[Koda Kumi] The 176th Thread - 15th Anniversary

[pimenta]

50k is possible! *-*

I love TRICK. At first I though is was weak, but now I realise I actually love everything about it

[Luck16]

It seems it may actually hit 50k!
That's great, I had given up lol

[kaled kalil]

What made TRICK so weak during the release was the fact that Kumi herself was leaking the whole albums weeks before the release. I remember that only three songs were left to the actual HQ leak, and those were the weak songs.

TRICK was a weird era, overall. The tracklist almost everyone thought it was fake, "there is no way she has a song called Driving / This is not a love song / Hurry Up! HAHA I call it fake.", but the album actually has some songs that are really strong - Introduction, Driving, show girl, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, TABOO, and the presentation is flawfree (awesome booklet, covers, pamphlet).

The only album that I can't enjoy as much as the rest is grow into one. It has some cool songs, but the album simply just doesn't go nowhere for me, it keeps going on and on, and nothing spectacular happens. Some tracks stand out, but those aren't that great neither: Teaser, real Emotion, one, BOYFRIEND?, m.a.z.e, Pearl Moon, To be one and love across the ocean. I learned to enjoy the album because of those songs, but I'm always skipping the others.

--

I think the new best will be around 45k.

[Corvina]

Yeah, back in the day she still had her radio show.
I remember Kuu said about the year 2009 and the TRICK album in an interview, that she had to deal with a lot of insecurities, fears and anger and that she didn't know at that time, where her career should head - cause of the "scandal" the year before. She also said, when she's looking back now, it's pretty obvious in TRICK, the album. Whatever she specifically meant with that, she didn't say that.

Personally I love half of the album and pretty much don't care at all for the rest, lol.
Though I love the theme and the clown cover/pics! So creative!
I'd actually love to get an album theme and photoshoot creative like that again as the last ones are so plain compared.

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by kaled kalil

The only album that I can't enjoy as much as the rest is grow into one. It has some cool songs, but the album simply just doesn't go nowhere for me, it keeps going on and on, and nothing spectacular happens. Some tracks stand out, but those aren't that great neither: Teaser, real Emotion, one, BOYFRIEND?, m.a.z.e, Pearl Moon, To be one and love across the ocean. I learned to enjoy the album because of those songs, but I'm always skipping the others.

Really? I love grow into one I think it's flawfree.

Btw it has Nasty girl that has some kinda sexy lyrics which I only noticed today when I went to work.

grow into one is one of the world's best albums imo. It's really cohesive, it has two of kuu's best ballads (Pearl Moon, 1000nokotoba), it has real Emotion (the song that got me into kuu/jpop), cool songs like one, To be one and Teaser, and cool r&b jams like love across the ocean, Nasty girl, BOYFRIEND?, ranahansha, one!!
Your only one which is a pretty r&b ballad and my long time most favorite kuu song, m.a.z.e (which desparately needs more lives!!!!) I just LOVE grow into one.

[NintendoHTF1242]

For me, feel my mind is a hard album for me to get into. Not really sure why, because the songs are good. But I feel that the album moves really slow? Lol. I'm not a big fan of all her albums pre-Black Cherry though. As for TRICK, I was a major Kuu stan when I first bought that album a couple years back and I really loved it. I remember how CRAZY the J-Pop community went when she released TBAOO.

[DevilsClap]

I'm not a big fan of her first albums...
Grow into one is the best of them though if I had to choose.
But I enjoy her latest ones the most.
Secret and TRICK are my favorite ones.

[BlackSilence]

somehow i'm not digging the new tracks. I'm getting deja-vu with them lol

[Ashen Twilight]

Originally Posted by ayumisrael

Really? I love grow into one I think it's flawfree.

Btw it has Nasty girl that has some kinda sexy lyrics which I only noticed today when I went to work.

grow into one is one of the world's best albums imo. It's really cohesive, it has two of kuu's best ballads (Pearl Moon, 1000nokotoba), it has real Emotion (the song that got me into kuu/jpop), cool songs like one, To be one and Teaser, and cool r&b jams like love across the ocean, Nasty girl, BOYFRIEND?, ranahansha, one!!
Your only one which is a pretty r&b ballad and my long time most favorite kuu song, m.a.z.e (which desparately needs more lives!!!!) I just LOVE grow into one.

Totally agree I love grow into one!!

