Ayu: Love or Hate?

[KonoSekai]

I don't understand this very much - it seems that everyone hates Ayu's new stuff. I really likes STEP you, and when Fairyland came out I had Alterna on repeat for weeks. I wasn't sure about B&D, but now I love it. Does everyone hate her new stuff?

[Raleigh]

It's a matter of taste I suppose. Many old fans prefer her older material and such. Some also do not like how she's being "in-your-face" with her music. I prefer both but I suppose you cannot please everyone.

[Neo Daydream]

I LOVE her new stuff ^^ i read some interview thing where Ayu said she wanted a new beginning or sumthing and she wants to make some big changes....

[Yarumi]

yeah... I think it is most older fans do prefer her new stuff... I actually like all her new stuff except B&D... it's just okay... I don't hate it... but I sure don't like it very much... Now Pride is another story! And fairyland has finally grown on me... I always liked it but wasn't crazy about it... not I do like it alot

[ruixiong89]

Oh man, I LOVE B&D! Haha, the great gospel funk is just amazing! Pride has grown on me. fairyland didn't seem that much of a breakthrough though. Beautiful PV but it's kind of "safe" as a summer song in composition if you ask me.

All I can say is I think she's releasing excellent material. But I think some fans just don't appreciate or like the genre or the composition? It very much depends on their tastes. But I don't like it when people say things like "Oh my, Ayu's going DOWN" or "Ayu's releasing CRAP!" because I think she does produce solid material. They might vary in standards at times but ultimately, I think they're great.

Take for example, HAPPY ENDING and Dolls. I used to think HAPPY ENDING was a filler song UNTIL Arena Tour 2005 and Dolls in the same way until the Limited TA Tour. You see, they can be great songs when applied in the correct situations. That's my take.

Again, I think Ayu's moving leaps and bounds in her career. I won't say she's going downhill or uphill, but I would say she's already WAY UP THERE and there's no sign of her coming down any time!

[walking proud]

I think she got out of the "bad" phase (in my opinion anyway) after she got out of the rocky guitar solo stuff (think INSPIRE/GAME and is this LOVE?). When ballads started being on the singles again I realized how much better she's gotten ^^

[Yarumi]

hey walking proud, do you prefer 'B&D' over "is this love"? just wondering oh and love your avvy, it rocks

I actually like her rock phase... her rock songs always have wonderful lyrics and I love her voice when she sings rockish... sounds good...

I wouldn't mind funk either... but I just think that B&D was so plain... she didn't sing enough in it, and it was to repetitive... I know she heard it from GEO first and adapted the lyrics from American into Japanese... but she said she played around a little with it... and it just wasn't solid Ayu lyrics... The song is great for live performances don't get me wrong... it is wonderful live, but as a single? Ihthink she shoulda released another song along with pride besides B&D... just my opinion though

[ImpactBreaker]

^She didn't adapt the lyrics from english to japanese. She tried doing that but she didn't like the result so the only thing she borrowed were the words "Bold & Delicious"

I think she's doing great. Her songs are still amazing for me and shwe's still my top favorite artist, and no, I'm not trying hard to enjoy her new stuff because it just flows as her music always flowed.

[Yarumi]

oh is that what she meant by it didn't work? I thought she just meant a few phrases My bad!

I'm glad she did rwrite her own though... still thought it was kinda repetitive

Actually, all of her songs are treasures to me. This is her best year for me (actually, I can't really say - I haven't been a fan of her for enough years to know yet). But still, I love every song she's produced this year, and I'll support her to the end.

[Paper Bear]

As much as I love her older stuff, I prefer her newer stuff more. And I'm in love with her rock tunes. Her music has changed a lot over the past few years but she's hasn't lost her touch in my eyes.

[Yukitora]

I love the fact that she isn't recycling old styles and sounds. I don't want to her another M just because the original was good! I'm loving her ever changing style because it's much more interesting than many artists'.

[Brittany]

I prefer her old material .. I'm not into the new stuff as much.. except for only HEAVEN and Pride.

