In 2008, Ayumi Hamasaki kicked off the year with the release of her ninth full-length studio album GUILTY. This rock-tinged record served as a de facto sequel to its predecessor Secret and featured the best-selling ballad "Together When…" Despite the success of its singles, GUILTY was the J-Pop superstar's first album not to debut at the top of the charts. Even still, it went on to be certified Double Platinum.
Much like Secret, GUILTY is a carefully curated collection of rock tracks paired with a health sprinkling of upbeat pop songs. It is structured brilliantly, placing the headbangers at the start and transitioning towards the more sugary-sweet tracks at the end.
Consistency and cohesion are just two words that describe GUILTY's sound. The opening trifecta of rock-inflenced songs is powerful, with "talking' 2 myself" standing particularly strong. Its guitar-heavy composition and instrumental breakdown, paired with Hamasaki's hearty vocals, make it one of her best rock efforts to date.
As the album transitions towards its sweeter pop songs, we get the affecting ballad "fated." It is less orchestral than previous love songs performed by Hamasaki, relying on electric guitars and drums rather than piano and strings. This helps it to stand out amongst her rather impressive oeuvre of ballads. Her airy vocals are perfectly laid out against the mellow rock arrangement.
Interestingly, it is immediately followed by the more traditionally composed ballad "Together When…" Its piano-led arrangement builds towards a spectacular rock-laced finish. Though not one of her most memorable love songs, Hamasaki is still to be commended for being able to dish out such polished ballads this far into her career.
GUILTY concludes with a friendlier sound, which is kicked off by the playful pop track "glitter." Bouncy and sweet, it is a quintessential feel-good summer song. However, it is the penultimate song "MY ALL" that takes the cake. With its powerful and meaningful lyrics, as well as its incredibly catchy melody, it serves as the album's most notable standout. It should really be no wonder as to why the song has gone on to become one of Hamasaki's most favoured encore performances.
It's hard not to love GUILTY. It is one of Hamasaki's most cohesive albums and plays flawlessly from start to finish, thanks to its solid structure and unified sound. It helps that the album features only ten full-length songs, with the rest of the tracks being interludes. This prevents dragging and shows a greater attention to detail on Hamasaki's part, as there isn't a single instance of filler. For me, this is personally one of my favourite albums of hers and it comes highly recommended for all types of music fans.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "talkin' 2 myself," "fated," "Together When…," "glitter," "MY ALL"
RATING: A
No comments:
Post a Comment