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Any artist that can sell in excess of a million copies of any album is mainstream, in my opinion. Even if their music is very experimental, if it can be enjoyed by the masses it qualifies as mainstream, which really isn't a bad thing. Even though in the US Utada may seem like an underground, avant garde act that is exclusive to select saavy hipsters, in Japan she sells like mad, and therefore she is very pop.
Anywho, I'm very eager to get some concrete news on her upcoming English album, because I found the most comepelling material of her career thus far to be on Exodus. Even though I love her Japanese work, both Heart Station and Ultra Blue had awful production that was at times too muddy and messy, or otherwise simply outdated. Thankfully, her undeniable songwriting talents are what made both of those albums great, but her quirky, playful songwriting in combination with the slick production on Exodus is what made that album my favourite. I think it was a flop in America simply because of the lack of promotion and the bad timing. If it were rereleased two or three years later and promoted aggressively, I really think it could have been a huge success because the album's style is very much in line with current North American trends; it has tons of great dance tracks and club anthems, catchy hooks, Stargate-esque guitar-driven songs (Easy Breezy, About Me), and perhaps most importantly Timbo.
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