12 Ayu Albums In 5 Minutes
Ever wanted to listen to an Ayu album but weren’t too sure if you’d be wasting your time? Are you that lazy enough that you don’t want to read a full-length review? Well, I’ve got your solution! Here are Hamasaki Ayumi’s 12 Avex studio albums in short review form!
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A Song for ×× | 1999.01.01 | 1,451,910
Review: Being Ayu’s first studio album, her voice is a lot different(and still honestly better) than it is now, but not in a good way since it’s a lot higher and squeakier than what we’re used to. The songs are just an array of regular pop songs with 90′s music arrangements. There are a few classic, very pretty songs but Ayu’s vocals are a huge drawback here. I can see die-hard Ayu fans enjoying this, but first time listeners will definitely not be impressed. 6.5/10
Pros: Lots of Ayu’s fabulous classic tracks are on here
Cons: Intolerable vocals, washed out arrangements
Recommended: A Song for ××, poker face, YOU, Depend on you, For My Dear…
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Loveppears | 1999.11.10 | 2,562,130
Review: Her sophomore album is a considerable jump from her previous as it leaves behind the icky and dated sound for slicker, dance driven songs. This album excels in it’s upbeat songs with powerful choruses but is weak in the ballad section as their are only four of them(out of 17 tracks) and only one of them is worthy of making it to her “top ballads” ranking. Ayumi’s vocals have also improved considerably since the previous album. 7.5/10
Pros: Energetic and memorable songs, fun mix of genres while maintaining a similar sound
Cons: Lack of (good)ballads, tons of singles, vocals still not impressive
Recommended: Who…, TO BE, P.S II, And Then, Trauma
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Duty | 2000.09.27 | 2,904,420
Review: This time Ayumi ditches the dance sound and instead goes for a more pop direction again with a few rock tracks here and there. Honestly, the pop tracks here are superb and each one has it’s own distinguishing factor, not to mention that Ayu’s biggest crowd-pumping tracks are here. Her vocals are at the peak of perfection and the album has everything you would ever want in an Ayu album. 9/10
Pros: Great vocals, amazing pop, rock and ballads
Cons: The last 2 tracks are a bit weak
Recommended: vogue, End of the World, SURREAL, AUDIENCE
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I am… | 2002.01.01 | 2,308,112
Review: If you thought any album before this one was good, prepared to be impressed. This is easily Ayumi’s best album not only because of her newly acquired(but nicely executed) vibrato but also because of the quality of each track that makes the album seem almost like a best collection since they all sound like a-side quality. The rock genre is even more present here but Ayu conceals it by combining it with ethereal and synth elements. 10/10
Pros: Every track is gold, her best vocals ever in an album
Cons: None
Recommended: I am…, Connected, NEVER EVER, Daybreak, evolution
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RAINBOW | 2002.12.18 | 1,857,870
Review: RAINBOW is a highly underrated Ayumi album(maybe because it was released only 11 months after I am…) and it doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It serves kind of like a transition between her newly acquired rock sound into something less pop(but still pop non-the-less). The album has really interesting ballads(more epic stuff) and a lot of “summer” songs. The variety may seem a bit safe in this album, but Ayu makes it all sound so good. 9/10
Pros: Very solid and organized track list, the rock direction works out well
Cons: Doesn’t have any “stand out” tracks
Recommended: Over, Heartplace, Hanabi, July 1st
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Memorial Address | 2003.12.17 | 1,062,288
Review: Many people talk about how amazing this mini-album is and I won’t totally disagree with them. However I’m not too big of a fan of the upbeat songs on the album, even though their not bad(she just has better songs similar to that). The ballads and slower rock songs are definitely where the mini-album stands out as they bring something new to Ayu’s discography in the form of composition. 8/10
Pros: Amazing ballads and rock tracks, strong vocals
Cons: She has better upbeat songs
Recommended: forgiveness, HANABI ~episode II~, Because of You
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MY STORY | 2004.12.15 | 1,132,444
Review: If you wanted more rock Ayumi, than this is the album for you. She ditched almost any other genre and just sticks to solid, serious rock tracks. For this album, Ayu took more control of her music and thus she released something honest and from her heart, not taking care if it sounded good or not. Fortunately, Ayumi did a very good job of establishing a decent rock track that goes well with her vocals. 7.5/10
Pros: Neat and heavy amount of rock tracks, good ballads(for how few they are)
Cons: All rock and nothing else can get repetitive, needs more ballads
Recommended: Humming 7/4, Moments, CAROLS, GAME
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(miss)understood | 2006.01.01 | 1,030,000
Review: I don’t even know what’s going on in this album. This time, Ayu covered 6 Sweetbox songs which is a totally different sound from her previous albums since it mixes in grand orchestras with chorus vocals, synth and Ayu trying a new vocal style. These songs, when mixed with other tracks that she usually does(the ballads, the rock tracks, the summer song) make for an interesting package, but the album is strangely enjoyable and full of variety. 8.5/10
Pros: Tons of variety and a fresh new sound for Ayumi, her vocals on the Sweetbox tracks are interesting
Cons: Some of the Sweetbox tracks didn’t work out.
