A look at Kumi Koda's "Hotel" and the return of SkanKumi

Kumi Koda's 57th single Hotel is due in August and Avex are gearing up for its release and throwing out last minute scraps of promo; which is probably Avex's knee jerk reaction as a result of their ex-queen's album free falling out of the charts. With Ayumi Hamasaki's album beyond saving, Avex are pumping that budget into trying to get some physical single sales out of their other cash cow: Kumi Koda.

In act of smelling Ayu's blood on the Avex carpet, Kumi put out a statement on her new Summer single. Depending on how you read into it, there is some potential shade within it for Ayu.

With this last work I wanted to push my limits, it would have been boring if I was within the expectations. In the music video I wanted to interweave dance, fashion and women's beauty and strength. Through different expressions, fashion, hair and make-up I was able to show you how I can easily change my image.

I expected "Hotel" to be a case of Kumi looking like hooker trash in some art deco hotel, with an army of female maids and bell hoppers acting out sexual orgies in each of the rooms with the guests - pretty much what Britney subjected the world to on her Onyx hotel tour. But instead we get Kumi looking all mumsy in some Santorini looking setting. In this regard, the final article was outside of my expectation. But Kumi needs to stop fronting like this is all wonderfully new. It's about as basic as we would expect from J-Pop's original ho.


Before I put Kumi's effort under a truck, I will say this. She looks great in the video. In stark contrast to Ayu in her recent string of videos who has opted to show more and more skin and look desperate for some attention. The video looks really nice, even if BoA did this shit 7 years ago for "Valenti". But the song is awful. The intro had me leaning and under the impression that Kumi was about to set shit off, but then the song crashed and burned into a wreckage of Engrish which I can't make out, a really bad turn of vocals from one of the few women at Avex who can actually sing really well and an overall sound which is just plain dated.

You can listen to snippets of the other 2 songs on the Hotel maxi single here. "Money in my bag" sounds like a piece of shit, but "Turn around" sounds really nice. It's much slower than we usually get from Kumi on her Summer singles, but it sounds like the best of the bunch.


If "Hotel" is a little too safe and pedestrian for you and you are having withdrawals for SkanKumi to return to the stage, then I'd like to direct you to "Money in my bag" which features all kinds of ratchetness and opening of legs.

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