LOL He also tricked me. :roflmao

^^Ugh what a mess LOL

you succeeded.

^Me agrees!

Hey that's me...

^^I thought that name looked familiar! haha

I was honestly wondering why it was blowing up, lol. Glad you liked it, Didz-19

I really love your review!!!

I find that fans/bloggers write better reviews than "professionals" most of the time.

^^I know right? "Professionals" write reviews from just a general point of view, and most of the time, they're not qualified enough on what they're writing about. It's ridic.

^Well, most of the time bloggers and fans aren't qualified either... :P And tend to be very biased towards the artists they like or dislike... I'm also kinda annoyed by the usual excessive using of the words "epic" and "ethereal" jpop fans like to do :P

Also, is always very refreashing to read opinions by people outside of the fanbase... Most thing bloggers say about Ayu albums were already said here before... Some of them even point AHS out.

Still, I do like that blog someone posted on here...

^^Yeah, that's true. Same with movie reviewers though. It's like--everyone's tastes are different. I've seen plenty of movies that got HORRIBLE reviews, but I still liked the movie. Same with music.

Thanks so much <3

The way I see it is, all reviews are biased. You can state facts sure, but can you create a review on that alone? No, of course not, at least I don't think so. The act of liking something or the act of not liking something is itself a bias.

^I agree with that... But I find it interesting to read reviews from critics that are neutral about the artist... not followers, not haters... just people who are being paid to listen to it and give their opinions xD

Yeah, and I mean don't get me wrong that's fine, especially if you find a particular person thinks similarly to you.

I just don't like when people start to let reviewers or critics think for them. You just end up missing out on stuff you could very well enjoy.

^Well... depending on what the critic points out it can affect my view on the album, for the best or for the worst... But it's more like that new opinion that makes u think about that piece of work... Sometimes u will get some good or bad points about an album or movie that u didn't previously....

-Also, being well seen by professional critics have big importance to any artist, so, I'm always curious to know how is Ayu's stuff being received... A sales fail with good reviews still is a success^^

I can appreciate both a critic review and a fan review, but I prefer fan reviews tbh. I don't really find professional critic's reviews insightful because they are usually just picking up the album and reviewing it with no background in Ayu's music. Fan reviews come from people who have heard a lot of what she has to offer and can form opinions based on that. Also, fan reviews are a lot more passionate and just plain relatable. I can't relate to someone who couldn't care less if Ayu fell off the face of the planet. It's just weird.

From YesAsia

The album starts off with the three dance tracks "Party queen", "NaNaNa", and "Shake It♥", all of them fitting to a "party queen" theme with their carefree and fun sound. That's only the surface, though, looking closely at the lyrics may tell you a darker story about the "party queen." The tracks are catchy and more unique and memorable than others in the same genre, and the depth of the lyrics make them even more interesting.
Then comes the guitar interlude "taskebab", a fluent transition from "Shake It♥" to "call". "call" tells a love story in which one person always hide their problems from the other, and the next song titled "Letter", tells a story about acceptance in spite of one's flaws. The two songs are quite good, "call" has a catchy guitar melody which you easily sing and move to, and "Letter" has a heartfelt sound. The story gets more depressing though, as "reminds me" is about being unable to accept things as they are, and "Return Road" is the sad story of a break-up; the emotional lyrics in both songs are exceptional, with great vocals and catchy melodies."Tell me why" tells about the distance (physical and emotional) between two people in a relationship, again with great lyrics, music and vocals.

After this comes the interlude "a cup of tea", a confusing and vertigo-like piece. What follows is two jazz songs, coated with theatrical, dramatic touches. "the next LOVE" is about a girl pondering over the meaning of becoming an adult and finding love, with cynical conclusions. "Eyes, Smoke, Magic" follows a similar line, with a child watching the cold distance between her parents. I can't help but imagine these songs being performed as part of a musical, which makes the songs feel even more "alive" than usual.

After this follows "Serenade in A minor", a tranquil piece setting a pleasant ambiance for the ballad "how beautiful you are", which has a beautiful, heartwarming tone. This implies some hope that the lonely queen can someday feel happy about herself, and find the unconditional love she used to believe didn't exist...

I, personally, love this album. The songs feel very unique and memorable, with a lot of emotional content and deeper meaning to be found. I give special mentions to "the next LOVE" and "Eyes, Smoke, Magic", I am usually not a big fan of jazz but in these songs the jazz just makes everything else seem even better. The album as a whole has flaws, but it's an amazing adventure to listen to, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

The original review posted at the beginning of this thread basically gives the album a thumbs-up. It's saying that Ayu draws from a bunch of different genre's to make her own "Ayu Sound" and there isn't a single dull moment on the record.

I agree with this review 100% but I would have rated it higher lol.

Also, to the author of the article, I noticed that you like YEAH-OH more than Go Round. Good choice! XD