Well, I’ve decided to review all of Utada Hikaru’s albums, I’ve already got two of them 5.
Further I’ve pre-ordered THIS IS THE ONE, so after I’m buying that I’m completely broke. I’m spitting out my computer to find the old YouMakeMeWannaBeAMan screencaps. They just might be saved somewhere. If I can find them I’ll wrap up the rest of the review in one.
Then I’ll do some Utada reviews sometime. And I’m planning to review some other artist too. Don’t worry, I don’t have a Hikki obsession.
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Yes I am a very proud owner of a copy of this album, for which I payed riduously much that even the store clerks felt sorry for me and dropped the price. And it still was expensive D: <
But because it’s a lovely album, it’s forgiven. Let’s review!
Ultra Blue is the fourth studio album by Hikaru Utada, released in 2006. It debuted at #1 on the Oricon daily, weekly and monthly charts and sold 500,317 copies in its first six days of sales. Ultra Blue had sold more than one million copies worldwide and almost four million digital single tracks and ringtones as of July 13, 2006 according to EMI.
Ultra Blue was also a strong online digital seller. After two months of digital downloads, Ultra Blue remained in the top ten album downloads in Japan’s largest online music store, iTunes Japan. This album also became the fourth most downloaded album on iTunes Japan of the year and won an “Album of the Year” title at the 2007 Nihon Golden Disk Awards. On July 30, 2007, EMI Group released its Annual Report for 2007, and in it reported that Utada’s album “ULTRA BLUE” had sold 1.3 million units worldwide, making it EMI Music’s 10th-best selling album of the past year. – wikipedia.org
Tracklisting :
1. This Is Love 4:58
2. Keep Tryin 4:53
3. BLUE 5:15
4. Nichiyō no Asa 4:44
5. Making Love 4:25
6. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro 4:27
7. COLORS 4:01
8. One Night Magic (ft. Masashi Yamada) 4:39
9. Kairo 3:34
10. Wings 4:52
11. Be My Last 4:30
12. Eclipse 1:32
13. Passion 4:42
Ultra Blue, an album with 12 songs (excluding the interlude), is extremely mysterious. The overall feel of this album is enchanting, just like the cover. Pop songs, ballads and a few experimental songs are all included in this album. The singles all last around 4 minutes, which is funny because this is the fourth album of Utada Hikaru. Lets not waste anymore time to the whole album, lets get to the individual songs.
This Is Love, it’s the best song to open the album with! Synths are combined with piano for a nice pop song with an original touch. The melody is catchy and you find yourself humming/singing along. The pauses work out very nicely and they give the song something. The bridge is the best part actually, it’s soft, high notes and slow. The adlibbing at the end seems like she’s saying “digimon digimon” though.
And I don’t like it how Keep Tryin’ follows up. It freaks me out a bit. But yeah, the lyrics of this song are outstanding lovely. The melody is unique and the structure of this song is lovely!
“The truth is, I’m hungrier than anyone
Even if I hide this confusion
Every morning when I see my weak face reflected in the mirror
I want to smash it”
These kind of lyrics, I like them the most!
BLUE follows Keep Tryin’ amazingly and lovely high notes are thrown in here and there making the song such a lovely listen. I love the enchanting sound of the song, it’s like you can float away on this song (all sorts of madeup animation scene are going through my head at this song). The high sung “Darling Darling ooh” really gets me. The piano sounds rather simple as do the rest of the instruments, combining this with the difficulty of the song flow, really makes this song amazing!
Nichiyou no Asa, starts with soft humming and and keyboard playing, so the beat falling in is quite anticipated. this song has a christmas feel around it, probably because of the beat and the English lyrics (excluding the obvious ‘Christmas morning‘ phrase).
“Sunday morning, sunshine dreaming
All night dancing
Christmas morning, candles burning
All night dancing”.
This song sets a great start for
Making Love, which is one of my personal favourites. It has a catchy melody, lovely choruses, a lovely bridge, great arrangement and I love the lyric flow and the combination of the Japanese and English words.
