So the highly anticipated (well, among her fans, anyway) North American debut album of Japan’s Hikaru Utada is here…. and so’s my review. Like the devoted fan I am, I got it today, on its -er- ninth day of release. :biggrin:
I got my grubby little hands on a copy of UTADA’s Exodus Thursday. That was satisfying. I called several music stores, only to be told that “we don’t have any copies in stock, sorry… you might try phoning our other branches.” Oh well. I double checked the store I’d visited last week, and they had plenty in stock. Unfortunately, they were all at a listening post, which I didn’t see until I was about to ask an employee for help. Heh. I haven’t listened to it all the way through yet. Some of the songs are good, a few make me cringe, and others just aren’t memorable at all.
01 – “Opening”
“I don’t wanna crossover / Between this genre, that genre”
Suits its purpose, I suppose. Practically an instrumental.
02 – “Devil Inside”
“Maybe there’s a devil somewhere really deep inside of me”
Yeah, I downloaded this track beforehand. Shhh. A very good dance/club track. The track sounds a bit overproduced at times, but Utada’s decided to add some traditional Asian instruments (I couldn’t tell you what they are, but it’s distinctly an Asian sound) to the heavy techno-synth she has going on.
03 – “Exodus ’04”
“Through traffic jams in Tokyo / new music on the radio”
I think this song is the one that’s most similar to her Japanese releases. I suppose one could say it’s a gestalt–the sum is greater than the parts. While the lyrics are better than some of the other offerings on this disc, they too fall into the trap of being repetitive; and the backing on its own isn’t extraordinary. However, these elements combine to form a track that’s really easy on the ears.
04 – “The Workout”
“Ain’t it good to be alive tonight”
The song that isn’t about a workout at all >>;; Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that she’s singing just a tad out of her range here… so it’s not really one of my favourites. It’s got an infectious beat, though.
05 – “Easy Breezy”
“You’re Easy Breezy and I’m Japaneesy”
Right, and the lyrics are cheesy. Also, a little tongue-in-cheek reversal here. Instead of random English in Japanese pop songs, now we’re treated to random Japanese in English pop songs! Heh. Pure pop, in a carefree insouciant summer kinda way. Actually, the entire song is tongue-in-cheek. At least that’s the feeling I get after listening to it countless times…
06 – “Tippy Toe”
“Problems kept inside, look neat and organized / what you need in life is some wonder”
This is a song I hate to love. I will say one thing: the girl knows how to write catchy.
07 – “Hotel Lobby”
“This is not what she expected / her hopes, they stretch and they bend”
Is this a song about… prostitution?! Some eclectic pseudo-Carribbean-type beats here, which actually work quite well in the song, although there seems to be this awkward juxtaposition between the melody and the lyrics.
08 – “Animato”
“Somebody out there better get this”
That person isn’t me, then. Actually, I don’t really mind this song at all. It sounds like this is Utada singing about her own album.
09 – “Crossover Interlude”
“Together you and I–we can / Cross all borders, you and I”
An interesting little interlude (a play within a play?) with the same lyrics as the first track.
10 – “Kremlin Dusk”
“I run a secret propaganda / aren’t we all hiding pieces of broken anger”
I like it, with the exception of the “ooOooOooOooooOOOOO” parts (you really need to listen to it to understand what I mean.) It seems to change into a completely different song about halfway through–the beginning gives the impression that the song is a angsty ballad. Well, I guess it is angsty, but it is by no means a ballad–it’s a rock song that retains just enough of the melody to maintain coherence.
11 – “You Make Me Want to Be a Man”
“Arguments that have no meaning / this is just the way I am”
Right, so who among you out there didn’t see the title and do a double take? Okay, so the song actually makes some sense–it’s about the great possibility for miscommunication between the sexes, so… right.
12 – “Wonder ‘Bout”
“How many nights did I wander in the dark / counting secrets of my heart”
Incredibly repetitive. It just loops over and over again, or at least it sounds like it does.
13 – “Let Me Give You My Love”
“I was sort of like soul-searching”
Was she really? Because if she was, I’m not terribly impressed. This, out of all the tracks, sounds the most like a random North American song played on a Top 40 radio station. Again, though, I’m pressed to admit that this song will probably be stuck in my head for a while–it’s probably just the beats and her phrasing.
14 – “About Me”
“Is it okay if I’m not cute and naive”
At first, this song has an acoustic guitar, which is a really nice change from all the electronica in… all of the other songs, but alas, it’s not going to stay this way.
So, overall… I have a feeling this is a bit of an experiment for Utada; with such a large fanbase in Japan, a flop here wouldn’t kill her career. I wish she wouldn’t play on her Asian heritage so much, though. It’s rather like playing the race card. Hrm. Taken as a whole, this album isn’t her best work. I guess I’d give it a B.
