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You're not alone - I agree with you entirely. Ayu's albums have all been genre-hoppers (in my opinion, her BEST albums were). Some did it better than others. I think "Party Queen" has the same genre-hopping-but-still-all-one-album feel that "I am..." had.
That and the progression of sound to sound on "Party Queen," admittedly, makes MUCH more sense if you know the lyrics. It has the personal, heart-wrenching, relatable lyrics of "A Song for XX," the unity/disunity in sound of "I am...," and the storytelling nature of albums like Tori Amos' "Boys for Pele." It's a very very very very good album artistically, but it's not a good pop album by sound alone - you have to know the words.
The album really does tell a good fall-from-grace-then-redemption story about an alcoholic with self-esteem issues who has to reevaluate her life after a divorce and a friend's near-death experience. Listen to the album with THAT summary in mind and you'll enjoy it much more.
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