” But we need it to become close friends
We’re a little tired, but we’re growing up” And strange enough, this song lifts your spirits high up, despite it being a highly expiremental pop song. It’s not your average Britney Spears/Katy Perry song now is it? However you’re not allowed to be happy for long because Dareka no Negai Kanau Koro follows up. Piano is the main instrument, backed up by the guitar. Such a sad song it is, these high notes sung are nothing like the high notes of BLUE and Making Love. It sounds sad, guilty and pleading. The overall feel of the song brings down your spirit but it raises something else, I just cannot place. It’s a beautiful ballad. Give it a listen! COLORS then shifts your mood into a very weird one, this is a highly expiremental song with ups and downs, but I’m just not able to find a chorus. It might just be me and my no-talent for music though. The lyrics are highly poetic, that give subtle hints of colours. Don’t ask me why, but this sounds like a techno/electro ballad. One Night Magic is one of the very few featurings! And the song is amazing. A very airy song. Pop-ish, nice beat and with an original brush of melody and electric sounds. I really want to sing along because the temptation to sing along is rather high. I want more. Motto, motto, motto.
Kairo is a slow song which kinda brings your mood down. The fades of Utada Hikaru’s voice here are enchanting. Wood instruments are heard on the background. There is almost no drum in the beginning of the song. Not at all. Which really works to make this song more mysterious, like the rest of the album. WINGS is just as mysterious and enchanting as the rest. The main instrument here seems to be the piano. The song is almost five minutes long and to be honest, I feel like it lacks something. Compared to the previous Kairo, this song seems to be ordinary.
Be My Last, a great ballad in which the lyrics are pretty much fifty percent English and fifty percent Japanese. Her voice is in this song really strong. The A-haaas really disturbs the song as it fades in from right and fades out to the left. I love the lyrics. They feel so honest and the balance between the use of languages is amazing. I think the fact that so much english is used should say something about the identity of Utada Hikaru, or at least, how she thinks her identity is shaped. Eclipse, a pop-ish, original, mysterious interlude that gives way to Passion (single review here). This song is one of the most mysterious and expiremental I’ve ever heard. From someone who wrote R&B for quite a while this sure is a lovely change. How is she able to hold her voice for so long? Sure, there are singers who can hold it longer but try it yourself. The lyrics are amazing! And gosh the end of this song is fantastic as high notes are followed by low notes and the song ends in a soft ‘ahhh, my fears my lies aozora no shita’ and holding that ‘a’ for quite a while and ending the song and album with a few basslines.
You want more! And HEART STATION gives you more.
6/5, huh 6 out of 5, that’s impossible? Well, I did it with magic! Just like this album is made up of magic =D.
Posted in Utada Hikaru | Tagged review, ultra blue, Utada Hikaru | 1 Comment »
Heart Station is the fifth Japanese studio album (seventh overall) by Hikaru Utada, which was released on March 19, 2008.
Heart Station’s first week sales was 480,081 copies, collecting the lowest first week sales in Utada’s career. However, it was still certified million by the RIAJ for shipments of 1 million copies in Japan, and stayed in the Oricon top 10 for 11 consecutive weeks, becoming her most successful studio album in terms of worldwide sales since the 2002 Deep River. It also managed to outsell her previous album, Ultra Blue, by nearly 100,000 copies.
On May 13, 2008, nearly two months after its release, Barks.jp reported that the digital sales of all songs on the album had surpassed 15 million downloads, and is the most downloaded album in Japan during 2008. The album also ranked as the 5th best-selling album of 2008, and best-selling studio album, as all the other albums topping the charts were compilation albums.
Tracklist (singles in bold):
1. “Fight the Blues” 4:10
2. “HEART STATION” 4:36
3. “Beautiful World” 5:17
4. “Flavor of Life -Ballad Version-” 5:25
5. “Stay Gold” 5:14
6. “Kiss & Cry” 5:06
7. “Gentle Beast Interlude” 1:13
8. “Celebrate” 4:26
9. “Prisoner of Love” 4:46
10. “Teiku 5 (テイク 5 Take 5)” 3:42
11. “Boku wa Kuma (ぼくはくま I’m a Bear)” 2:23
12. “Niji-iro Basu (虹色バス Rainbow-colored Bus)” 5:50
13. “Flavor of Life [Bonus Track]” 4:46
Read An Interview About HEART STATION Here! (translation here)
HEART STATION has twelve songs and one bonus track. I have to say, the part before the interlude is more arranged than after the interlude. Then the songs on the album get less “arranged” and more like a “gentle beast” (do you get the bad pun?). Most of the songs have the same structure: interesting intros, great chorusses, laidback verses and then adlibbedy-things going on in the outro.
