Arisa Mizuki -- WILD-ERS -ワイルダーズ-

In Arisa Mizuki’s (観月ありさ) debut album, “ARISA” (December 1991), I think she went into a full cute aidoru look and sound, with singles like “Densetsu no Shoujo” (伝説の少女) and “Eden no Machi” (エデンの都市) giving a nice idea of what I’m saying here. As for “ARISA II SHAKE YOUR BODY FOR ME”, which was released in October 1992, the girl aimed for a more edgy output, with the hit “TOO SHY SHY BOY!” serving as a prime example of the new and fresh sound she was pursuing.

While half of “ARISA II SHAKE YOUR BODY FOR ME” was composed by Tetsuya Komuro (小室哲哉) when he was experimenting with house music, including a busy extended house remix of “TOO SHY SHY BOY!”, some of the other songs by different composers are also great, as they give the album some variety in sound, while also maintaining its overall dance and upbeat mood.

“WILD-ERS”, for example, was composed by Anri (杏里) and it really shows, since I can’t help but think of Miho Nakayama’s (中山美穂) marvelous “VIRGIN EYES” or even her own “BOOGIE WOOGIE MAINLAND” when it starts playing. The funky groove and horn arrangement are just irresistible, and I always find funny how the background vocalists sound like the ones in Mariah Carey’s “Emotions”. In the end, Komuro’s sound may be a good treat for any pop lover, but Anri’s “WILD-ERS” offers a breath of fresh air in the middle of his house party.

“ARISA II SHAKE YOUR BODY FOR ME” reached #6 on the Oricon charts. Lyrics for “WILD-ERS” were written by Yumi Yoshimoto (吉元由美), while music was composed by Anri. As for the arrangement, Yasuharu Ogura (小倉泰治) was the responsible.

ARISA II SHAKE YOUR BODY FOR ME