[gogirlanime]

Originally Posted by gogirlanime

I'm really glad to hear most people are loving this album very much, makes me happy for my fellow Ayu fans. My feeling were a bit different though unfortunately

This album didn't speak to me as much as most of her albums. (miss)understood and Memorial Address are my favorites so far. I love her up-beat and funky music. I also do love her ballad songs, though I felt this album lacked quite a bit. There was a clear unison in this album unlike Rock n' Roll Circus where the title throws you off a lot, if you're not an Ayu fan, you would think that album was all about hard rock songs. Love Songs is very obviously a mid-tempo ballad type of album. The whole album fits together very well.

As a huge Ayu fan, and with my honest critique, some of the tracks I had to bite my lip to get through. 1/2 of the tracks I love and the other 1/2 I cannot stand! I love that she made an honest effort to go back to her A Song for XX days and for the most part she succeeded with that. My biggest problem with Love Songs is that most of the songs sound too much alike. The exact same instruments, feeling, tempo, and vocal feelings. I believe that if she threw in a few more up-beat songs that still fit the theme of the album and changed up the sounds and instruments a bit this album would have been perfect for me.

Her vocals stand out extremely in this album, each song has beautiful and of the highest quality Ayu vocals! In terms of her singing abilities, vocals, and skills this album shines the most so far out of all her albums. She obviously practiced and worked hard to sound her best for this album.

So far, unfortunately this is still my LEAST favorite Ayumi album so far (sorry guys I LOVE her but this is my honest review). Rock n' Roll Circus wins by a small land slide because the songs were more original and the album varied a bit more even though it was all over the place. Plus I prefer Ayu's rock songs over her ballads.

1. Love Song (#2 fave)
VERY powerful and beautiful. I love how the song switches up so that the versus are unpredictable. The two vocal peaks were unexpected and I think make the song over all. I like how this song has a very subtile american country type of sound to it. This is one of the best songs on the album 8/10

2. crossroad (#1 fave)
My favorite track on the album. Very peaceful and nostalgic and VERY Ayu to me. The chords and vocals are so sweet and delightful it puts me in a good mood every time. The melody isn't super original but it's beauty covers for that. 8/10

3. MOON
I'm surprised this song became a single honestly, to me the song is very predictable, J-pop typical, and unoriginal. The melody is pretty and her vocals are great, though the song lacks a lot 4/10

4. Sending Mail
The song didn't speak to me as strongly as Love Song the first time I heard it, the melody is a bit J-pop typical yet original. Her vocals are very beautiful. The track isn't bad, I listen to it, but skip it over sometimes 5/10

5. Last Angel
A very interesting song, the beginning instrumental is very powerful and sinks you in right away. The melody is a bit awkward, but it grows on you and then you like it a lot. The chords are interesting and the lyrics are nice. I like the low "speaking" parts that low of vocals is rare for Ayu and a special treat. 6.5/10

6. Insomnia
An odd interlude that doesn't really fit with the album that well, the distorted vocals would be awesome in a remix album but in a ballad album called "Love Songs" sounds like this are disturbing mixed with the rest of the tracks 3/10

7. Like A Doll
I think her vocals lack a liiiittle here, they could have been better. The melody is pretty and the main line "like a doll" in English is catchy. I think the song is a bit bland kinda like a book where "the plot doesn't thicken" this song leaves something to be desired a bit. I think if the main verse were a bit more powerful instead of at the same pace and sound as the rest of the song it would have been better. 5.5/10

8. Aria
Very beautiful and suits with the rest of the album well. One of my favorite Ayu interludes yet, the ending ends a bit awkward though, very anti-climatic 8/10

9. blossom
This song has grown on me since it came out. It's a pretty typical Ayu ballad in terms of the melody. Her vocals shine very well and are super sweet. It's one of the better tracks on the album. When comparing to the rest of the album this song shines over more than half the album 6/10

10. Thank U
The sounds and background music to this song are super cute and addictive, Ayu does a good job controlling her sometimes ear-piercing "ii" sounds well. Though her vibrato is her typical "forced out" vibrato, it's not the natural kind that comes out when singers sing, it's obviously controlled and overly "bouncy" so to speak, it's not a vibrato that has a clean natural sound to it. 5/10

11. Sweet Season
Again, nothing special in terms of melody, the song doesn't speak to me. Her vocals are beautiful but the song again is nothing special I don't even know where to compliment it specifically 5/10

12. Overture
Really powerful and it suits well with the album. It sounds a lot like it would fit in with a Final Fantasy soundtrack (especially Final Fantasy 9) 7/10