This album wasn’t very popular with the fans and neither were some PVs, but they’re not that bad and neither is the album! The lyrics are outstanding! They’re simple and yet very creative. I’m going to post some of the lyric translations here, my favourite parts. Synths play an important part in most the songs. I think the album is fabulous. It’s much more mature from her other albums and I feel that it’s honest too, like said in the interview. I think I understand the feeling she put into the album, when I listen to the songs. And of course, there are some exceptions here and there to everything I’ve said. And now the songs individually:
“We fight the blues
Being obsessed with subtle failures only makes your enemies delighted
Both men and women have to be tough“. This song starts out easy with some synths chords and a nice beat. The beat is semi-fast but the synths slow the song a bit down making this a medium-paced song. The song liftst your spirit as it ends with “we’re gonna fight the blues” I can’t help but think, “what? Is this it?”.
But the next song follows soon: HEART STATION, it kinda sounds like a hiphop ballad.
“I thought I heard your voice,
1 o’clock at night, on Heart Station,
Two pulses, always beating somewhere
Are you receiving the frequencies of my heart?
Heart Station of lovers, We’re receiving a request again tonight “I Love You””. That sure seems like lyrics to a romantic ballad, together with that hiphop feel of HEART STATION, you get an amazing song (I love the live version at heyheyhey, where she ends the song with “this from the bottom of my heart”). The whole song stays rather laid-back, not much “action” in it, even during the chorusses, but the melody is pleasing enough and has this kind of vibe that even though it hasn’t got much action, it still is energic. I wonder if Hikki put some secret frequency in it. Probably not.
HEART STATION fits great after Fight The Blues on the album and it sets you in a good mood for Beautiful World [Single review here!]. Beautiful World isn’t an exception to the structure of most of the songs. It also begins with synths and again, very strong lyrics.
“Beautiful world
I look only at you, without hesitation
Beautiful boy
You don’t know your own beauty yet”
The high notes that Utada Hikaru threw in the chorusses is truely lovely for the ears. A very upbeat song, that keeps you in a constant good mood, eventhough the lyrics are a bit sad.
And when you’re really upbeat, you’re calmed by Flavor of Life -ballad version-. The vocals of Utada Hikaru are amazing here! But I really don’t like the beginning melody, but this song gets better and better! Apparently this song is quite the hit in Japan and that really isn’t so odd. Everything is so well composed and the flow is just “a song”. It’s like a break, a break of your life. “Take a break, and listen to this song. Don’t you think your life tastes the same?”.
The second song that doesn’t start with synths is Stay Gold, a lovely piano song with an amazing flow. It keeps you calm and it’s a bit sad. Her voice is very fragile in this song, because she has to sing a lot of high note. “They say change is, A fundamental part of the human heart
But Darling, Your Soul, Will continue to shine kindly”
An incredible, adorable, mature and beautiful song. I wish Utada’s voice was in better shape though.
After Stay Gold comes Kiss&Cry [Single review here!], a lovely catchy opening that captures your attention. The whole song has a jazz-feel to it. Subtle synths are thrown into the constant beat. This song keeps your attention the whole time and not even the ending gets boring. The acappella ending really does make the song fantastic!
“Dad’s been laid off
My big brother’s on the internet
Mom’s on a diet
Everyone’s a night pilot
The moonlight healing their loneliness
Tonight I’ll have Nissin Cup Noodle” Don’t you just love subtle commercial? I think it’s best that way.
And now it’s time for Gentle Beast Interlude. I love the mystical feel around this interlude. Yeah, I like it very much. It’s a bit hectic and unorganised, but it sounds amazing.
