Tracklist
1. Start to 0 (Love)
2. Real voice
3. Sha la la
4. Blue Days
5. I believe
6. Stay with me
7. melody
8. Kimi no Power to Otona no Furi
9. Eien no Monogatari
10. Toki wo Modoshite
11. 1 2 3 4
12. Story
13. Rairarai
14. Mikazuki
15. message

I’ve been listening to ayaka for some time now. Every time I listen to her music, I am just in awe of her sheer vocal powers! I think the thing most surprising about it is just how she looks. When I see her, I wouldn’t think of her having such a soulful and deep voice, but it’s true. Even if I watch video of her singing live, I still can’t believe that this powerful voice is coming out of such a petite person. And speaking of lives, she sounds exactly the same as her studio version (amazing….seriously).

Anyway, after listening and liking what I hear for so long, it’s only proper to start including her in my reviews, right? And what better to start with than her million-selling debut album, First Message?

Star to 0 (Love) is a fun pop track. I really enjoy the chorus and it’s pretty catchy. The arrangement is really nice, though, with a slight jazzy feel to it. Ayaka’s voice feels naturally very soulful and jazzy and the arrangement really complements it.

I’ve always really enjoyed Real voice. The intro is well done, that piano run is just great. I love the chorus, especially the line with “everyday” in it; it’s sweet and cute but has definite power to it. My favorite part of the song is the bridge with the amazing long notes.

Sha la la starts off very dramatically with some great piano lines. I really enjoy the contrast between the low notes in the verses and the high notes in chorus. It’s a little bit slower paced, which makes feel a little draggy at some points, but it’s still a good track.

Blue Days is a beautiful acoustic ballad. I’ve always really loved this song and the high notes she reaches in the chorus are just sooo great! I’m also amazed at how different her voice can sound, light and airy but also strong and powerful. The arrangement is really nice done, starting with acoustics but later adding some light percussion.

I believe has one of the best intros combined piano and strings for a gorgeous and tragic sounding combination. The entire arrangement is just so good; love the piano and the short interlude! Her vocals are really well done throughout the entire track and chorus is just beautiful.

Stay with me is another upbeat pop track. The chorus is very good with some great vocals and a fun, careful feeling. I also like the lower vocals in the verses.

Melody is another great upbeat track. The arrangement is super fun, especially the percussion and the electric guitar. I love the chorus, though, especially where she sings “melody.”

The piano run in the beginning of Kimi no Power to Otona no Furi is so good! Besides that, this is just another upbeat song. While it’s enjoyable and fun, I don’t really remember this track after listening to the entire album.

Eien no Monogatari is pretty short, but ayaka’s vocals are super pretty here. I also like the very bare instrumental accompaniment with just the light acoustic guitars.

Toki wo Modoshite has a great arrangement; the brass is a really nice touch. The chorus is really soulful and I enjoy the ayaka’s vocals a lot.

The next track is another upbeat one, 1 2 3 4. It’s a nice track and ayaka’s vocals are great (because let’s face, she sounds amazing all the time), but besides that there’s nothing too special about it.

Story is one of my favorites. It’s mid-tempo and a bit more relaxed than some of her other songs. The chorus is really nicely done, especially because of the rhythms and not to mention that the arrangement is so good!

Rairarai is a fun little piece with plenty of attitude. The chorus is pretty cute and I really like the “rairarai” lines. It’s also got an….interesting drum solo/interlude in the middle that’s actually kind of weird.

Next up is the gorgeous ballad, Mikazuki. Everything from the beautiful arrangement to ayaka’s heartfelt vocals makes this piece so amazing. I love the chorus; the contrast between the long notes and the shorter and faster passages is really nice.

The album ends with message, a short interlude that would have been better placed elsewhere. It’s still really nice, though, with ayaka singing a few lines a capella. Man, her voice is just so amazing!!

Buy this album: CD only

It’s true, really. I have all these albums and dramas and movies that I want to review just swirling around in my head somewhat already written. But do they get actualized….no!! And the more time I have, the less I get done. A paradox? An oxymoron? I think so.

For instance, this morning, I woke up at 4:30 am because of my horrendous jet lag. (from my week-long trip to tokyo and seoul!!! but that’s another story.) And because no one else was awake, I was bored out of my mind. So I thought, “hmm…now’s a good time to write up some reviews because no one is awake to interrupt me.” But actually all I did was write one review and walk around my house aimlessly, waiting for someone to wake up so I could bother them.

But actually what I wanted to say is that there are a few artists that I listen to regularly and will eventually review! And I wanted to announce it here so I can make it a big deal when it’s really not.

First off, there’s BONNIE PINK. Love love love BONNIE PINK! but she has such a sprawling discography so I’ll start with her singles collection, Every Single Day. It’ll take some time, though, because there’s 28 songs altogether on 2 discs. So I suppose if I write a review for one song a day, it’ll be done in 28 days. and I estimate that I’ll be lazy 10 out of 28 days, then it’ll be ready in 38 days.

Next is ayaka. I’m amazed that this tiny girl has such a soulful voice. It really does amaze me. I just don’t understand the physics of it. How?! Why?! Who cares?

Last is Utada Hikaru. I’ve listened to her for sooo long and probably no one even knows. But her latest album is great and it’ll get done someone. Hopefully soon. And maybe I can even get to some of her older albums too!

And I know I’ve been skimping on music reviews lately. Maybe that’s because my favorite artists are skimping on their releases. (sorry that was kind of mean, but it’s totally true)