|
I am...
The album that has been fan-favorites is actually well, my least favorite album. Not because the songs suck, in fact, some of my favorite songs are from this album!
01 I am...
The album open with the title track; an appacella at that. While Ayu's vocals sound so strong and powerful in this track, there's just something about that does not appeal to me. Call me weird or whatever, but I always have a urge to skip this track when I listen to the album...
Rating: 6/10
02 opening Run
opening Run is a very short interlude, and is, to me, the official start of the album (because I am... was just an introduction/prelude to me). The interlude is meant to introduce the next few fast-paced songs but it is ironically pretty slow-paced itself. Cool track nevertheless. Props for the smooth slow to Connected, the next song.
Rating: 7.5/10
03 Connected
Connected is a trance track that I personally like a lot, though it does not have anything special to me. The beat is very cool and I just love it. My body shivers every time Ayu hits those super high notes in the chorus. Sadly, the song is a mere 3:20 long...
Rating: 8/10
04 UNITE!
UNITE! is one of my favorites from Ayu and I'm sure we all know how the song flows... so there's not much to elaborate...
Rating: 10/10
05 evolution
evolution is another fan-favorite that I like, but not love. The sad thing is UNITE! and evolution are so similar in instrumentation and arrangement, PLUS they are placed one after another! So, sometimes it's very annoying to hear evolution just after UNITE!... I get confused sometimes. And two songs back to back with Ayu's high pitching in the chorus might be painful at times. Still a very nice song though.
Rating: 9/10
06 Naturally
Naturally goes back to the trance in Connected, but in a more laid-back manner. The verses are pretty unique, in that one line is Ayu, and the next is Ayu in a vocoder or something. The song, however, kicks off to power in the chorus. The trance beats at the back sound even more memorable and kick-a$$ than Connected. However, while the beats are memorable... the song itself isn't that memorable.
Rating: 8/10
07 NEVER EVER
One of my favorite songs and one of my favorites tracks in this album. NEVER EVER opens with a weird sounding thing that seems to suck you into the "anti-gravity" world of NEVER EVER... Ayu sounds frail, weak, afraid, timid... in this depressing song. You can tell the sorrow in her voice, yet the song doesn't lose its wrath in the chorus and the awesome guitar solo in the bridge! Full of emotions, is the best fit for NEVER EVER.
Rating: 10/10
08 still alone
still alone is a ballad, but a unique one. It's not your typical piano+strings+drumset song... it's more of a "techno ballad". Ayu hits the high notes in the chorus that seem to drag on forever... still alone is good to listen to once in a while, but having to listen to it often is... painful, no offense.
Rating: 8/10
09 Daybreak
Ah, when I first typed this post, I actually forgot about Daybreak! Just shows how much I don't like this song... and the album. Well, Daybreak in I am... is more trance and active... the song starts with distorted synth beats and breaks into a mix of music. The song softens again as Ayu starts the verses. The latter part of the song has an interesting break: The bridge goes louder and louder until it reaches a climax, and then goes to a General Pause, which Ayu continues with the chorus... that's the only memorable part of the song to me.
Rating: 6/10
10 taskinlude
Ah, tasuku's first interlude for Ayu turns out to be worst for me. taskinlude is weird to be tactful. It opens with a choir full of clashing notes, and the bells... making everything sound distorted; I do get the message behind this though. Just that... I'm not feeling this "mess" of taskinlude... Artistic? I beg to differ. And the fact that it comes before the best song of the album is just an insult to it.
Rating: 5/10
11 M
M, as I have mentioned, is what I think as the best song in I am... The song is complicated; yet the lyrics are simple. It is ironic, yet beautiful. The emotional hymn to Maria is really touching and gets into my heart all the time... Kudos to Ayu's amazing composing, as heard by the guitar solo (and in NEVER EVER too as well) as well. M, is of course, one of Ayu's masterpieces.
12. a song is born
a song is born is a beautiful ballad at the very least. Inspired by 911, it's obviously a very emotional song. The lyrics are simple yet straight-forward: cherish life, love everyone. The song starts laid-back and the verses are laid-back. But be taken aback at the chorus, for Ayu hits the super-high notes and gets all emotional. But, as with still alone, it is painful to listen to it very often.
Rating: 7/10
13 Dearest
Ah, Dearest, a classic Ayu ballad. Dearest starts with a soft piano and Ayu's gentle voice... The song is overall good, though once again the refrain of the chorus at the end is... jarring at times.
Rating: 9/10
14 no more words
no more words is underrated and I really don't see why. It's one of the theme songs for the Inuyasha movie (I think) and it is a good song. This ballad, unlike most of the others, isn't screechy and all, so it's actually pleasant. The song starts with a choir/female voice, humming beautiful notes... telling us the morose of everything. The strings then literally explode as the dynamic contrast leaves me wanting for more. Ayu's voice sounds awesome and powerful. The lyrics are very touching as well.
Rating: 9/10
15 Endless sorrow ~gone with the wind ver.~
This mix of Endless sorrow is more mellow than the original mix. Ayu's voice also sounds more refined... though the original mix has more of an 'OOMPH!' to it, the remix here is not bad actually. The mellow sound seems to tell us that Life ends... silently and beautifully. The album starts with I am..., strong and powerful, and ends with this, mellow and soft. Is this what Life is? When we are a baby, we are crying and making noise, when we are old and die, we just go... just like that, without a sound.
Rating: 9/10
16/Secret track flower garden
about 30-45 seconds after Endless sorrow, a cool "popping", distorted guitar riff kicks in. Yes, that's the secret track, flower garden. flower garden is fun, relaxing and happy. It is the opposite of M: flower garden sounds happy yet its lyrics seem a little upset, while M sounds sad, yet the lyrics are simple, and faithful at that... Appearance and reality? I believe Ayu wants us to see this too. In any case, flower garden is an interesting song, with the little cool instrumentation in the middle; the guitars entering the left speak, and leaving and going to the right speaker, and then going to both makes the whole feel so ethereal! A fantastic way to close this album!
Rating: 10/10
Overall comments: I am... may contain super good songs like NEVER EVER, UNITE!, M etc, but the abundance of lackluster songs bring them down... Another downside was that for most of the ballads (M, Dearest, a song is born), Ayu goes to super high mode when the chorus repeats itself. Yes, it gives the song a big climax, but sometimes it sounds overdone and jarring.
One good thing was that the theme of this album was very coherent; all of the songs follow a similar theme: Faith/Hope, Life. No matter how different each song sounds like, they go to that theme. I also love the calling of I am... and Endless sorrow, one at the beginning, one at the end. It makes the album sound very complete.
An overrated album that has a good theme and packaging, but the songs are disappointing. Well, most of the album.
Remember kids! (LOL) Just because an album has stellar hits (evolution, M, Dearest), it doesn't mean the whole album would be perfect!
Overall rating: 7/10
Songs that you must listen: UNITE!/evolution (depends on you), NEVER EVER, M, Dearest, no more words, Endless sorrow (both the original and the remix).
Songs that you MIGHT want to skip: I am..., Daybreak.
Please do not take offense to what I've written, as I understand that I am... is a fan favorite and I'm doing something bold by saying that I dislike this album the most...
|