At the beginning of this year I-ai- was just around the corner with their very first European Tour, but in August it was time for V.I.P, the soloproject of I-ai’s vocalist and composer Hiroaki Nakashima, to make the stages in Europe unsafe. Sweden was the very first to get the chance to get a taste of “Vocalist I-ai- Project”.
With three single tracks that have been available since the 11th of August it, it quickly became very clear that V.I.P goes beyond rock. The singles are: WE ARE ONE, SOMA and SOMA (English special version).
WE ARE ONE bursts through the speakers with a clear beat. The Dance, Trance and a bit of Tango influences are working together with the string, piano and electric guitar to display a ton of energy and make your body moving to the music.
SOMA is a perfect example of the spectrum in which V.I.P plays as well. While this song starts as a beautiful anthem, it breaks loose into relaxing lounge music. When the bass comes to accompany the piano the whole picture is complete. The various sounds carry the story as an entity itself, while the soft electronic distortions, flute and Greek vocals by Olga Kolisoglou put you in a daze. A fantastic song to dream away under a beautiful blue sky.
SOMA (English Special Version) turns SOMA into a whole new song. The lounge vibe stay, but deep in your fantasy it takes you to a cosy and nice cocktail bar thanks to the jazz style that’s made by a guitar and some percussion. This time both Hiroaki and Olga Kolisoglou are heard in English and while the Japanese version, the original one, gave the song extra depth, we think the English one is also very surprising.
The two SOMA’s and WE ARE ONE are online available on ITunes (click on the names of the songs and you’ll be redirected to them). Be sure to keep an eye on the website of V.I.P for more information.
Rating: 89.5/100