[oaristos]

I find TRICK one of her weakest albums, but Driving is absolutely amazing and I still listen to it pretty often.

[Delicious n Bold]

I agree about grow into one
Love across the ocean is legendary. Oh just a fart.

[mi|kshake]

For me, feel my mind is a hard album for me to get into. Not really sure why, because the songs are good. But I feel that the album moves really slow?

I'm with ya! I do like a fair few songs from the album but I find it tends to drag a bit after the first few tunes.

[happiholic★]

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

For me, feel my mind is a hard album for me to get into. Not really sure why, because the songs are good. But I feel that the album moves really slow? Lol. I'm not a big fan of all her albums pre-Black Cherry though. As for TRICK, I was a major Kuu stan when I first bought that album a couple years back and I really loved it. I remember how CRAZY the J-Pop community went when she released TBAOO.

When Taboo came out it was epic for me, lol. But, since I stopped listening to Trick in general I don't often listen to it.

I agree the Feel My Mind is a slow album, but I think because its mostly mid tempo and ballads that are rather long. Even the upbeat songs aren't her fastest. But, I love the album so much, it just feels like I'm savoring it. Its easily my favorite album from her.

[Gustavopc]

Originally Posted by happiholic★

When Taboo came out it was epic for me, lol. But, since I stopped listening to Trick in general I don't often listen to it.

I agree the Feel My Mind is a slow album, but I think because its mostly mid tempo and ballads that are rather long. Even the upbeat songs aren't her fastest. But, I love the album so much, it just feels like I'm savoring it. Its easily my favorite album from her.

#TeamFeelMyMindForever

I'm not a big fan of TRICK either. Another Kuu album I can't really get into is secret. It has some epic tunes, but the album as whole just doesn't work for me.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Black Cherry is, for me, the equivalent of I am... to Ayu.

It was her peak, her at her highest point in terms of exposure and influence. So for me, Black Cherry will always be the album I have most Kuu memories with.

I think it was also when her sound was the most interesting. Best production, best promotion, etc etc.

[ayumisrael]

^Just less flow on the album itself lol. ningyo hime and yume no uta together
But it has some of kuu's best songs and it was really exciting around the time of its release.

I agree with the overall consensus about feel my mind. I used to hate that album because of its slowness, most up beat songs were slower, it had a lot of mid tempo/ballads in it but it can fit a certain mood. I love most songs on there too. feel my mind does have jams like Break it down, Rock Your Body, Rain and Gentle Words, which are a few of kuu's best songs.

[Gustavopc]

I never compared Black Cherry to I am..., but your post makes so much sense. Plus, they were the first albums of both to feature songs composed by them (too bad Kuu has never got further on this as ayu did)

[kaled kalil]

I'm also #TeamFeelMyMind! haha
My problem with the first two albums is that they have a strong 80s/90s feeling. They are really "pop old school". In affection it works, because the album feels like it's 20 years old (which almost is haha) but with grow into one... The album feels like there is no identity.
I don't feel that with feel my mind, it's the first album that I feel it's a "Koda Kumi album". Great production, some songs sounds really timeless (Crazy 4 U, Gentle Words, magic, COME WITH ME), others still try to bring some old school feel (Without Your Love, Get Out The Way), the album has some great ballads (Rain, Hana and magic) and even the cute songs has a maturity (Sweet Love... and Talk to You). So yeah, five stars for me.

It's funny because now I'm trying to think of the albuns and which one I like less, but everytime I go to the tracklist and start to listen, it gets to a good song and I'm like "well, I like that enough, so yeah, it's not a bad album". haha

I'm doing this with Black Cherry, because I don't listen to the album very often, but then I started to remember the songs and stuff, I love all the singles; Get Up & Move!! it's not her best song but it's okay; Tsuki to Tayou is so cute, so I like it; Puppy is definitely my favorite album track of this album; Candle Light is a good ballad; Milk Tea is soooo cute, like it a lot; and GO WAY!! is good for the summer... I think my problem with this album is the fact that WON'T BE LONG has two version, which I care for none of them.

[Gustavopc]

Candle Light is one of her best ballads ever imo, too bad it doesn't get any attention. There was a time I could relate so bad to the lyrics and I realized how beautiful the song is, and since then I love it

[Zahara]

TRICK was really dark for me, so I can see what she means. It's weird because some of my favorite songs are on there.

My favorite albums are Kingdom and Japonesque.