[280301]

After reading all your reviews, I wasn't expecting anything too stellar from Utopia, and felt as if I would undoubtedly compare it to LIBERTY. I was greatly disappointed by W FACE by Koda Kumi (I had gone through a Kumi ballad phase before it was released, and felt ~inside~'s tracks were far too generic and didn't have that Kumi passion), and was expecting similar levels of disappointment.

However, I find myself pleasantly surprised! I find this album to be so variable, sometimes it feels like a throwback, other times its ethereal and dreamy, but overall it feels so soothing - and largely understated. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't spurred the same 'wowowowow' factor that LIBERTY drew out of me, it still has some unfortunate filler (such as I AM), but I feel as if as a release, this is quite solid. If anything, I find it to be very complementary to LIBERTY. If she had released both albums as 2CD release, it would have been ~amazing~.

I'm putting my money on this being an album that becomes increasingly enjoyable with high rotation.