[article] black or white, it’s still ayumi

[..:Hot:Like:Wow:..]

Total Hotness, well not really.

J-Pop fans probably think Ayumi Hamasaki can do no wrong, concedes SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN, who tries to make out her music.



WHO is Ayumi Hamasaki?

I don’t know ... well, at least that was my answer when my colleague handed me the double CDs to review. My knowledge of Japanese songs stopped at Sukiyaki, which I learned in my school’s Japanese class.

So I Googled Ayumi and found that she has an entry in Wikipedia. And a long one at that, complete with her background and an extensive article on her albums and even the interpretations of different symbols of A for Ayumi.

She’s this hot-shot Japanese singer, also known as the Empress of J-Pop, who has sold more than 50 million records. So that’s why I don’t know her. I’m not into J-Pop.
Anyway, her compilation album, A Best 2-White- is full of funky J-Pop songs which, I assume, are danced to in Tokyo clubs and hummed by Japanese schoolgirls in pleated skirts.

With a mix of pop and rock and dance music, her songs sound like they should be staples among clubbers... and that’s not my cup of music. Too young, too loud and too fast for my liking.

Even one of the CD’s songs, which starts out slow, builds into a super-fast number. It makes me dizzy just listening to her songs, but her legions of followers must have found them amazing.

The songs sound so happy and jolly like there’s no worry in the world but to dance to your heart’s content, for as long as your body can take it.

Plus, there isn’t depth to her voice. But that goes for all J-Pop singers, I suppose. The thrill is in the package — the looks, the music, the dressing.

So through my brief introduction to Ayumi, I think she is like early stage Britney Spears, circa Sometimes. And that said, Britney Spears was huge then ... so you can understand the appeal that Ayumi has among her fans. She writes the lyrics to all the songs in the album too.

Towards the end of the White album, the songs get slower, as if to prepare for A Best 2 -Black- album later. I like Voyage. It has a classical music feel to it, the sound of strings is a clever touch, which I find pleasant to the ears.

The Black album opens with Dearest, a slow number. In fact, the whole album is made up mostly of slow numbers, but it severely lacks the angst and emotions I expected since the White album was totally jovial.

I don’t know how the songs are categorised as black or white... or maybe that’s because I don’t know what they mean. The second album supposedly contains sadder songs.

I think if you’re already a fan, then, you would consider buying these albums. To convert a non J-Pop listener into a fan would be too much to ask.

[mishidabo]

Chat-Room (4 Viewing)
This is a place where you can chat about everything under the sun that is not about Ayumi, and even introduce yourself!
Subforum: Posting Games Forum

[haruki]

Originally Posted by mishidabo

Chat-Room (4 Viewing)
This is a place where you can chat about everything under the sun that is not about Ayumi, and even introduce yourself!
Subforum: Posting Games Forum

common' dun be so serious!

[..:Hot:Like:Wow:..]

so sew me... I'm blind

[alt.total-loser]

Originally Posted by Kingofpop

so sew me... I'm blind

I have no needle.

Anyway. >___>

I liked that article. The way it was said. I also liked how it was from someone that ended up not loving her - it's different from what I usually end up reading.

[pop909]

Originally Posted by meerkitty

I have no needle.

Anyway. >___>

I liked that article. The way it was said. I also liked how it was from someone that ended up not loving her - it's different from what I usually end up reading.

LOL

[Sim']

Seems like a personal review of the A BEST 2...

Well, I see no problem in this article =)
He has the right to like it or hate it, it's his opinion
Plus, the Britney Spears is just becoming a classic now...

Thanks for the article, but I feel like he tries to convince his-self to not like the A BEST 2...

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Sim'

Seems like a personal review of the A BEST 2...

Well, I see no problem in this article =)
He has the right to like it or hate it, it's his opinion
Plus, the Britney Spears is just becoming a classic now...

Thanks for the article, but I feel like he tries to convince his-self to not like the A BEST 2...

I find the article completely stupid as it breaks one of the main rules of review writing - only review something that you have sufficient knowledge of. I review computer Adventure games, thus I would never review say, a Racing game because I have little to no knowledge of the genre. The fact that the reviewer did not take lyrics at all into account and also stated that NO J-pop singers have depth to their voice makes me discount this review completely. Also there appears to be no way to contact the author - another sign of how unprofessional this article/publication is.

[Peger]

Where'd you ge this article from?

[Sim']

Originally Posted by Peger

Where'd you ge this article from?

http://www.nst.com.my/Saturday/Features/20070413190032 ?

Angst and emotion not found in Black?

o____o

Did she not listen to Free & Easy, Because of you, About you, GAME, is this LOVE? and NEVER EVER?

LMAO.

Thanks for posting.

[Peger]

Originally Posted by ~ayu-cake~

Angst and emotion not found in Black?

o____o

Did she not listen to Free & Easy, Because of you, About you, GAME, is this LOVE? and NEVER EVER?

LMAO.

Thanks for posting.

It's a bit hard to feel the angst and emotion if you don't understand the lyrics.

[*Petit*]

THere are a few errors in this, but she pointed out some things that I really like about ayu's music too, the carelessness, the speed, the crazy.

BUT , most western fans of jpop discovered it over the net, MANY without ever seeing anything but the music itself, so saying that the whole package is what appeals is a bit short sighted.

Perhaps when she writes that she lacked emotion that she can't hear emotion singing "japanese style"? Also ayu's voice is quite "produced" in many of the songs, sounding a bit polished, but it hardly ever lacks emotion. O.o

[alt.total-loser]

^ I didn't know there was emotion in Because of You and About You. Like... emotion you can hear.

[LEOyumi]

Originally Posted by meerkitty

^ I didn't know there was emotion in Because of You and About You. Like... emotion you can hear.

There's no strong emotion in About You for me but.. Because of You is a veeeery emotional song to me, very powerful

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by meerkitty

^ I didn't know there was emotion in Because of You and About You. Like... emotion you can hear.

Well, there is.

Are you serious?

You can't hear emotion in Because of you?

You can hear the emotion just in the way she sings :S

Do I understand the lyrics with out reading the translations? No.


You don't have to understand the lyrics to hear the emotion :S

I thought her fans would have gathered that already~

[ayumisrael]

I think she went a bit wrong with the dividing put...
BLACK has the darker lyrics and WHITE has the optimistic & up beats songs.
BLACK has some a bit slow numbers but she was wrong saying BLACK is a slow number album since it has songs like Because of You, GAME, About You, NEVER EVER etc. whileit's easy to feel the emotions around the album in every song and even About You.
I think that if she would care about the lyrics more and asked for translations or read tranlations she would know better.

[evolution7931]

I think that article is pretty unprofessional..

[KyahRyorin]

I'm reading this and just chuckling to myself. I find it very good that the writer was honest and said that he/she didn't like it very much. The thing I find hilarious is how the writer seems to categorize A BEST 2 -BLACK- as a slow number CD. CLEARLY, he/she didn't listen to is this LOVE?, Because of You, About you, and GAME. Last time I checked, those were fast paced songs. Sure- some of them start slow, but then they pick up.

And the writer also said that BLACK lacked emotion. Wow. Someone needs their ears tuned.