i actually think the songs would sound much better with different arrangements, i kinda feel like everything she's putting out sounds the same.
I personally enjoyed Bon Voyage as a whole album, can't say the same about Walk of my life. Only ended up liking like 5 songs. And the ones she released now just sound like the ones in that album.
But then again this is happening with most of the artists i like, somehow there's no variety anymore. And while it's nice that they found their sound, it really gets boring for a listener eventually, because it feels like you've heard it before. And most of the times it feels very unfinished to me in terms of sounds and instruments that they use nowadays. I think this trend of EDM going is what makes everything so dull.

tbh I am a fan of the last albums, but I feel like her last well produced album was Color the Cover. The mixing and layers of the songs there are soooo good (maybe except for Lovely). While I love Bon Voyage and WOML, there are indeed some songs that sound unpolished... I don't know if they lowered her budget or if that's her intention on her music, but I kinda feel this way with some songs, specially after Summer Trip

I think I liked WOML but what I didn't like was the arrangement. and mixing there was a great no-no for me. then, it was too loud and noisey it made my head burn and sick after a couple listens.

I actually think EX TAPE and HURRICANE are both a nice continuation of the sound from WOML. EX TAPE reminds me of Like It - which is probably the best produced song on the whole WOML album. And HURRICANE (even though I still need a studio recording to judge properly, not only a full live performance) definitely seems to have more layers going on. It's a bit early to say ....but yeah, I do think these new songs are a step up from the production value of WOML - don't prove me wrong, Kuu, lol!.
Not to mention she seems to have found a niche for her, as all those songs are a mix of urban/EDM and rock.

Btw. she even says she left "Kuu-chan" behind and is just being herself.
Here's the english version of the Barks interview she mentioned it:
http://www.en.barks.jp/news/?id=1000005752

I agree that WOML's problems are the arrangements and mixing. I like the songs, but they're not as well polished as her previous work...

It's kinda sad that this decrease in mixing quality seems to be happening to quite a few jpop releases :(

^ This is one of the reasons I am looking forward to the concert, I feel like I'll listen to the hell out of the live audio of this tour :P

I think that's the plan, her Taiwan Live 2013 was a simpler version of JAPONESQUE Tour, so I guess that's what's happening again. Probably there'll be no Mercedes on air / around the stage, but hopefully she'll keep the tissue dance.

Good thing I'm apparently deaf when it comes to music quality, because I can't tell when something is poorly mixed. Unless it's extremely obvious and piss poor like Mademoiselle Yulia's second studio album.

Well, even the mixing isn't that great, I still think that WOML is my favorite album, because she is singing what she wants and I like what I hear. The album is so full of life and has a personality on its on, she's not trying to please anyone else but herself.
And I agree with Corvina, this is her niche, just like Namie's niche now is more EDM. :)

I think WALK OF MY LIFE is a masterpiece, still listen to it quite often. I don't need the Kumi from Dejavu or UNIVERSE back.

The only song on WOML that hurts my head is Lippy, but that song is my extreme guilty pleasure at the same time. WOML is definitely a grower though. I absolutely disliked it at first because I felt it was too short and the arrangements were really cluttered and loud. But I've come to appreciate it for what it is.

This "disappearence" of Kuu-chan aligns totally to what she said during Bon Voyage promotion. She experienced lots of things, but for the next years she would pick a handful of things to put in her backpack and leave the rest behind so she could go on her journey (so that's why Bon Voyage got this title), we could already predict this from the absence of a cute section in the 2014 Tour. I am glad she is making more songs that she like rather than her audience likes, so that'd be why she is "finally free".

So besides the acrobats, flying car and guitar were basically looking at a namie concert. This cant be good. lol

"The simple set consisted only of LED lights, and there were no girly princess dresses. The show was all about her mesmerizing dancing and singing. It was a tour that showed how Kumi Koda has changed from “cute” to “mature”.

I've always wondered what she's finally free from.
Anyone have any ideas?

Free from having to fake her act I guess. Some people here linked an article and said that Bom Voyage was her leaving her old image behind or something (hence the album title) and WOML is the kind of music she wants to do or it's more mature or something like that. Which is ironic because Gimmie U is my favorite song from the album and it's cute as hell lol

I really enjoy the new Kuu very much. It's good she isn't trying to be something she doesn't want to be anymore. WALK OF MY LIFE and Bon Voyage are both amazing to me. I'm interested what's the next album going to be like. I also hope there will be few more ballads than on WOML, which only has one.

Lovely actually has a great production, the instrumental and the vocals are really good together. I feel that Blue Velvet has a poor production, the instrumental is way too loud during the chorus.

Btw, we were talking about how short the songs from WOML are.. I have one case of the song being too long: Lovely. It could be, at least, 2 minutes shorter. I ADORE the music, but it's almost 6 minutes, for God's sake.

^As much as I love Lovely, I also think it should be 2 minutes shorter.

The limit length for every single song (not counting club remixes or we) on this planet should be around 4:00 - 4:30 otherwise it gets dragged
Not here for 6 min songs, nope.

Lovely was originally a very long song. Kuu shortened it, iirc.