heard and liked “I am” from the anime series “Inuyasha” or liked her song “Kimi no Tonari” from the “Persona 2: Innocent Sin” video game or have been interested in her music period, this album is an easy recommend from me.

Highly recommended for the hitomi fan!

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