Hazumuchan wrote:
Quote:

gantzman246 wrote:
...Utada has used some elements of her Japanese style on some tracks on both of her English albums. But if she's trying to appeal to the American and European market why would she make an English album that sounds just like her Japanese work? If she becomes successful in the U.S. and develops a bigger fanbase here then she could, but she hasn't reached that level yet.

This is just my opinion, but I think her Japanese work seems to be truer to who Hikki is as an artist. The production doesn't seem as slicked-down or as poppish. "Deep River" had a lot of less-mainstream electronic and ethereal elements as did "Ultra Blue".

While I like her English albums, it does seem like she is toning down her uniqueness on them. Some artists have to do that to break through (Fiona Apple), while others manage to create their music and have it break through untainted (Tori Amos). I can respect the tracks I love on the English albums and appreciate the ones that I don't.

I'm not a big R&B fan, I'll say this up front. But tracks like "Exodus" and "FYI" and "Hotel Lobby" have given me a better appreciation for R&B in general. So I owe her a debt of gratitude for that. But I still generally prefer her Japanese music for the poetic songwriting (although I can't understand a damn word of Japanese) and the more creative production.