HOURGLASS [Limited Release]

The first time I listened to this album, I found it quite sappy - perhaps it's because I've grown older or whatever, but now that I revisit the album I find it a compilation of love songs, all very well-written and performed by Fayray. There's the sweet love ballads, represented by "first time", "negai" and "look into my eyes", there's the plaintive longing of "living without you", and there're the bittersweet post-love songs of "saisho de saigo no koi", "kuchizuke" and "namae". And in the midst, Fayray manages to throw into the mix the percussive rock of "feel", the brassy "aishitemo aishitarinai" with its slight jazz lilt, and the stoic "michi", with her clear, beautiful voice tying all the songs together. She also very ably demonstrates her skills as a pianist on a cover of Sibelius's "nomi no ki -ki no kumikyoku-", proving that she's got both beauty and brawn. Highly recommended for people who want quality J-pop.