I agree that she shines in rock songs, but the most overwhelming experience for me as an Ayu fan is on tracks like Last angel / Connected / HEAVEN / Moments... Ayumi isn't a one-trick pony, and I think what Delirium is mentioning is that she went from being an artist with a particular sound to being an artist that no one can reasonably follow because she's never in the same place more than once.
I fell in love with Ls because it was her first record since MY STORY where there were predominately longer tracks, most of which had beautiful intros. I think the fact her sales were comparable to RnRC, even though she had been losing up to 30% with each new release, showed the public really appreciated that she did something familiar for fans.
Don't get me wrong, I love XOXO. I think Terminal is a great track. But I also think that Zutto... / Last minute / Walk is her sound. And part of why she's losing dancers and losing band members is because she's not honestly making good use of them.
Watch that youtube performance I linked to again. Why is Lico, who've we all come to love and embrace, masked like some prop? Why can I hear Tim, but not see him? She's done some amazing collaborations, but it's so inconsistent. If I were Enrique, I'd feel close to being put out. I'd want to get out of there as soon as possible to avoid putting that I was ONCE Ayu's best bassist on my résumé.
My only gripe and disagreement is in her live performances. I actually *cry* when I watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffM6a9ewJeM Ayu has not been this solid of a stage performer in over a decade, and considering that 90% of her pre-2008 gigs were props and stage themes, to see our girl walk out with nothing more than a beautiful outfit and a dozen dancers and give me goosebumps... IN A YOUTUBE VIDEO... I think she's become significantly better on stage in the last year or so than she has in the better part of the last decade. And bear in mind, she is still deaf in one year and at high risk of losing her hearing in the other.
Anyway, word vomit. Excuse me.
