I was just reading through old Exodus reviews and I came across a point in the USA today review where the reviewer states that Hikki has 'vocal limitation' which in my oppinion are one of the only things that no one can criticize about Hikki. full review below.
Utada, Exodus (* * * ) On her U.S. debut, 21-year-old Japanese superstar Utada Hikaru crafts slick, electronically fueled tracks that could, on their surface, pass as background music for nightclubs and loft parties. Luckily, this young singer/songwriter is more than a ghost in her own machine. Like the young Madonna, Utada projects a girlish yearning that transcends her vocal limitations and melts the cool sheen of her arrangements. Tunes such as You Make Me Want to Be a Man and Let Me Give You My Love cannily blend dance, R&B and Asian textures with a soulful spark, proving that hipness and humanity aren't mutually exclusive assets. ?Elysa Gardner
tada projects a girlish yearning that transcends her vocal limitations

Otherwise I think it is a fair review......

She does have limitations, as far as I see. She has problems projecting her voice: amplitude. Also, there's the issue of high notes. She seems to have trouble with that. Other fans have noticed the goat-bleeping in some of her songs... I've never noticed this, myself.

Yah i've noticed that she does have limitations as well. Her voice isn't quite as big as some singers like beyonce or maybe Jennifer Hudson (then again both those singers are much bigger than hikki ) and her high notes do sound a little strained but i think her sound and lyrics make-up/surpass her voice.

Her voice is still very gorgeous though i will definitely, most positively say super yes

At the same time as Hikki might not be as "big" as others', her voice can still be much more powerful. Take her cover of living on my own for example. Not many of those big artists who can/would cover that song. I think.

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well she does have her limitation, but i wouldn't say she is not bigger then beyonce and hudson, i think she is bigger yo, she's a international singer, her voice is gorgous/wonderful/powerful/evething

The answer so simple she's only a human not a goddess , any review whether its good or bad its good to promote her music

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You said,"which in my oppinion are one of the only things that no one can criticize about Hikki." and I agree with that Hikki has such a wide vocal range and not a lot of ppl can even be near that vocal range and our Hikki can! Go Hikki!!!!

Honestly, her vocal range isn't that wide. Especially when she sings in english. She has some problems hitting high notes but MOST of her notes are very rich, solid, and quite low, albeit not very low. The reason why I like her is because she has a rich and smooth tone when she sings.

All singers have vocal limitations. The voice is an instrument, but it can't be mass produced and replicated like a guitar or a piano. Some people can't get very high, some people have trouble going really low (actually, tons of girls I know and even a couple of guys have trouble hitting the low notes Utada sings), some people can't hold out their notes smoothly, some people can't readily amplify their voice...the list goes on and on. What I find interesting is that this article actually bothered to point it out. I don't think Utada's "vocal limitations" are especially obvious, so while we all know that they exist, I'm not sure what the point of highlighting them in this article was.
Actually, what I find more offensive as an Utada fan is their description of her aspirations as "girlish" yearnings. To me, that projects the image of a very young, immature person- the exact opposite of Utada, who is childish and playful at heart, but extremely mature and composed professionally. She's very much an adult, and that is reflected in her music. I might describe "The Workout" and "Tippy Toe" as a little more "girlish," but "Animato," "Hotel Lobby," and "Kremlin Dusk" (even "Exodus") are all very mature songs with depth and meaning that definitely transcend any sort of "girlish yearnings." I think someone forgot to check out Utada's music past "Easy Breezy." :/
Anyway, I agree with SwallowTail. Any review is a good review, and I'm sure that this time around with "Come Back to Me" no one's going to be criticizing Utada based upon vocal "limitations."

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Isn't she the one that was caught lip synching at the Oscars? :|

Kisses & Cuddles,
Shuri/Eli