[Chibi_Venus]

I like her style right now. She seems to be going for a new style at the moment, good for her. From the looks of it, it seems many fans still prefer old music from her *cough*Duty*cough* (<-- seems to be a favorite). I'll admit, I love her old music like from I am... and RAINBOW. And I'm not afraid to say that I wasn't a fan of her MY STORY album at first, but let me say it's certainly grown on me! So yes, I like her songs at the moment.

[Paper Bear]

Originally Posted by Chibi_Venus

I like her style right now. She seems to be going for a new style at the moment, good for her. From the looks of it, it seems many fans still prefer old music from her *cough*Duty*cough* (<-- seems to be a favorite). I'll admit, I love her old music like from I am... and RAINBOW. And I'm not afraid to say that I wasn't a fan of her MY STORY album at first, but let me say it's certainly grown on me! So yes, I like her songs at the moment.

Yeah, one thing I like about Ayu is how she's always giving her fans something new and fresh to listen to. I like how her music varies from one style to another.

Duty is one of my favorite albums from her, too. It has some great songs on it, but some are pretty underrated. Or at least, that's how it seems. My Story was different, but it wasn't a bad album. It's definitely not my favorite but it does have some nice songs on it.

[HanabiChick]

I think I'm beginning to fall into loving her older material category. It would seem like Ayu isn't very consistent anymore, there's just equal amounts of strong and weak tracks, and the weak tracks are getting worse. Although the stronger tracks more than make up for the weaker ones, it seems like Ayu is slipping a bit, MY STORY definitely was her weakest album, and I really see this new album as being more of the same. I know she can't please everyone, but the quality of her work is slipping, though I hope that would change.

[Rebirthia]

today i watched a hanabi episode II perf, in "how to make a music program" (a ram file is in jpoop suki, strange, you should take a look at that tracker to see what 's about)

and you'll say, and what???

can you believe at the beginning of the song i didn't recogize the song? (i just got in the the middle of it, made a shuffle) I had to check the beginning of the song. >< (i don't lisdten to that stuff since many time ago)

anyway, i was really surprised as she pleased my ears! then i remembered that MA album was not my fav, nor even RAINBOW, but she had still some quality. she sang with power, and was in key, absolutely.

Now i can't watch an of her performances, just a minute, and just to realise that every time is worse.

she makes wonderful photoshots for mags, and good videos, the covers were not as asual good, but well, this doe snot mean sometihng if i can't listen to her new stuff without grimacing with spiritual pain and long for I am or SURREAL, or even older times. Perhaps i'm too tragical, but it's that i enjoyed so much with Ayu in the past times, and i enjoyed her concerts, really! although she didn't sing well (i mean, not with great quality) but it was Ayu, she had something in her voice that characterized her, but now she can't even control the key. Perhaps i criticise her too much, but t's because i felt so much sorrow because i feel something important in a moment of my life, something in which i beleived is lost forever (although HEAVEN and some other pieces for her new album are more or less good, but if she can't sing int well on the stage, it's nothing).

[elepop]

^^ I think, now, Ayu sings way better than she used to. I thinking her voice was strong then, and now it's softer. But she can definitely control her voice now.

Like other people said, it's a matter of tastes.

Personally, I loved her new songs. "Will", "alterna", "HEAVEN", "is this LOVE?" and "STEP you" are just amazing. "B&D" and "Pride" are okay. And I didn't like "fairyland" at all. But her new stuffs are just so much better than anything from the "MY STORY" era. (I didn't like the singles at all, and the rest of the songs are nothing special.) Unlike "MY STORY", "(miss)understood" has varieties. And I'm having high hopes for the other songs.

Although I know I do prefer her older materials, (ASFXX, I am..., RAINBOW, End roll...) her recent songs are different and refreshing. I don't want to hear the same old stuff over and over again. This year's releases have been different yet amazing for me. It may not be the next "Duty" or "I am..." sort of album, but I still have a feeling that it's going be really good despite the fact that more than half of the fans hate her stuff.

[Azmaria]

I love her new music, B&D wasnt so bad, I prefered it at the beginning more than Pride, but all her songs in this year were awsome

[Ryoko]

I'm one of those fans that will take whatever Ayumi throws out. I like all of her new stuff, even though I haven't heard most of the single songs this year.