Do-can
KICS-695 ¤ 1998.09.23 ¤ 3,059 yen

Review written by Teresa Ko.

Overall : The first Makkun album I ever bought, I've always considered this to be one of the best Masami Okui CDs out there. With a wonderful mix of upbeat songs like "kiss in the dark", "Birth", and "Vitamin" and slow and beautifully written songs like "Himawari" and "Dareka ga Dareka wo", there are quite a few things to love about this album. By the way, this being Makkun's "Las Vegas Outting" CD, the CD booklet has some pictures of her zooming around on a luggage cart. Very cute. ^_^

01. Makoon~1999~
mus & arr: OOHIRA Tsutomu
Mysterious-sounding instrumentals, leads in well to track 2.

02. Aka -AKA- [L.A. ver.]
lyr: OKUI Masami, mus & arr: YABUKI Toshirou
Starts with a neat-sounding guitar riff, then races off with AKA's fast beginning instrumentals. The type of song that wakes you right up on a dull Monday morning, and the new version is pretty good (depends on how much you like electric guitars). The lyrics are a bit more daring than Makkun's norm, but they fit the adrenaline-rush intensity of the song.

03. kiss in the dark
lyr & mus: OKUI Masami, arr: OOHIRA Tsutomu
This is the reason I bought Do-can first; I had to have this track! Quite possibly my favorite of all songs, this has everything I love about Makkun's fast songs. It's upbeat without being overly so, the vocals are clean and strong, and the melody is very catchy. The lyrics also seem to perfectly convey the feeling of reckless abandon that can come with love. Great intro, great build-up, awesome chorus, great track.

04. BIG-3
lyr: OKUI Masami, mus & arr: YABUKI Toshirou
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, but track #4 on almost every Makkun CD is SO VERY GOOD (well, except maybe in NEEI). This is an upbeat song with kind of a unique sound and a very interesting beat. Whenever I hear this song, I inevitably start to think, what are the three most important things in my life? Definitely one of Do-can's strongest tracks.

05. Himawari [isamix]
lyr & mus: OKUI Masami, arr: YABUKI Toshirou
This medium-paced ballad is beautifully written and sounds rather sad (though the lyrics are actually kind of uplifting). Definitely one of my favorites, even outside Do-can. Too bad the versions featured in the Akihabara Dennohgumi anime aren't in Makkun's other CDs.

06. Shiawase tte...
lyr & mus: OKUI Masami, arr: OOHIRA Tsutomu
A slow, contemplative kind of song, beautifully romantic and quiet. I read somewhere that Makkun wrote this song to commemorate Hayashibara Megumi's wedding. If so, it's a very fitting piece.

07. Eve
lyr & mus: OKUI Masami, arr: OOHIRA Tsutomu
Nice, easy-going song with a few Biblical references. I especially like the melody to the very first two lines of each stanza; they follow an interesting rhythm. The chorus slowly grows on you. Good song.

08. CLIMAX
lyr & mus: OKUI Masami, arr: YABUKI Toshirou
Another good song, picks up the pace with some heavier instrumentals and some solid singing by Makkun. Very nice.

09. Birth [takemix]
lyr: OKUI Masami, mus: OKUI Masami & YABUKI Toshirou, arr: YABUKI Toshirou
The famous OP of Akihabara Dennohgumi. Upbeat, inspiring song with excellent lyrics. The only beef I have, though, is that Makkun's voice sounds somewhat muffled, which is exactly what you don't want in a loud-ish, busy piece like "Birth". Anyway, if you can, go see the promotional video for this song. It shows some breathtaking scenery and a lot of funny moments where Makkun's goofing around. ^_^

10. Vitamin ~Zettai, Souda.~
lyr: OKUI Masami, mus & arr: YABUKI Toshirou
A very upbeat and happy rock song. The lyrics are fun and kind of silly, too. A good song to listen to when you need a pick-me-up.

11. Koishimasho Nebarimasho [daitamix]
lyr: OKUI Masami, mus & arr: YABUKI Toshirou
I've read some reviews in which this song didn't get very high praise, but I happen to like it. It has a neat electronic-sounding instrumental theme and optimistic lyrics, and Makkun does this subtle sliding-up thing with her voice when she sings; it's very prevalent in this song. Anyway, for the exceptionally curious, there are several different mixes of this song that you can find, like the Tsugumix and THS mix, sung by seiyuu from Akihabara Dennohgumi.

11. Dareka ga Dareka wo
lyr & mus: OKUI Masami, arr: OOHIRA Tsutomu
The most perfect piece with which to end a CD. It's a beautiful, touching, personal song about lifelong dreams and gratitude to friends, pulled off superbly with Makkun's strong, confident vocals and a simple piano melody played in the background by the great Oohira Tsutomu. Wow.