COLOR - Special love

When EXILE vocalist ATSUSHI formed his R&B group COLOR in 2004, nobody really knew how this project would take shape. In the meantime, the group has established a place for themselves in the Japanese pop scene. The foundation for their career was laid by their debut single Special love.

The song of the same name can be described as a soft to schmaltzy ballad with a Christmas touch. Because of their polyphonic vocals, the four men create a captivating a cappella feeling, and because of the sleigh-bells in the background you promptly get the feeling that you're standing on a snowy spot lit by a lot of Christmas lighting. Similar to this song is the subsequent track Close To You (Winter ver.). It is a soft, emotional love song with a touching refrain and a classic piano melody.

The “Joyful Classic Mix” of JOY doesn’t really break new ground with the other ballads on the CD, but after the leisurely start, the rousing acoustic rhythms and playful piano chords make you want to clap and sway to the music. The last song is the instrumental counterpart of the title song, and here you can listen to the enchanting melody without any rush.

COLOR’s debut single offers the right music for a romantic evening. ATSUSHI sings the most parts, but KIKURI, TAKA and YORK provide the goosebumps with their a cappella parts, and this concept works really well. The four singers probably don’t need any additional music because their voices possess enough expressiveness already. It's seldom to hear so much melodiousness from a voice, and even more seldom to be so extremely captivated by a few simple melodies. Everyone should definitely give Special love a chance.