[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

Agreed about first impression. Best ballads don't sound generic to me at all. Maybe generic as in predictable, but for me, predictable just means they got the nail on the head as to how the song should sound and it's full potential. HANABI and JEWEL are relatively easy to swallow, which makes them so pleasing to the ear.

The term "generic" gets thrown around a lot, and misused when describing ayus songs specifically. I would not say those epic ballads are generic, but predictable? Yeah, I might agree to that. Generic refers to something that isn't special, and something that any other artist could have released with identical results. The catalog of hits she has built over the years of those epic, perhaps predictable, songs have something to them that just screams ayu. Lately it hasn't been the case, hence the term generic being used in the correct manner. For me, when a song progresses and it hits in all the right places that you felt it was growing toward, that's perfection. But when it hits and you're all "oh, so this is how it's going to be? Ok, I think I can get into/used to this." Then it's already a battle to enjoy the song as much as you enjoy the former experience.

ge·ner·ic [juh-ner-ik] Show IPA
adjective Also, ge·ner·i·cal.
1.
of, applicable to, or referring to all the members of a genus, class, group, or kind; general.

If you can predict how it will sound because it sounds like tons of other ballads, it is generic. You are welcome.

About Pray, I love how I couldn't really predict it's direction... It also sounds very... mature, I believe, would be the therm.