13. Do It Again
The feeling of this song is very sad and beautiful, it makes me think of Batman for some reason like this would be the love song for Batman and Catwoman, a dark and beautiful love. The beginning is a bit anti-climatic and I think it should have been cut in half to get the song rolling because it feels like the song is going nowhere and you get bored. Though the English parts are the best part because then the song switches up to this different pace and melody that has a totally different feel, it's like two songs were put into one, this song wasn't well-composed. 5/10

14. November (#3 fave)
The chords and vocals in this song are wonderful and pull you in. The melody is quite unique but the song runs a bit "dry" in the middle and you get a bit bored but then the chords come back and remind you how the beginning pulled you in. One of the nicer songs in the album. Ayu's vocals have a uniqueness to them that I've never heard and I like it, her vibrato is a bit more "shaky" but not in a bad way. 6.5/10

15. Virgin Road
A pretty song and it took quite some time to grow on me, again, there isn't anything super special or original about it. I like the part where the melody and violins go up-beat a bit and play in synch. The vocals like all the songs on this album are very beautiful though. 6/10

16. Seven Days War
The melody is nice and this is one of the better "almost a cappella" songs on the album where there is hardly any music and mostly Ayu's vocals. The chorus in the background adds a lovely touch at the end and you get Ayu's classic style of just humming and singing without words at the end which is quite uniquely hers in the Jpop world. 6.5/10

Over-all rating I give this album 5/10

The reasons being is that there are basically 2-3 songs I listen to over and over, about 2-3 that I sometimes listen to, and the others I just don't care for them. The album lacked originality and was pretty typical of Ayu and J-pop. The album was NOT BAD but wasn't great either.

P.S. I LOVE AYU AND THIS IS JUST MY HONEST CRITIQUE AND FEELINGS ABOUT THE ALBUM. So PLEASE don't reply saying, "you obviously aren't an Ayu fan and this was a terrible thing to say" because I've had that before and it wasn't a necessary comment towards someone who loves 99% of what Ayu does. Please and Thank you!

I took the advice of a lot of people and really listened to the album and I must say my feelings have changed quite a bit!!

Even though the songs can sound very uninteresting and unoriginal when you first hear them, when you begin to really zone in on the music in a quiet spot with good headphones you can really hear all the layers of the music and truly appreciate it

I still feel the album lacked a little bit, there isn't anything on the album that's a super "pow" like "microphone" everything is kinda at the same pace, but it works with this album because it's pretty much an all ballad album. The over all feeling of the album I think was purposely made to be on "the down low"

Here is my new review

1. Love Song (feelings haven't changed) (#3 fave)
VERY powerful and beautiful. I love how the song switches up so that the versus are unpredictable. The two vocal peaks were unexpected and I think make the song over all. I like how this song has a very subtile american country type of sound to it. This is one of the best songs on the album 8/10

2. crossroad (feelings haven't changed) (#1 fave)
My favorite track on the album. Very peaceful and nostalgic and VERY Ayu to me. The chords and vocals are so sweet and delightful it puts me in a good mood every time. The melody isn't super original but it's beauty covers for that. 8/10

3. MOON (feelings haven't changed)
(I'm surprised this song became a single honestly, to me the song is very predictable, J-pop typical, and unoriginal. The melody is pretty and her vocals are great, though the song lacks a lot) my feelings haven't changed much from this, the song has grown on me a bit, I give it a 4.5 now instead of a 4 but this song just does not truly grow on me 4/10 --> 4.5/10 4.5/10

4. Sending Mail
I now like this song because of how the layers of music pick up and get stronger as the song progresses. The main verse it powerful and packs a punch I like the layered vocals near the end. Still not one of her best ever but I like it a lot more! 5/10 --> 7/10 7/10

5. Last Angel
(A very interesting song, the beginning instrumental is very powerful and sinks you in right away. The melody is a bit awkward, but it grows on you and then you like it a lot. The chords are interesting and the lyrics are nice. I like the low "speaking" parts that low of vocals is rare for Ayu and a special treat.) My feelings are pretty much the same but I have a bit of a stronger love for it now 6.5/10 --> 7.5/10 7.5/10

6. Insomnia (same feelings)
An odd interlude that doesn't really fit with the album that well, the distorted vocals would be awesome in a remix album but in a ballad album called "Love Songs" sounds like this are disturbing mixed with the rest of the tracks 3/10

7. Like A Doll
The melody is a little plain and I still feel her vocals lack the most in this song out of all the songs on the album. The feeling of this song is really interesting it goes from almost a Christmas beginning to a slightly R&B song, it progresses wonderfully and the different elements work well together. This song is addicting! I can listen to this one several times in a row. 5.5/10 --> 7/10 7/10