Celebrate follows up and this song is just lovely! I tried dancing on this song, and eventhough I can’t dance, it was okay. You can move on this song! The english lyrics here are the best! “Sexy Lady”, “Mister DJ” and “Just enjoy the art of life”. The melody of this song makes one very happy! Come kids, let’s enjoy the art of life and just Celebrate! I love the way this song makes me feel.
But why should Prisoner of Love follow. It brings the happy mood down, after the interlude it indeed gets more unorganised. It’s a beautiful song though. The arrangment for each instrument is really amazing. I can’t say much about this song, it’s gotten me speechless.
Let’s move on to Take 5. The fast intro melody had me going. I like the overall melody and it sounds like a song from the Ultra Blue era (which in fact is true), but at the same time, this song annoys me, because I can’t find a chorus. I love the end of this song, so unexpected!
Another single was Boka wa Kuma a song without much synths and more piano. This song is adorable! It’s a children’s song, but it doesn’t sound too happy for a children’s song. Rather calm actually. The French bits are really the cherry on this dessert. And the ending of this song really sets the start for Niji-Iro Basu. This song is my favourite because of the lyrics, in fact, I cannot choose what to post of the lyrics, so look at the bottom of the page for a full translation! Not only are the lyrics fabulous, but also the beat and the melody are amazing. Happy and laidback at the same time. It’s a great ending song for the album.
And if you take the bonus song Flavor of Life as a ‘real’ album song then you get an amazing end. Much better than if you end the album with Niji-iro Basu. It’s a real cherry on the top! This was the original version and it sounds amazing! After you’ve listened to this synths-based song you feel rather sad, nostaligic and whatnot, but you also feel content.
Overall, this album is amazing and is not as bad as others say. I guess it depends on your taste of music, this isn’t like her other works, this is much more “mature” . A child can’t make a children’s song. A great album! Defiantly worth the buy!
my rating: 8/10
my favourites: fight the blues, beautiful world, kiss&cry, niji-iro basu.
Niji-Iro BASU lyrics translation:
Posted in Utada Hikaru, reviews | Tagged HEART STATION, Jpop, review, Utada Hikaru | 4 Comments »
As each bubble passes by.
A bubble like a drop of water.
Each memory in my mind.
I regret some. I love some.
I’m the one making them.
But I cannot control where they are going.
But I’m having fun making them!
~make nice memories,
Laila, Notebook Darling
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“Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry ” is Utada Hikaru’s 19th Japanese single (26th single overall). The single was released on August 29, 2007 as her second single for 2007.
Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry includes 3 new songs. The title track, “Beautiful World,” is being used as the theme song for the first installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion movies, and a new 2007 remix of Fly Me To The Moon, also included on the single, will be featured in the trailers of the movie. “Kiss & Cry,” the second A-side of the single, was featured as the new “Freedom Cup Noodles” commercial tie-in song. -courtesy of wikipedia.org.
Tracklist:
Beautiful World:
The song lasts five minutes and is filled with synths. The lyrics are poetic, sad and somewhat comforting. Utada Hikaru has really improved with her lyric-writing and she has improved quite well with her pop-ish sounds. The high notes she sings sound somewhat forced but not bad. The song stays upbeat and never bores you. Further more it is well arranged and sounds somewhat unique! Yes, this song is quite good indeed.But the end doesn’t hold my attention anymore. I cannot say no more. Listen to this unique song for yourself~!
rating: 8.5/10
Kiss&Cry:
BAAM! -silence- I. really. like. this. song. and. beat. and the lyrics! So. I. write. a. review. annoyingly like this.
That was supposed to be on the flow of the song. The sound of this song is lovely and the lyrics are great again~! While Beautiful World sounds really pop-ish, this song reminds me of ballroom-like-thing song. If it were a colour, this song would be gold-ish with red lipstick. This song lasts for five minutes too, but the end doesn’t bother me that much. Especially how it ends a cappella.
rating: 9/10
And because I personally do not like Fly Me To The Moon, I’m not going to review that. It wouldn’t be a review anyway, just a bunch of swearing words. It’s just that I don’t like that song. Blegh.
Buy Beautiful World/Kiss&Cry. It’s worth the listen!
Posted in Utada Hikaru | Tagged beautiful world, kiss&cry, review, Utada Hikaru | 1 Comment »
