My gut reactions:

Love:
- Party Queen
- NaNaNa (I'm a sucker for cheesy rapping in Japanese songs.. idk why :laugh, killer autotune & ayu's vocals)
- Shake It
- Reminds Me
- Return Road
- Letter
- the next LOVE
- Tell me Why
- call

Like:
- How beautiful you are
- Eyes, Smoke, Magic

& n/a to interludes. I always skip them.
As you can tell, I really don't dislike anything on the album!!!! :thud
HBYA & Eyes, Smoke, Magic are just a tad overshadowed or I have to be in the right mood to listen to them.

I will post full track by track reactions after a few full listens :)

I think reminds me has a Because of You 2.0 feeling specially the "lalala" parts, you can easily sing one song over the other.

So far I liked the album, I don't know if it's because my low expectations or because it reminds me the Ayu I used to love, I thought a lot in MY STORY while listening to this.

I agree, the lyrics have unison and I do like variety on albums at the same time I like unison and this album is more all over the place than any album she's done. For me, I like albums with the same theme all the way though like Love Songs. This album is growing on me but I don't think I will ever like Eyes, Smoke, Magic or the next LOVE I just don't like that style on Ayu it doesn't suite her.

Same here, you're not the only one and remember you opinion is not wrong and you are an Ayu fan, you just aren't as enthusiastic as the majority right now.

I think that was harshly put a bit, although in a nicer way I agree. I think that her vocal skills have become better she is "choir better" like more clear and on key and on beat but this album lacks her raw emotion that I love. Her vocals in this album fit in with a choir where you have to sing the song perfectly but when you are solo you can add more emotion and be off to make it better. She's just too clean and punctual in this album. Although some of her vocals are super nasal, high, and a tad annoying. Her vocals remind me a bit of the bad notes, pitches and singing she did in LOVEppears and Duty. (note: oh yeah and if it makes my OPINION more valid I sang in choir for 2 years in high school and in college maybe I'm not an "expert" but I "know what I'm talking about" lol I don't think you need to be "trained" or "competent" to know what good singing is, trained well or singing "properly" or not people are still going to like what they like, I mean look at Ke$ha lol... a joke)

That is true, but that doesn't make someone's opinion of "50% of the vocals on this album are bad" a wrong opinion. I think everyone on every album has a song where they don't like the vocals to a song. Just because there is a floating group of people who haven't grown to love this album at the beginning doesn't mean we won't like it later or that our opinion is wrong.

An opinion is never false. You can't claim that all her vocals on this album being not horrible is a fact, it isn't a fact, it's an opinion, some people said her worst vocals so far have been FIVE and Love Songs but I think those are some of her best.

THIS. For me a great singer is not how trained and perfectly on pitch and perfect timing and stuff is what makes them. You do have to have that, that does make 90% of a song great because you can't be off pitch or lose the melody then it becomes terrible but it's Ayu's raw emotion and mini flaws of her voice that I know and love her vocals are not the same person to me in this album she sounds like someone else

I find this so crazy/cool! I think it's amazing how diverse Ayu fans are and this is why I love them. I have the opposite feelings I love Love Songs and I think Eyes, Smoke, Magic needs Love Songs to **** on it :P (and I'm not trollin I'm just being funny back, I'm being genuine with this comment)

So far that is what I think too, I'm hoping they grow on me

first overall impressions: very diverse, elements of old & new ayu, there's some definite experimentation, but ehhhh on her vocals. they're so strained.



i'll really give her credit for making songs that stand out in her long discography in this album. i do like the fact she even tinkered with jazz and other genres. it's very impressive. :) but is it my favorite ayu album? i don't think so. i think "Love songs" is better. but we'll see if my opinion will change after more listens...

Actually going through the album a few times, I can see where people say her vocals don't quite match up with the rock songs...

I think they probably did the best job they could during the mixing. Ayu's vocals can't be the easiest thing to work with lol

It might also be the quality of these rips...but who knows.


and lol I can't believe I missed this:yeah, there are some unpleasant vocals on this album. But nothing I can't live with. The songs make up for it.

Guys, try listening to "Virgin Road" and then "Return Road" xD It's like a little movie.

shaking and crying, never thought she could make such epic album again.
These are just my two cents though:

Party Queen sounds like the dark side of Love songs. I loved Ls and it's one of my ever favorites, but I think PQ can come close to that.
Love songs were angelic, warm, full of love and a bit naive I guess. Party Queen is the opposite: strong, sexy, fun and cynical (maybe sad).
I love how it starts with electro songs. It seems scream: this is how you think I am, but after taskebab the true Ayu comes out lol. Timmy doesn't bother me, maybe because I like him and his compositions so far. And omg DAI is back, holy cow Return Road is a masterpiece.
I'm so happy she experiment again though, I didn't liked the preview of the next LOVE but now.. wow I'm speechless. Ayu + jazz = epic win. ESM might be the cutesy song of PQ, but I'm not sure. It's so musical and fun. Cannot wait to see it live :heart.

