Article from Queerty.com
This is the One

Utada

Island

?Intoxicated, emancipated, unapologetic,? Utada gushes in the chorus of ?On and On,? the lead track off her second American album, This Is The One. Strong words coming from the soft-spoken artist who once released a song called ?I?m A Bear.?

With Stargate and ?Tricky? Stewart behind the mixing panel, Utada?s latest hosts an array of hip-hop beats and ?90?s-inspired grooves. While most benefit from modern production (the urbanized bossa nova swagger of ?Me Muero?), others simply reek of kitsch (?Taking My Money Back,? which might as well been airlifted from Destiny?s Child?s Writings on the Wall.)

Utada?s follow-up is commendable?it?s fresh, hip, and incredibly re-listenable. Yet in order to create such a sound, Utada has also sacrificed that experimental quality of her 2004 album, Exodus. Sure, it?s not the worst thing she could have done (a foray into alt-country folk would do the trick), but it?s certainly the safest.

Queerty.com : Utada Play It Safe