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  •  Project_Hikaru
      Project_Hikaru
Ayumi Hamasaki Love Songs (22/12/2010)
Hikki Fanatic
Joined: 2010/1/14
A/S/L 18
Posts: 111
Ayumi's second album is due out near the end of this year, the track list is to contain her songs present on all single's after her album "Rock N Roll Circus" as well as 8 new songs, also if it is prordered from cd-japan (before December the 15th), there is 100 people to be picked to win prizes

Prize A: Mini Christmas Tree (30cm) (2 people)
Prize B: Cushion (2 people)
Prize C: Blanket (2 people)
Prize D: Fork and Spoon Set (2 people)
Prize E: Plate (Diameter 17cm) (2 people)
Prize F: Mug (2 people)
Prize G: Mirror (2 people)
Prize H: Fragrant Candle (2 people)
Prize I: Sticker Set (84 people)


To be honest (in my opinion) this hasn't been a good year for Ayumi there has been far to many ballad's and slow songs the only songs this year i've liked from her are Microphone and Sexy Little Things, i think last year was better with Next Level, lets just cross our fingers and hope next year will be better for us all
Posted on: 2010/11/14 13:18
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  •  1Brando
      1Brando
Re: Ayumi Hamasaki Love Songs (22/12/2010)
Hikki Obsessed
Joined: 2006/8/2
A/S/L 16/Male/La Puente, CA
Posts: 334
well wouldnt it make sense for the majority of the songs to be ballad-y if the album is 'Love Songs'? just saying...
Posted on: 2010/11/14 16:22
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  •  Project_Hikaru
      Project_Hikaru
Re: Ayumi Hamasaki Love Songs (22/12/2010)
Hikki Fanatic
Joined: 2010/1/14
A/S/L 18
Posts: 111
Quote:

1Brando wrote:
well wouldnt it make sense for the majority of the songs to be ballad-y if the album is 'Love Songs'? just saying...


I know but take This is love and Prisoner of love for example, they're love songs and has a good beat to it, i just wish Ayumi could do the same
Posted on: 2010/11/15 4:01
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Re: Ayumi Hamasaki Love Songs (22/12/2010)
Addicted to Hikki
Joined: 2010/10/18
A/S/L 23/Male/Austin & Dallas,TX U.S.A
Posts: 88
^One thing to remember when comparing or contrasting anything Utada or Ayumi is this: Ayumi, while a talented lyric writer by any standard, doesn't compose or arrange the music to the VAST majority of her discography, she herself has stated lacking even basic knowledge in music making from her beginnings. Its ironic given that songs like "M" and albums like "Rainbow" prove she can make some solid craft when she puts her heart and own hands into it, but there are people (i.e. Utada Hikaru) that have proven to be more effective and gifted at that aspect, not to mention vocal range and depth (no matter how sincere she may intend being). Ballads aren't in themselves a bad thing @ all; many of the greatest music and performers of it in history have been subject to that specific song type; the problem becomes when they lack personality in melody,lyrics or some artistic uniqueness and slump into MOR, Adult Contemporary schmaltz, even if the singing (as is not typically the case with Ayu) is actually fairly great (a lot of fans and critics have repeated this mantra in regards to icons like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion,Toni Braxton, Sade and Whitney Houston and even some more contemporary faces like Alicia Keys or Beyonce).

"Love Songs" is certainly a project title that would cause one to concur that yes, expect the tracklisting to be predominantly or wholly ballad-y, but the problem isn't that style or choice so much as the talent of the individual artist. Ballads can be stereotyped unfairly for being boring, depressing and overly-sentimental, but when someone like Utada makes them (i.e. BLUE,Deep River,Prisoner of Love,Flavor of Life,Final Distance,and several others) they almost always come across as beautiful, insightful, and not second-rate to audiences, including non-fans, because of the voice,composition and instrumentals of a virtual one-man or woman operation. Stevie Wonder is another legendary and prime example of someone who does extremely well at the ballad style (look no further then Talking Book,Innervisions, or Songs In The Key Of Life for proof of that). Bottom line: you can listen to some people sing these things all day if it impacts and affects you the right way. Ayu just kind of lost her mojo for even making half-decent ones @ this point (since there are so many to count and recall) so that not only her voice sounds hardened and diminished, but all of her albums of late are muddled and interlude-laden blurs in terms of music because those ballads start sounding the same, or worse, incomplete at best. Her record-breaking 50th tri-single project continue that sort of compulsively advertised but disinteresting trend; I (as one of her moderate fans) can't even tell you the difference between Moon and Blossom, Cross or Virgin Road, or Sweet Season and Last Angel, and I doubt even her typically rabid Japanese base can either since none of them surpassed RIAJ Gold (100,000 units) in sales yet despite being tailor-made #1 hits on all ends. What's even more ironic was the fact that she got someone like Tetsuya Komuro (perfect producer/songwriter but forgettable singer) amd Noriyuki Makihara (who is #26 on HMV Japan's Best 30 Japanese Singers) to do composition work on the "L" EP but they could be her her most startlingly forgettable ballads to date. Come to think iof it, I can't even tell the difference between any of the aforementioned from her Rock and Roll Circus and NEXT LEVEL singles that were, in retrospect, the predacessing carbon copies to these ....

I don't think we should downplay or overly-criticize Ayu for not having made a significant contribution in the J-pop scene and history, but between her waning hearing and need to outdo herself and anyone else (in releases, concerts, commercials, etc.) at everything, she cant' even let herself sit back and enjoy the achievments she's already made as her nation's best-selling solo act (if not most talented), or at least generate some truly great ideas musically that Utada and other have made their staple (even Namie Amuro, Ayaka, Yui and Koda Kumi sell more than she does now per album and some singles despite the assertions that Ayu's still Japan's ultimate diva or the Empress of J-pop). Given her 2010 singles' performance and the continued J-pop industry favor for Johnny's Acts and International Asian groups, I expect this album to continue to the flagging trend (250,000-300,000 @ best in total) of all her previous ones since RAINBOW, but especially (Miss)Understood. Nobody can be this prolific long-term and expect to be commercially and critically lauded, she just has got to jump off over drive at some point...Srry for the rant, but just my 10 cents and explanation as to why she's been cooling off in relevance these last few years ...
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Posted on: 2010/11/15 14:36
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  •  LoBFCanti
      LoBFCanti
Re: Ayumi Hamasaki Love Songs (22/12/2010)
Insane Hikki Fan
Joined: 2009/3/5
A/S/L 20/M/Brooklyn,NY
Posts: 1226
I want Ayumi to drop this album and not work for all of 2011. I cannot take another ballad. Koda and Ayumi are really rubbing me the wrong way this year.
Posted on: 2010/11/15 21:33
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  •  confessemoir
      confessemoir
Re: Ayumi Hamasaki Love Songs (22/12/2010)
UtadaNet Regular
Joined: 2010/11/13
A/S/L 18/M/La Jolla
Posts: 30
Quote:

LoBFCanti wrote:
I want Ayumi to drop this album and not work for all of 2011. I cannot take another ballad. Koda and Ayumi are really rubbing me the wrong way this year.


Agreed. Ayu needs to just take an extended break, like really! And Kuu has been releasing too much music this year that hasn't impressed me either.
Posted on: 2010/11/15 22:31
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