Overall I haven't found out the worst of Party Queen yet :laugh. I love everything about it. I only cringed at taskebab because it's totally a ripoff of Daft Punk's Aerodynamic, but it's a interlude so I don't care so much tbh.

Party Queen is 10/10 for me.

Pains me to admit, but this is the first Ayu album to disappoint me. Normally I can listen to all the tracks without skipping, but with this one, most of the songs don't catch my attention. The only ones I enjoy are call, Letter, reminds me, Return Road, and the next LOVE. Maybe I need to listen to it a few more times..:confused

So far the album is nice. I love or really like every track. Yes, her vocals aren't really top notch, but they never have been. This album may become my new favorite next to (miss)understood.

In my opinion, things are shaping out to be: covers: 2/10, songs: 10/10, pvs: 5/10, vocals: 5/10.

Party Queen - At first I don't like it at all. But it grows on me now :D

NaNaNa - Sounds so Kpop-ish imo with the autotune :laugh

Shake It - This song reminds me of Kuu :shrug

Taskebab - I think this song best if Ayu sing in it ! :yes

call - Makes me imagining Ayu singing this song while playing guitar. She could be a guitarist in a band ! :D

Letter - Not in her best voice. But it really suits to this song. I kinda like it !

reminds me - Not in her best voice too. But I like her voice in this song. Can feel the pain :P

Return Road - This song could fit in A BEST 2 ~Black~ ir maybe ~White~ :p Yes, this song is so Ayu-ish. I really like it ! :yes

tell me why - I would forget easily :P

a cup of tea - Just another Ayu's interlude :P

the next LOVE - I LOVE HER VOICE !!!

Eyes, Smoke, Magic - I thought it was an interlude ! :laugh I want to watch this to be performed :yes

Serenade in A minor - Feels so classic....and....kinda bored imo :P

how beautiful you are - just okay~

Just watched the NaNaNa PV. I think if they zoomed in a bit more like once they get past the hot dog stand you barely see the group for like 40 seconds and that part is really boring. It's not amazing but it's not bad either I liked it way more than Lady Dynamite (Ayu was over acting too much in that video like her classic head cocked back while she shows you her fierce teeth). If they had zoomed in and out more or made the rotation a bit faster I think it would have been perfect.

Party Queen - Well it's not my cup of tea.

NaNaNa - It's great. I love. My favorite.

Shake It♥ - Sounds all over the place like Party Queen.

taskebab - not her best interlude, but its nice.

call - Doesn't stand out to me.

Letter - ^

reminds me - my second favorite. A beautiful song, sad.

Return Road - Epic sadness. Beautiful. I teared up a little when it played right after reminds me.

Tell me why - Very sad. I love it, but not as much as reminds me.

a cup of tea - Very nice.

the next LOVE - Unique for Ayumi, and I really like the way it sounded after the third listen, I was hooked. Better than I thought initially.

Eyes, Smoke, Magic - I would like to describe this as Pride and Sexy Little Things aged in a cask. I kept thinking of Flappers. It's nice.

Serenade in A minor - The saddest interlude she has in my opinion. Gorgeous, but dark.

How Beautiful You Are - The light at the end of the tunnel. Bittersweet. Perfect being the last song.


I can't wait to get my copy in the mail, but....

I miss Crea. :cry

so I happy I don't get vocals what so ever, in my brain there is only category of good or bad that is all

vibrato,strained,nasally, etc etc idgi, half the debates here go right over my head

Love the first half more so than the second half

call,tell me and letter are kinda filler

only song I don't like is hbya

Party Queen - I love this song! When I first heard this at HLS I thought I'd hate it but the studio version is surprisingly good!

NaNaNa - This song is OK.

Shake it♥ - Oh such a disappointment, BOUNCEBACK... I didn't like this one and wanted to skip it after the half of the song.

taskebab - hahahaha Daft Punk!!! :laugh :roflmao

call - I loved this from the preview... so cute :heart

Letter - and this one I loved from the preview too. I really love this call -> Letter. so sweet, but actually gives a feeling of old 00s songs. Avril? I don't know, but it feels like these songs are from the past and not from 2012. However, I like them very much, though Letter is a bit long and I like call more :laugh

reminds me - this one is good, but for me it's nothing special and too long. I think it'll grow on me though.

