SAKURAドロップス: Such a BIG NO! :no
Letters: OMG at her voice. I can not stand it.
Automatic: Feel like turning back time to 90s era. But I don't like it.
Movin' on without you: I like it because it's ayu.
Flavor of Life: Quite boring but it's okay.
Final Distance: I've never like any of AI songs. So this is the same.
Be My Last: I'm not sure if I like this version or not. It's very rock but still capture darkness and sadness of original version pretty well.
光: Very fresh and pretty. One of the most easy listening song of the album.
For you: It's typical Miliyah's style. Pretty Nice.
Stay Gold: Heartbreaking beautiful! Simple but very emotional. I love this version so much.
time will tell: Really? The most boring song of the album.
Keep Tryin': VOCALOID, right?
Sanctuary: Goodbye...I'm done at the half of the song.

OVER ALL: I'm disappointed with most of the songs. They ruin how beautiful of the original songs. Tribute to legendary Hikki, they should do so much better than this.

The Sanctuary cover is flawless so I'm gonna need some of y'all to find an IKEA and pick a seat to take.

Is there any data on sales? Not that i expect much obviously, but out of curiosity.
Sanctuary is enchanting btw.

I really liked the album. My favourite is Hikari, probably. I just love it. I don't really care for/like sakura drops, stay gold and for you.

I want instrumentals for these songs. I could definitely relax or even sleep listening to some of these songs. I really love the violins and guitar during the final chorus of Sanctuary.

I happy some people liked the Sanctuary thing lol

I can appreciate.

I feel like these are all easier to sing along to than Hikki's versions.

I realize in Sanctuary Peabo is singing "music in time". I thought the lyrics were "music will tie"? She never officially released the lyrics (for some reason) so we can't be 100% certain but I'm going back and listening really closely to the after the battle version, and opening version and I hear "music will tie".


Anyway, that aside. I still can't believe how lackluster the official album cover is. I mean, I know she only ever does head shots for her covers, but damn. The fanart one for the special website is 1xmillion times better. So I'm using that one instead.



btw: I made it 600x600.

Utada Hikaru no Utada in a nutshell:
Male covers > Female covers (with the exception of "Hikari" and "Movin' On Without You")

"Automatic" and "Flavor of Life" are my least favourite Hikaru singles but the covers are amazing.

I hated this album. Wow. The first 3 tracks are bloody awful; if Ayu hadn't come next, I might've just tapped out then. I agree that there is some nice instrumentation here (Be My Last, Sanctuary) but I am just not digging anybody's vocal styles.

Hikari is one of the better tracks. I wouldn't say I LIKED Sanctuary, but I can appreciate the guy's voice. Time Will Tell was always a boring song, so I don't know why it was covered...especially when it was somehow made worse. Keep Tryin' has NO FEELING at all.

In summary....bleh.

The only songs I liked were "Movin' on without you", "For You", and "Sanctuary"
Everything else was pure shit or was extremely bornig

I always thought it was "music in time" lol

^ Me too. You can clearly hear her say "time" in her In The Flesh performance.

I like Ayu's version but her Japanese pronunciation annoys me half the time. She's putting too much stress on every separate syllable. It. Sounds. Like. Someone. Talking. Like. This. She's been doing that for while, but because Utada tends to do the opposite, it really stands out in this song. I guess you'd have to know Japanese to really hear it.
Her English is spot on, though!

Wow...thought I would like more than 3 tracks. mowy, For you, and FINAL DISTANCE. I think the others are pretty bad. I was hoping for a rock arrangement for hikari. and they really should have just put miliyah's cover on automatic on there...it's so good.

everyone likes different tracks = great album
For you and Letters remain the best for me

lulz I remember when I first started listening to other Japanese artists, I was like, "wow Ayu sings like every possible syllable."


@orangeakira is the fanart one the one with the bear chair? I thought that was gonna be the cover -_-


I don't mind the different vocals. They're all so normal for Japan lol I'd never really...listen to them.....but you know....

there is no fanart one. there is one from an artist which was planned for SC2 and a tribute by the artist of Kingdom Hearts. no cover for this.

Well, the official Sanctuary lyrics is released officially on this cover album. And it's slightly different from our guess...
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7.../sanctuary.jpg
http://www.uta-net.com/song/176023/

Is this album available on iTunes usa/Canada?