You may find out more about him at his official web site (www.ArtThomya.com) and his myspace page at www.myspace.com/ArtThomya.

Happy Birthday to you, P' Art. I hope your wish of being a professional singer comes true.

"Kiss Me Good-Bye" is the theme song of Final Fantasy XII, one of the most awaited Play Station 2 game. The song is performed by Angela Aki, a half Japanese (from her father) and half Italian-American (from her mother) singer.

In fact, the song is available in 2 versions; the Japanese version for the regional release and the English version for the international release of the game. Angela wrote the lyrics for both versions of this song, while Nobuo Uematsu, Final Fantasy music trademark, composed a wonderful tune for the song.

The single is released in Japan on March 15, 2006 - a day prior to the release of the game. Being Final Fantasy tie-in, it is certainly a must-have item for collectors and fans of the game.

The track listing of this single is as followed;

1. Kiss Me Good-Bye (Japanese Version)
2. Sante Fe
3. Aoi Kage (A Japanese cover of the song "A Whiter Shade of Pale")
4. Kiss Me Good-Bye - featured in FINAL FANTASY XII (English Version)

Universal Music (Thailand) has just released the third single of Mariah Carey called "Get Your Number" taken from her latest album "The Emancipation of Mimi." This could be mark as a special achievement for Mariah Carey in Thailand because there has never been more than two singles from any of Mariah's previous albums being released in Thailand. This single has the same tracklisting as the European version that was released earlier. Here is the tracklisting.

1. Get your number
2. We belong together (Atlantic Soul Radio Edit)
3. Secret love
4. Get your number (video) - Enhanced CD

On the other note, I have talked with a CD shop assistant and got a confirmation that Universal Music (Thailand) will release "The Emancipation of Mimi : Platinum Edition" that contains both CD and a special DVD. This is a good news as fans in Thailand have been kept in the dark for this re-release information. The official release date printed on Universal Music (Thailand) sale guide handbook is December 16, 2005 with suggested retail price of 500 Baht. Unfortunately, the tracklisting of this Thailand re-release is the same as the US edition with only 4 music videos on DVD not including the new "Don't Forget About Us" video as in Japanese edition.

Hirai Ken is one of famous Japanese singers whose music features most of contemporary R&B, jazz, funk and hip-hop style. His newest single has just been released on 26 October 2005 in Japan, after some 14 months from his previous single. It's called "POP STAR." The song features fast beat music and rhythm as Ken's trademark and style. Anyway, what is interesting about this song is its promotional video, or PV in short. I have just had a chance to watch this PV and it's certainly funny and well shot. In this video, Hirai Ken simultaneously portrays seven roles in the set that was originated from the famous "Ed Sullivan Show." This CBS television show is the longest running variety series in the American TV history. Back to the video, we could see a group of three singers (three Hirai Ken in three different styles) called "KEN" performing the song with some funny stuffed mascots (also Hirai Ken) dancing in the background and the host (again, it's Hirai Ken) of the show appreciating the song at the side of the stage. Finally, we see the producer (yes, it's indeed Hirai Ken!) comes and congratulates everyone at the end of the show. For the captures of this PV, please visit aqua_syun's blog (in Japanese) from where I got the information regarding this video. Thanks again, aqua_syunさん.

I received this DVD from a friend last week but I just had a chance to watch it last night. The DVD is recorded from a live concert at NHK Hall in Tokyo, Japan on November 23rd, 2003. Matsu Takako delivered a superb performance, especially in my personal favorite song "ほんとの気持ち (Honto no Kimochi)" which made me know her. Her crystal clear voice was full of power and was well coherent with a profession live music performance. A combination of wind instruments (trumpet and saxophone) and an accordion with a normal band made songs in the concert sounded totally different from those recorded in studio albums. Apart from singing, Takako herself also played various kinds of musical instruments such as a xylophone, a melodion and, lastly, an impressing piano solo in the concert encore. All in all, it's an enjoyable and memorable concert.

This single-layered DVD contains 17 tracks from Matsu Takako's previous albums. Here is the track-listing.

01.　明日にくちづけを
02.　バニラアイス
03.　冬のトレモロ
04.　恋のわすれかた
05.　26:00
06.　パンをひとつ
07.　ほんとの気持ち
08.　Hello Goodbye
09.　月のダンス
10.　home ～Inst.～
11.　白い坂道
12.　White reply
13.　PIANISSIMO
14.　日曜は何処へ行った？
15.　コイシイヒト
16.　ごめんね。
17.　明日、春が来たら
18.　夢のほとりで逢いましょう

～Encore～
19.　夢で逢えたら
20.　clover
21.　黄昏電車
22.　Welcome back

The DVD also features a photo gallery and a short behind-the-scene footage (with only a background music "Welcome Back" playing.) The picture quality is average, but the sound (Japanese 5.1 channel) is excellent.

4 Stars out of 5 - highly recommend for Matsu Takako fan.

This is the third single from Mariah Carey's latest studio album "The Emancipation of Mimi" on Billboard Hot 100 Chart. On its first week on the chart, the song acquired "Hot Shot Debut" label, meaning that, among the new singles entering the chart that week, this song was in the highest position. This week, while the song "We Belong Together" is still hanging on the top spot of the chart for 10 weeks, "Shake It Off" is showing a high potential at Number 19, with "Greatest Gainer / Airplay" label on its third week on the chart. In fact, this single has not yet commercially released in the States, so the figure on the chart is purely based on the popularity, judging by air play, club play and digital download.

The Music Video for this song was broadcasted worldwide on July 27th, 2005. There are many cameos and Mariah's personal jokes in the video. Some say that this video is a tribute to Mariah's previous works. I think this video is enjoyable, especially all those tidbits in the video, from the first scene with Mariah's appearance in the bathtub while singing the song, till the last scene when Mariah walks toward the evening sunset.

This record-breaking song is Mariah Carey's sixteenth number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It proves that Mariah Carey is the most successful female artist to-date and ranked third on number 1 hit singles, only behind The Beatles (with 20 #1’s) and Elvis Presley (with 18 #1’s) in Billboard history. Currently, "We Belong Together" is still number 1 on the Hot 100 chart and on the week ending of July 30th, 2005 it will set a record of 9 weeks on the top of the chart. Even though there is no commercial released CD for this single in the states, it still shines on the chart with a huge volume of radio station's airplay and digital download impressions combined.

Universal Music (Thailand) has released "We Belong Together" single since Tuesday (July 19th, 2005.) This is so strange because there are not many singles that were able to release in Thailand as the market here seemed to rely mainly on the album sales. As for Mariah, there would only be the first singles from each of her new albums that could be released as a single because they came out before the full albums were released and served as sample songs for everyone. For Mariah's latest album: The Emancipation of Mimi, the first single - "It's Like That" - has been released since March 2005. The release of "We Belong Together" as a commercial single here in Thailand marks a special treatment for the song with a special CD digipak package that can be folded out and reveal a white rose pop-up in the middle of the pack. This is one of a kind package that hasn't been feature anywhere in the world - of course, it would definitely be the precious collector's item. The suggested retail price of the CD single is only 150 THB. I suggest buying one while you still have a chance.