Return Road - intense. very solid. but not my fav yet.

tell me why - I like the melody and the arrangement. so Western.

a cup of tea - haha where's the bass droping?! :laugh

the next LOVE - I don't like this at all. this just doesn't fit the first part of the album :yrolleyes

Smoke, Eyes, Magic - oh the beginning made me think of FRIEND II "MAKE MY MAD REMIX" haha. well, I don't like this as a part of the album, though this sounds interesting and will be great to see live at a concert.

Serenade in A minor - calm, OK, nothing special.

how beautiful you are - this is the greatest ending of an album :heart I'll definitely cry when I see it live.


so the structure of this album is:

- electro party pop songs
- Daft Punk interlude
- light pop-rock songs
- intense rock songs
- one R&B song
- almost dubstep interlude
- Jazz, musical, Chicago feeling songs
- serenade interlude
- calm song in the end.

I actually don't like the part of the musical songs. Other that, I love this album!! Seriously! Welcome back, flawless Ayu!

Also I want to admit that her vocals a bit improved now. At least, she sings right. So glad her voice doesn't irritate me anymore... may be I just got used to it? I don't know :laugh

I can't wait July to see Ayu live! I'm sure the tour will be ah-ma-zing! So happy! Because I thought that the album would be a big flop and disappointment, but now I'm sure this album is one of the best from her recent ones. For me it's definitely better than R'n'R Circus (always hated this title :laugh), Love songs and FIVE.

This!!

OMG I love the chorus of NaNaNa! so much! omg :luv2

^yeah, it'd be better if she didn't go to those musicals in NY (or London) :laugh because it seems like they didn't plan to make these kind of songs and they really stand off the album.

This album was so awesome...Seriously! It was fresh yet reminiscent of the past. Ayu's vocals were pretty solid although in parts they were a little rough & I felt like they should of considered re-recording some of them :tired.

1. Party Queen - Omg...this song lol. I felt a little weird about it when I heard the live version at first. I liked the music but Ayu's vocals were awful tbh. But now that I've heard the song in full I've just fallen more & more in love! I love the electronic vibe, the beat, & the fun atmosphere the song carries. It makes me wanna go out & party :D! 10/10

2. NaNaNa - Whoa! I'm not used to Ayu in autotune O.O!!! I loved it though it really added edge to the song! I love the chorus too...It almost sounds like it's going in a dubstep direction, which would've really been twist coming from Ayu (yeah I know she's had dubstep remixes but still)! The only thing that really bothers me is the cheesy rap...like seriously, it almost made me laugh. The lyrics were stupid & the guy sounded very out of place honestly. Even though this song is awesome, it's not pure awesome because of the horrendous rap. 8/10

3. Shake It♥ - I was really expecting something cutesy, but was surprised that this song was a little more down & dirty than I thought it would be lol. It's not a bad track for the most part. It's catchy & fun, but the thing that kind of ruins the fierceness of the chorus is the unnecessary 'lala' Ayu sings after she says 'shake it'....It sounds so out of place :/. It's like she couldn't find anything else better to sing or to fit lyrically so she kind of just threw that in there. One other thing, but there is something slightly awkward about the melody of the chorus...I can't quite put my finger on it though :laugh. 8/10

4. taskebab - Ugh...what a boring interlude although I do kind of like that little electric guitar solo. It almost reminds me of Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce lol. I understand the function this interlude served, but overall I just didn't care for it all that much. 6/10

5. call - I really like this song. It is so catchy! It reminds me of something from MY STORY, which makes me happy :D! It also somewhat sounds like a Michelle Branch song to me. 10/10

6. Letter - I don't have any real problem with this song, but it's just okay. I like Ayu's vocals a lot, but the song is just very ordinary sounding. It's probably the least memorable song on this album. 7/10

7. reminds me - This track has such beautiful strings in the beginning. I couldn't help but get a very sad feeling from it though :(. It reminds me (haha get it!) of something we might've heard on GUILTY. The only part that I found dull & kind of boring were the 'la la la' parts ugh. I wish Ayu would ditch those already :headache! I feel like she overuses them honestly :/. Either way, I felt like this song was very heartfelt & I can't wait to see the lyrics! 9/10

8. Return Road - Holy moly! What an epic song :eek!! This was such a powerful & emotional track. I loved every bit of it :yes. 10/10

9. Tell me why - Omg this is such a different sound from Ayu if you ask me. I love the R&B vibe it carries. I loved Ayu's vocals in this song so much. I especially love when she belts out 'tell me why' in the end...it sounds so girlish & beautiful :yes. I just love this track to bits! 10/10

