1. That's a really cool style, yeah.

2. Her voice has matured like a fine wine. Her voice circa "A Song for XX" was terrible, though. Really, if that was how I was introduced to Ayu, I would never have become such a big fan of her music. She just had no skill and it was very very weak. The squeak was CHARMING, but I would not say it sounded good. It was very grating. But one thing I can say about her voice is how quickly it progressed. With each album it got consistently stronger, and now you could actually call her a proper vocalist.

I completely agree with the person who said that what makes Ayu a great singer is the WAY she sings. She can deliver a song like no other. I saw "A Song for XX" on Hey Hey Hey last year, and I cried. Even listening to the "030213 Session take #2" version of the song can bring me to tears. Sometimes you forget she's singing, and feel she's just opening her heart up in any old way. That's something very few people can actually do, and it certainly can't be taught.