1) THE Introduction - Kind of odd...not as epic as some of its predecessors, but not awful. It was interesting and I liked the dark feel
7/10
2) Microphone - Solid rock song..it's really grown on me. I love everything about this song
. 10/10
3) count down - Emotional and heartfelt. The beginning kind of reminds me of GUILTY (which is not a bad thing at all!). Beautiful and melodic! I love it. 10/10
4) Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~ - Overall, it really is a nice ballad. I think I would have appreciated it more if it didn't have an upbeat counterpart that suits my tastes a little more. Also, it's a little on the long side, but I've come to appreciate it a lot more over time. 8/10
5) BALLAD - SOOOO EPIC! This has come to be one of my most favorite Ayu ballads. It gives me chills every time I listen to it. It's so emotional and gentle yet powerful. 10/10
6) Last Links - I like the beat. Overall, it's a pretty solid song. I feel that it's a very mature song musically. It sounds like it would fit into MY STORY quite well. Nice chorus; not amazing, but not bad at all. 9/10
7) montage - WOW...this is amazing!!! It's dark, haunting, mysterious, and charming, then again I'm a sucker for orchestral pieces. I love that part where the organ plays that really low note. It almost reminds me of something that would go to a Shakespeare play. Great lead in to for Don't Look Back
. 10/10
8) Don't Look Back - Such a wonderful song. Elegant, haunting, beautiful, unique, and exotic. I love the lyrics to top it off. Everything is striking about this track. It is my most favorite song off this album. 10/10
9) Jump! - I have mixed emotions about this interlude. It's not awful by any means, but there's something weird about it. I like the beat though and that little techno sound at the end
. 8/10
10) Lady Dynamite - This song is great fun! I find the entire song to be very catchy. It gets me all hyped up...for what though I don't know lol. It almost has this little secret agent feel to it. I have to say it's the most catchy song on the entire album. 10/10
11) Sexy Little Things - I had very mixed emotions about this song at first when I watched the PV, but after hearing it on the album, I've come to appreciate it quite a bit more. It's so weird you can't help but like it
! It's unique, fun, and swingy sounding. My favorite part is the 'Ooh Ooh Aah Aah' part in the bridge
. It almost reminds me of Put It on the Ritz (or w/e that song is called) or something lol. 9/10
12) Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL~ - I actually fancy this song a lot. It always leaves me with a good feeling, as it has this nice summer feel to it. The only two things that bother me a little is 1) how this song had serious potential to become a great dance song with heavy beats (the chorus sounds a little odd...the way it just speeds up so fast and doesn't carry that heavy beat any longer...DEUS EX MACHINA!!!!), and 2) TA kind of bothers me...they make it a bit cheesy. My favorite parts are the verses and the bridge. 8/10
13) meaning of Love - Well, what can I say? I guess this song is kind of like Curtain Call for me. I found it to be a little on the boring side. I mean, it's nice in parts, but overall nothing amazing. Plus, it felt like it dragged on for a little too long. The weakest song on the album in my opinion. 6/10
14) You were... - I've always enjoyed this ballad, but I prefer (and always have) BALLAD by a tenfold. I really like the chorus parts and enjoy the great amount of emotion Ayu incorporates
. The one thing that slightly bothers me about this song is that it sounds a little too much like a Christmas song (as in like it was meant for Christmas time). But otherwise, this is a very beautiful song. 9/10
15) Red Line ~for TA~ [album version] - This song is superb. I don't see much of a difference other than it is longer and the acapella part at the end (which I really really liked
). I've always found it to be heartwarming and meaningful, not to mention very catchy. I feel it was a great conclusion to the album, as it kind of has that 'goodbye' sound to it. The 'la la la' part went on for a little too long, but otherwise it wasn't too annoying. 9/10
Overall grade : A
Final Thoughts: I enjoyed the album thoroughly. I thought it was fun and original. It also displayed a great level of maturity on Ayu's part (musically and lyrically)
. I feel it was an enormous step up from NEXT LEVEL (even though I did enjoy that album). Two things I really liked about this album:
1) Ayu's vocals sounded exceptional on this album. Her voice was very smooth and melodic. She was starting to get really strained vocals there for a time. Also, she didn't go overboard with her vibrato which I really appreciated. I've always thought Ayu's voice sounded very cute and sweet when she wouldn't overuse her vibrato (which I don't entirely oppose as it DOES make her stand out from other J-pop artists).
2) She finally didn't put too many singles and interludes on this album (thank the lord!). Also, none of the singles and interludes bothered me in the least.