10. a cup of tea - (Bash time) Ok wtf?...I'm sorry but this interlude sounds like some guy was bored one day & just started messing around with his keyboard. I certainly do not get this weird & demented vibe when I have a cup of tea! I was expecting something in good taste...probably a touch of good old-fashioned orchestral arrangement. Honestly this track is the most horrendous thing I've ever seen appear on Ayu's albums. I could not wait for it to end lol. 0/10

11. the next LOVE - Even though this song was fun & different there were points when I got a little annoyed at it. In the chorus Ayu's vocals sounded a little nagging honestly, even though there's not anything wrong with them necessarily. I do love the sexy vibe this song carries though :lech. I'm curious to see what she's talking about in this track. 8/10

12. Eyes Smoke Magic - Again, fun & unique song, but not my favorite. 8/10

13. Serenade in A minor - This was the only interlude that I liked on the album. The composition was wonderful. 10/10

14. how beautiful you are - I've grown to love this song quite a lot. I thought it was just an average Ayu ballad upon first listen, but after seeing the PV I had a big change of heart. I really need to see the lyrics to this song...it is just so 'beautiful' indeed. 10/10

I give this album a solid A- over all. I liked it a little more than Love songs, but this album tended to get a little strange after that godawful interlude (a cup of tea) :tired. Either way, it was a diverse album with a different twist on Ayu's music. The interludes were pretty weak (other than Serenade in A minor), but that doesn't totally influence the way I feel about an album cuz I barely listen to them anyway. All I can say is, keep up the good work Ayu! You're going in a good direction :yes.

I really can't decide if I find the album amazing or just okay. Most of the tracks are really forgettable.

Party Queen - It's just doesn't to anything for me.

NaNaNa and Shake it♥ - They sound so similar, I prefer the latter.

taskebab - It's okay.

call and Letter - And yet another twins. I however love them.

reminds me - It's a tad boring but I like it.

Return Road - OHMYGOD WHEN AYU GETS IT RIGHT, IT'S REALLY ****ING GREAT.

tell me why - A really boring song. But I feel like it'll eventually grow on me.

a cup of tea - An okay introduction for the worst part of the album.

the next LOVE - When I heard the preview, it reminded me of Pride and I loved it. But the full song is kinda dull.

Smoke, Eyes, Magic - Just no.

Serenade in A minor - My favorite interlude.

how beautiful you are - This song grew on me.

A good indication whether I truly like the album is if I can still tell the songs apart by next week.

Party queen- Surprisingly, I like this song! a very nice opening and i like the fact that although it's an electronic song it is not overproduced that you couldn't hear individual instruments. 7/10

NaNaNa- Wow, I was utterly impressed with the introduction siren and the 'tic tok' part… and the rap is cool. A new sound from her. It also didn't drag too long. 8/10

Shake It- a koda kumi sound. 7/10

taskebab- ridiculous track title but it works as a bridge! 6/10

call- i'm happy ayu didn't choose this as opening because it feels like a typical encore song for her concert and thus little boring. 4/10

Letter- i like the melody though the arrangement is blah… 6/10

reminds me- the beginning feels like a horror/tragic movie… overall i like it and it 'reminds me' of t2m and decision 7/10

Return Road- the organ blew me away although the melody is quite standard ayu… for me, the arrangement saved this song 6/10

Tell me why- i love the 'Wo oh' part. one of the best songs on the album for me, just when i want to give it a 8 the ending comes and elevates it to 9/10

a cup of tea- i'm scratching my head because of the track title and the music 6/10

the next LOVE- it starts with a Disney arrangement followed by a musical and jazz sound. 6/10

Eyes, Smoke, Magic- it's fun to listen to 8/10

Serenade in A Minor- it woks well as an interlude but i also feel that it lost the identity having been put between ESM and hbya 5/10

how beautiful you are- the song sounds fresh after so much surprises and her vocal is very good. 8/10

The arrangement of this album is AMAZING and makes it stand out from the rest of her portfolio and is far better than NEXT LEVEL. I also feel that most of the songs stop at the right time and I found surprises here and there. But the middle section does bore me a bit. The variety of the album is also great. I'm glad she didn't follow her typical album formula from GUILTY to RnRC

I don't think her vocal is bad but i think she struggles a bit with the control (after all she's half deaf). this album once again proves her voice fits rock songs so much.

I also don't find Timmy's vocal annoying at all. I won't even know it's him from the songs.

Overall, 9/10. It's the best album for me since (miss)understood on first listen.