|
I've always thought A ONE was OK-to-good but not great, and that hasn't really changed. Its highs soar really high: NO FUTURE is awesome, The Show Must Go On is my favourite of her many songs dedicated to fans, Walk is a beautiful mature masterpiece, Story is wonderfully sweet. I also really like Out of control and Anything for you.
The poor mastering is really unfortunate, especially as it kills Last Minute's potential to be anything but a poor imitation of Memorial Address. This album also has a bit of a filler problem: The GIFT is atrociously boring no matter how hard Ayu tries to elevate it, Zutto is completely forgettable, and even WARNING is just bland to me (probably another mastering issue). These are the reasons I've never really loved the album.
I would also agree that this is her most recent "complete album". Though I like MIJ much more, it doesn't have the cohesion that A ONE has, this album feels more deliberate.
|