I can see what you mean by that, but how would one argue that?
Any songs in particular that demonstrate that? I'm leaning toward PQ the title track tbh.

Title track, Eyes, Smoke, Magic, the next LOVE, even HBYA is quite different.

i just listened to the previews (after a long time) ahha.. i gotta say Song 4 u is my fav followed by Missing and Melody..

and will there even be a booklet? for something that only has 3 new songs.. my guess is even there will be a booklet, its gonna be similar to that of Love songs.. both just give me the same vibes.

Party queen and hbya weren't that new nor different. ESM and tnL were random experiments (kinda like Sexy little things and Don't look back). It's not like her whole album sounded like those 2 tracks. So you could hardly say that her sound has been completely changed. As imo the songs that dominate the album do posses the Ayu fragrance.

"Missing" is so ayu~ for her new release i love this most =x

Melody and Missing are Love songs style of songs

I think that Melody and Missing could easily sneak onto Love songs' track list.
Melody might sneak up next to Sweet Season and Missing might sneak up next to Sending Mail.

From the live rips I like Missing by far the most... the other two sound a bit boring.
But they do sound like something from Love songs.

It was looking like it, but she didn't pull through in the end. The mid-section of the album (Call ~ Tell Me Why) is Ayu by the numbers, and actually my favourite bit of the album. The party songs at the start are different, but the problem is that they're not good. I don't know why! We know she can make brilliant dance songs because she gave us Sparkle / Last Angel etc. And let's not even talk about those awful musical songs.

Gosh I sound bitter! haha. I still love here but lately it's almost like she just thinks "LOL let's try this music style" and hires the cheapest producer she can find. However, to end on a positive note, I like the sound of Song 4 u very much and with 5 releases coming up I am absolutely sure she's going to bring us some great music. Bring it on my queen <3

Yeah... Party queen wasnt that different... Esm and the next love were different but the album over all was very Ayumi.

Honestly I think all of it is very un-Ayu. I can never get why people say Call / Letter are Ayu because I can't even stomach any bit of those two songs.

Missing sounds good. But it doesn't seem to compare to sending mail to me at all lol

Anyway, I kind of like how Melody sounds

I really need this to hurry up and come out.

^ it's not exactly the same but they're two powerful songs, you see.

I also need this cd ASAP. That's why I chose EMS. They're gonna pack the CD before its official release and it'll be here in a lightning bolt.
Like with Angela Aki's BLUE: it came the DAY BEFORE! I was dying. They packed it about 5 days before its scheduled release (July 18).
The funny thing is that I downloaded the album online cuz I couldn't wait anymore and once the album finished downloading, the mailman came with my cd. Howly Mowly.
If this cd comes on the 7th (Wednesday?) I'm gonna flip out.

:shrug
I don't know I feel like any number of those 'rock' songs could of easilly fit on missunderstood or My story or even secret or guilty...
I think they are very very ayumi.

I should of also added nanana on the list of not very ayumi.

First thing I thought when I heard Call (for the first time).

Lol, MY STORY is my favorite Ayumi album and I cannot hear it on MY STORY at all! It's too American hum-strum or something. MY STORY is full of fierce in-your-face rock / edgy songs (GAME, About You, my name's WOMEN), beautiful ballads (Moments, walking proud), mellow orchestral sadness (HOPE or PAIN, HAPPY ENDING), and bittersweet reminiscent music (winding road, Replace). It's a very sad album, except maybe HONEY. Call on the other hand, is like a campfire song with weird chants thrown in during the chorus. That guitar strum intro is so un-jpop and so un-Ayu. Almost Michelle Branch-type stuff, which I never liked.

^ lol... I fell in love with ayu because I felt like she had a very western feel to her.
Very un-jpop. Almost the best of both worlds.

I think the problem is (and dont take this the wrong way) you just have my story up on this high pedestal.
Its a very good album, but you can't compare everything to that one album (not that you did this time, but I did).

To be honest, I think Call is just a lesser version of About You.
Not that it's a bad thing. I just like About You much more.

^ I love call and letter...
Call is very Micheal Branch..,. and is amazing... I get feelings from those two songs that I haven't gotten from ayumi in a long time.

I have stopped hoping for another MY STORY after Rock'n'Roll Circus was drawing comparisons early on... and I was depressed at the final result. Lol.

But yes, I think I finally realized that Call is so Michelle Branch and I always hated her music (sorry). So it makes sense that I'd hate Call.

Ayu does have a powerful difference in her music but the melodies are usually so J-Pop I could never imagine them on actual American radio.