8. Aria (same feelings)
Very beautiful and suits with the rest of the album well. One of my favorite Ayu interludes yet, the ending ends a bit awkward though, very anti-climatic 8/10

9. blossom
I now consider this one of the more weaker songs on the album, it has grown on me a bit, though I still feel the same about it, it's not good and it's not bad, I won't skip the song, but I don't love it. There is still something very Jpop typical and unoriginal about it to me, it's another typical Ayu ballad 6/10 --> 6.5/10 6.5/10

10. Thank U (same feelings)
(The sounds and background music to this song are super cute and addictive, Ayu does a good job controlling her sometimes ear-piercing "ii" sounds well. Though her vibrato is her typical "forced out" vibrato, it's not the natural kind that comes out when singers sing, it's obviously controlled and overly "bouncy" so to speak, it's not a vibrato that has a clean natural sound to it.) I still feel pretty much the same though the song has grown on me quite a bit I now think it's very pretty especially during the end despite the unnatural vocals by Ayu 5/10 --> 7/10 7/10

11. Sweet Season (same feelings)
Again, nothing special in terms of melody, the song doesn't speak to me. Her vocals are beautiful but the song again is nothing special I don't even know where to compliment it specifically 5/10

12. Overture (same feelings)
Really powerful and it suits well with the album. It sounds a lot like it would fit in with a Final Fantasy soundtrack (especially Final Fantasy 9) 7/10

13. Do It Again (#2 fave)
(The feeling of this song is very sad and beautiful, it makes me think of Batman for some reason like this would be the love song for Batman and Catwoman, a dark and beautiful love.)[/B] This song has grown on me a lot and now I love it, it's actually quite powerful when you really listen to it in depth. PV's always help me gain interest in songs and amplifies the strength in it. The beginning no longer sounds too long to me and I like the whole song. I'm not gonna call it "brilliant" like many but it is an awesome song! 5/10 --> 8/10 8/10

14. November (almost same feelings) (#2 fave)
(The chords and vocals in this song are wonderful and pull you in. One of the nicer songs in the album. Ayu's vocals have a uniqueness to them that I've never heard and I like it, her vibrato is a bit more "shaky" but not in a bad way). The song has grown on me the middle verses no longer bore me, I don't wait for the main verse to come. Her vocals are very beautiful! 6.5/10 --> 7.5/10 7.5/10

15. Virgin Road (same feelings)
(A pretty song and it took quite some time to grow on me, again, there isn't anything super special or original about it. I like the part where the melody and violins go up-beat a bit and play in synch. The vocals like all the songs on this album are very beautiful though.) My feelings haven't changed much it still isn't bad, yet it isn't like "wow" to me. 6/10

16. Seven Days War (same feelings)
The melody is nice and this is one of the better "almost a cappella" songs on the album where there is hardly any music and mostly Ayu's vocals. The chorus in the background adds a lovely touch at the end and you get Ayu's classic style of just humming and singing without words at the end which is quite uniquely hers in the Jpop world. 6.5/10

Over-all rating I give this album 7.5/10 Thats from 5/10 --> 7.5/10

The album has really grown on me and I now consider it her best album since Secret. Some of my most favorite songs by Ayu ever are on Rock 'n' Roll Circus and NEXT LEVEL though they are the only songs I really liked on those albums where as here I have 3 songs I give an 8/10 and a lot a 7/10 so each song individually I like a little less but I like more of them.

Examples: (this is comparing all her albums ever)
Rock 'n' Roll Circus: Microphone 9.5, Don't look back 8, You were... 7.5, RED LINE ~for TA~ 7, the rest, about 4-5 Average score: 6
NEXT LEVEL: Sparkle 9.5, identity 9.5, LOVE 'n' HATE 7, NEXT LEVEL 7, Curtain Call 7, the rest, about a 3-5. Average score: 7
GUILTY: talkin' 2 myself 8, decision 8, (don't) Leave me alone 7.5, Marionette 6.5, Together when... 6.5, the rest 3-4. Average score: 6.5
Secret: until that Day... 8, 1 LOVE 7, JEWEL 8.5, Born To Be... 9, the rest 5-6. Average score: 7.5

P.S. I LOVE AYU AND THIS IS JUST MY HONEST CRITIQUE AND FEELINGS ABOUT THE ALBUM. So PLEASE don't reply saying, "you obviously aren't an Ayu fan and this was a terrible thing to say" because I've had that before and it wasn't a necessary comment towards someone who loves 99% of what Ayu does. Please and Thank you!