Recommended: Pride, alterna, Ladies Night, HEAVEN
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Secret | 2006.11.29 | 665,845
Review: While taking a few of the elements from her previous album, Ayumi goes back to her pop direction(with the rock influence, of course) and mixes it all together in this album. We have everything from her tear-jerking ballads, her intense rock tracks and the summer song. Also included in this album are a few more vocal retouches, which is an interesting touch. Overall this album sounds like all her previous styles mashed into one. 8/10
Pros: You get all of Ayu’s previous sounds in this album, the rock tracks are impressive
Cons: Not enough ballads, Ayu’s vocals are starting to depend on her vibrato
Recommended: JEWEL, Born To Be…, 1 LOVE, BLUE BIRD
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GUILTY | 2008.01.01 | 568,288
Review: Similar to MY STORY, when Ayu tackled the rock genre, GUILTY shares the same style, except she mixes it with a pop sound while giving the rest of the tracks a feeling sadness with a dark atmosphere. It sounds a lot better than MY STORY since it isn’t always the same thing over and over(plus, Ayu’s emotions are better portrayed here). Also, her vocals were on the verge of taking that change in style she uses now. 8/10
Pros: Her best rock album and is balanced nicely for a smoothly flowing and solid album
Cons: Too many interludes
Recommended: untitled ~for her~, Together When…, GUILTY, fated
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NEXT LEVEL | 2009.03.25 | 379,989
Review: At long last Ayu changes her musical style from the rock-pop she’s been using for years into something a little more modern, electro-pop. To my surprise, she did a fabulous job of channeling who we know as “Hamasaki Ayumi” through these multiple layers of synth, beats and vocoding. The songs are catchy and powerful and with the various interludes, the album is neatly separated between the electronic, rock and ballad songs. 8/10
Pros: She hit the electro style perfectly and it sounds great, album is nicely organized
Cons: Her vocals are officially in exaggerated vibrato mode, weak ballads, GREEN doesn’t fit in
Recommended: NEXT LEVEL, Sparkle, rolin’, identity
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Rock’n'Roll Circus | 2010.04.14 | 317,082
Review: Back on the rock boat it is as Ayu ditches any awesome-ness of the electro sound she had in NEXT LEVEL for a pop-rock sound similar to her early days. While the album has it’s few stand-out tracks, the insane amount of slow rock-pop tracks is overwhelming and not the smallest bit interesting. Some of the track ordering is way off(the “summer song” after a sexy synth-track?) and the unimpressive interludes aren’t much help. She really screwed this one up. 6.5/10
Pros: The title tracks were enjoyable, pretty good for easy-listening
Cons: VIBRATO, too many slow rock tracks, bad ordering, the ~LOVE is ~ALL~ songs
Recommended: Sexy little things, BALLAD, count down, Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~
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Now that you have all of the ~Queen’s~ albums in front of you, which is your favorite and why? Mine would be “I am…” because it has a little bit of everything.
Excellent post, Jin! I am a diehard Ayu fan and I agreed with most of what you said here (especially the worsening menace of Ayu’s vibrato and RAINBOW being underappreciated in her discography). In terms of her best album, I’m of the mainstream opinion that I am… is her best effort to date, but I also think that the Duty-I am…-RAINBOW trio makes a trifecta of perfect pop music and should be listened to consecutively.
My favorite Ayu album would have to be I am… mainly because it has the majority of her best songs. But any album with “I am…” as an opener would be perfect in my opinion.
I only have Ayumi A Best, with a few songs from a lot of albums you reviewed… I’ll be sure to look at this post in case I want to get more into her discography.
Perhaps I should check out these singles in the album. I only have about 10 songs from Ayumi.
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“I am…” was amazing, without a doubt, and I totally agree with your “Recommended”s for it. I also liked “GUILTY”, since it was my first Ayumi album.