Quote:
Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer
Yes, but those were all spaced out over 16 years - they were not all on one album.  Plus some of those I do not consider to be totally safe sounding ballads. I don't consider Hanabi to be typical, Heaven has an unorthodox structure, and Far Away is actually a rock song at heart. The rest are pretty typical, but done extremely well. But for every one of those songs and then some, you had Evolution, Surreal, Free and Easy, Microphone, appears, M, Step You etc etc etc etc.
When I look back and think about Ayu, I don't think "Oh yeah, that's the girl who sang really cookie cutter ballads over and over again", I think "Oh yeah, she had some really innovative sounding songs AND she had some great contemporary ballads too."
Her "roots" to me were in a being a trend setter, in taking chances while still creating catchy pop songs, by being edgy while maintaining a balance of sweetness.
I think this "getting back to her roots" concept is just an excuse to get back to something safer; and therefore safer sales. I can attest that Hello New Me got some pretty good airplay in Japan.
I don't hate the album. It's nice. But that's all it is. |
I was talking about hits, not really albums... To part of the public she is that girl who sings sugar coated generic ballads. I also don't really think everything in A ONE is overly safe ballad-wise, from the waltz influence on Zutto... chorus to the progression in Anything for You and Walk, there are some twists here and there to make them not too generic.
But I agree with you, at heart, this is a safer album to attract sales... Her marketing machine seens to be at full force since Colours, and she most likely will plan her next few years around the idea of having a comercial comeback.
Will this make her give us her best stuff? Most likely not, but (at least from afar, you, living in Japan has a more accurate vision of it) it's nice to see her getting some attention as a popstar, and not as a celebrity, again.