Ayumi Hamasaki – I am…

Ayumi Hamasaki
I am…
avex trax

Ayumi Hamasaki, a simple pop star from Japan, is not just J-Pop royalty but also a citizen of the world. When the monumental terrorist attacks of 9/11 happened, it wasn’t just the United States reeling in shock, Japan’s finest responded to the tragedy. Scratching her original idea (likely some typical loneliness and confusion stint) in favor of peace and love, I am… ultimately cemented Ayu’s J-Empress status. “a song is born” is the obvious lyrical allusion to the incidents, but much of the record touches on similar poetic content. A bold move and admittedly won’t break any barriers for the Japanese in the North American music market, but four albums in, and Ayu scored a major critical and commercial success. Released in 2002, I am… garnered almost universal acclaim with its harder-edge rock sound, but also featuring a more polished pop Ayu atmosphere. Undeniably, the record is J-Pop at its finest and arguably the peak of Ayu’s musical career. Title track and album opener “I am…” is an atmospheric rock track with crystal clear vocals and wrenching emotional delivery. As well, Ayu herself composed the track, under the pen name CREA, and while the song is nothing short of awesome, it’s a shame there aren’t many CREA creations floating around her discography. Frankly, they’re better than her more current releases (GREEN/Days, anyone?). Arena-pop rockers are livelier than ever in “UNITE!” and “flower garden,” both sporting loud, glitzy production worthy of spirited stage performances. “evolution” is a record highlight and definite fan favorite, boasting one of Ayu’s most energetic and melodic vocal performances. “On the day we arrived on this earth / we were somehow happy / wooooow yeah!,” she sings, an Ayu anthem, any fan would agree. Other notables include the almost Nirvana-esque “NEVER EVER” and the iconic winter rocker “M,” another CREA composition. I am…, unlike a few of Ayu’s other records, has absolutely no filler tracks, with even the interludes dividing the song progressions perfectly. It’s not surprise that it’s the highlight of her career and many fans look back to this album as the Ayumi Hamasaki standard – and rightfully so.

ayumi hamasaki official website
ayumi hamasaki Digital Musuem (Japanese)

Ayumi Hamasaki – MY STORY

Ayumi Hamasaki
MY STORY
avex trax

MY STORY isn’t the most popular Ayumi Hamasaki album in the J-Pop blogosphere. For Ayu aficionados, it’s usually the eccentric (miss)understood, or the critically-acclaimed I am… that takes the cake. The more recent NEXT LEVEL seems to be a blogger favourite, while her older classics (LOVEppears, Duty) have also been well-received. Six studio albums in, it’s no surprise MY STORY is easily lost in the shuffle. Admittedly, it’s not the best Ayu record, but it shows glimpses of some very excellent points – a first foray into angrier territory that dominated GUILTY. The tone is heavily J-Rock: hints of resentment and lost-soul poetry, splashes of crisp guitars and percussion, and a feminine glamour-rock image on par with Lady Gaga’s flashy outfits and performances (check out the Japanese MY STORY arena tour for some snazzy eye and ear candy). The high energy rockers come in the form of the ominous “GAME” and “About You,” opening numbers that perpetuate a definite harder feel: a wall of electric guitars and drums, angry vocals and dark layers. They’re not as energetic as her future rock efforts, but they’re a legitimate start. Despite the bad grammar and vicious sound, “my name’s WOMEN” is a female empowerment anthem built for maximum audience participation. And it even has some pop sensibilities with the jerky guitar chords and intricate production values. Even the slow burners are rock-tinged: the rousing “walking proud” is an excellent winter rock ballad and “Moments” playfully dances with guitars and twinkling atmospheric production. Notably, MY STORY doesn’t seem to have an individual niche or theme – it just aimlessly plays around with different sounds and genres, resulting into some mediocre work. “GAME” and “walking proud” are excellent high points, but the rest are filler, a desperate cry for inspiration considering most of Ayu’s albums are jam-packed with quality J-Pop.

ayumi hamasaki official website
ayumi hamasaki Digital Musuem (Japanese)

Hilary Duff – Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hollywood

It’s not hard to hate Hilary Duff. Practically all her movies are whimsically stupid, even for a pre-teen audience. Her songs, though she is a Steelix Likes Music guilty pleasure, can be found on the darker spectrum of good music. And her voice is as thin as poverty – no melismatic vocal runs, no impressive notes, not even any simple vocal styling that Britney used to fool everyone else. But at the least, H.Duff’s self-titled sophomore album is a step up from her super sugar Metamorphosis. Fine, it’s not a huge improvement and it doesn’t even try to break any ground rules, but it’s harder, meatier and more personal (hello, La Lohan and the “haters / traitors to the human race”) First single and dark-pop “Fly” sets the pop-rock tone of Hilary Duff, with its stormy guitars and rousing chorus: “Fly / Open up the part of you that wants to hide away / Shine!” Unfortunately, being the best song off the record, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the songs. Everything else is a simple collection of sunny smiles head-bobbers and appropriately “heavier” pop rock songs. “Mr. James Dean” and “The Getaway” are angry-sounding Avril-lite tracks with insipid gurrrrl power-hate the boy lyrics. “Rock this world! / Read my lips and watch ‘em curl / Rock this world! / It don’t take much to please this girl,” she sings on “Rock This World,” sounding like very much like a Spice Girl-powered lady of the night. “Jericho,” on the other hand, is a bright pop number with some surprising biblical references to the battle of Jericho, albeit used in tween music. Clocking in at over an hour, Hilary Duff is definitely meatier than Metamorphosis, but follows the same trite pop-rock formula Duff is supposedly trapped in. It loses its flavor quickly, but her sophomore is an unobtrusive listen for those that don’t mind and a great hallmark in music for those that do (tween Twilight lovers!).

Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff on MySpace Music

Ayumi Hamasaki – NEXT LEVEL

Ayumi Hamasaki
NEXT LEVEL
avex trax

Ayumi Hamasaki’s last album wasn’t necessarily panned by the critics – it was just heavily angry and dark, a huge artistic change from the summery Prozac pop she was used to releasing. It still hit Platinum status in Japan, despite being her lowest selling album. Seemingly recapturing the reins of her J-Pop roots, Ayu is back with a cheery vengeance on NEXT LEVEL. Her tenth studio album brings back the easy going summer feel of Duty, with the myriad of experimentation in (miss)understood. It’s a balanced sound, a welcome change of pace from the emotional J-Rock of GUILTY. “Bridge to the sky” is the opening interlude, setting a cheery atmosphere amongst bright pad synths, staccato electronic influences and breezy vibrato vocals. The title track flows in perfectly with its simple 3-note piano riff, jumpy Japanese lyrics and sunny production – a fitting homage to all of Ayu’s previous summer singles. Electro-pop experimentation abounds in the triad of dance-rock: “EnergizE,” “Sparkle” and “rollin’.” “EnergizE” is the J-poppiest of the three, as Ayu orders her fans to “put their hands up together, sing forever!” The accompanying track to Dragonball Z theme song “Rule,” “Sparkle” bites in and never quite lets go, with its dark electro production and spirited vocal. “rollin’,” the best track on NEXT LEVEL, is a cutthroat guitar-techno performance song –  a new Ayumi Hamasaki classic, given the right staging and theatrics. Though the rest of the record never quite lives up to the triad, NEXT LEVEL is still entertaining. “identity” and the aforementioned “Rule” are straight-forward pop-rockers. “GREEN” feels awkwardly tacked on with its Asian-lite sound, while Christmas ballad “Days” sounds recycled from previous winter singles. Even the piano-vocal solo closer “Curtain call” sounds tired. Regardless, NEXT LEVEL is a high quality J-Pop record, better than most idols are capable of producing. Though Ayu’s peak in the Japanese pop music industry has long gone (“I am…,” anyone?), she can still beat the best of them with her heavy electro-roc k production.

ayumi hamasaki official website
ayumi hamasaki Digital Musuem (Japanese)

Utada Hikaru – DEEP RIVER

Utada Hikaru
DEEP RIVER
EMI Music Japan

Early into her J-Pop career, Utada Hikaru created a masterpiece. DEEP RIVER is, hands down, the album of her career – she’ll be hard-pressed to create another that mirrors its perfection. Though notably, her first two albums were excellently crafted and hugely successful (1999’s First Love is still the best selling Japanese album in music history). With her music style being firmly rooted in American R&B, DEEP RIVER is a spectacular departure from the genre, leaning more to a pure J-Pop sound. Admittedly, much of J-Pop is simple, vapid and grating (just like North American pop!), Hikki’s smart brand of music unabashedly topples all those negative stereotypes. “SAKURA Drops” is a synth-syrupy opening number with heavy Japanese influences and a passionate vocal delivery. The dizzying “traveling” is flurry of pop synths, back beats and an easy melody, while the nightlife-breezy “Tokyo NIGHTS” provides the listener with an intricate picture of lights, sports cars and a whole lot of Hikaru. R&B-tinged “Letters,” with its acoustic guitar and jangly production, sounds like something right off of First Love, albeit J-Poppier and more polished. Album centerpiece “FINAL DISTANCE” is one of Hikki’s most treasured songs – originally a light pop number from the Distance album, it was rearranged in lieu of the death of a school shooting victim. Led by a mournful piano arrangement and atmospheric winds, the lyrics “I want to be with you now” never felt so beautifully pained. Another one of her most popular songs, “Hikari,” closes DEEP RIVER with on an uplifting, acoustic guitar-driven note. It’s no surprise that Hikki created such an epic album – her every track is a gem: no musical gaps, none of the filler crap many J-Pop artists pack their records with. Branching out and infusing her sound with different styles and music production paid off greatly for her, as another R&B-style album would likely been a little passé. Shame though, because DEEP RIVER is going to be very difficult to surpass.

Utada | Official Site
Utada on MySpace Music