Review by Truten

While Ayumi Hamasaki's debut album "A Song for XX" was very successful, it was the follow up "LOVEppears" that shot her into ultimate super stardom. Gone is the laid back, relaxing atmosphere of "A Song for XX" and in comes the up beat, dance/pop music genre with lyrics that dwell deeper into emotions. I was very impressed with "LOVEppears", since I don't listen to some of its singles as much as others but songs such as "Fly high", "Trauma", "And Then", "End roll", "LOVE ~refrain~" and "Who..." really makes you appreciate Ayumi's vocal style during the "LOVEppears" era and also can be some of the most played songs in her catalogue. The bonus CD containing two megamixes and remixes is a treat to. I prefer the Euro megamix to the House remix but the acoustic version of "POWDER SNOW" is one of the main reasons to buy the whole album. Being my favourite song from "A Song for XX" it really is fantastic to listen to it acoustically and you can properly feel the emotions through Ayumi's voice. In other words, this is a fantastic album for any J-Pop fan and a must have for an Ayumi fan.

I own Guilty, (miss)understood and A Complete but so far, Secret has to be my favourite Ayu album. Her rock side has to be her most talented part of her music making because it really does stick in your head for a long time and you can never get bored of it. As always, Ayu brings out some powerful and emotional lyrics in her songs, whether it be sadness, empowerment or inspiration. The artwork far surpasses Guilty and (miss)understood as well, particularly (miss) mainly because of the low quality and blurriness of the photos. Ayu looks fantastic in the album artwork in the long and elegant black dress. My favourite songs are until that Day..., 1 LOVE, JEWEL, BLUE BIRD, Born To Be... and Beautiful Fighters.

The title of this single suits the new direction that Ami has taken. Though she is still in the Dance music genre, this music is a lot more Electronic and experimental than her past work. And its a good direction! I love Reincarnation, the lyrics and how Ami portrays her voice. The music video is also very simple but yet enjoyable with Ami seemingly playing the different moods of her characters and how they are different but the same person. The B-Side "Dub-I-Dub" is a catchy, cute little song which I believe is a cover. Great single and artwork, and considering the musical style, I'm pretty curious to how her forthcoming singles and album will sound.

Already being a huge fan of Hikaru Utada and her material I thought that Deep River would be another fantastic album, but oh my, the result was something I never expected. This is possibly the greatest album I have ever listened to. Every single song flows through you and you can truly enjoy each beat, lyric, melody and note of Utada's voice. Deep River while still a pop album, it is experimental. You can tell by the opening track SAKURA Drops and its "other worldly" sound, and down to Letters oriental inspiration. All of the songs still have their unique sound but they can reach out to any kind of music fan. My personal favourites are traveling TOKYO NIGHTS, FINAL DISTANCE, A Seemingly False I Love You and Hikari. Pure brilliance, any music fan should add this album to their collection, they will not regret it at all.

Being interested from the beautiful and unique CD cover and reading about Suzuki's career I decided to purchase this album to see what she was like. And man, I can't believe I haven't been a fan of her before. What a fantastic album and a great way for new fans like myself to be introduced to Ami by a new album celebrating her 10th anniversary. The songs are all upbeat and catchy, I also love how it is like Madonna's "Confessions" album where a lot of the songs don't end but rather continue on to the next one to make it seem like a club. My favourite songs are "SUPER MUSIC MAKER", "can't stop the DISCO", "change my life", "flower" and the best song on the album "TEN". "TEN" is a delightful song with a really simple message that tells the story of Ami's career and all the troubles she went through but she still had hope to continue on the music industry. I can't wait till "Reincarnation" and I would absolutely recommend "Supreme Show" to anyone.

What a fantastic album, Namie at her best. This is Namie's first album that she completely transformed herself into a R&B/Hip-Hop artist and she had definitely surpassed the standards. From the start of the album you're just sucked into it. The opening track "Queen of Hip-Pop" just has to be the best Namie song ever, I love it to pieces just puts you in the mood for the whole album straight away. Then you've got the delicious "WANT ME, WANT ME", followed by the hippy "WoWa" and the album just flows through. Though "ALL FOR YOU" feels a bit out of place being the only ballad on the album its still a beautiful song. I would advise any J-Pop fan to buy this album, in fact any music fan in the world!

Being relatively new to Kuu, I bought this as I loved Ayumi Hamasaki's "Days/Green" and thought another winter love single would be a great audition. "stay with me" is a really sweet song that suits Kuu's deep and soulful voice, its good to see that she can hit those high notes and still keep the emotion in her voice. The B-Side "Winter Bell" didn't really hold up to "stay with me", while it is still a good song the up beat style doesn't really meld well with the winter and Christmas style sound. The "Orgel version" of the single is really beautiful, I love the music box melody and its very cute. Great ballad for Kuu! Glad she got to Number 1 in the weekly charts, can't wait for "Trick"!

I got this as a Christmas present and I've got to say its my favourite gift that I got. Ayumi's calender is just simply beautiful, each picture is fantastic and presents Ayumi in a different light with really lovely outfits. Its a fantastic way to start your year, I definitely recommend buying this.

I pre-ordered Ayu's new single, extremely happy that I got the First Press edition. It finally arrived today and I was in total awe, it is simply beautiful! The vertical box, the CD covers, the material used and the B2 sized poster is just amazing. I implore you, buy this before the First Press edition sells out. Anyway, to the songs. Ayumi never fails to impress, GREEN/Days are a wonderful double A-Side. GREEN is a dance-able up beat track that will just stick in your head, it reminds me a lot of "glitter" from her previous album "Guilty". Days is simply a beautiful song, from the moment it starts you known you're in for a treat and it just leaves a sad yet soft tune in your head. The PVs for both the videos are fun to, especially Days as the concept is really innocent and Ayumi just looks adorable in her little outfit. I bought the "GREEN/Day" version rather than the "Day/GREEN" simply because I prefer the front covers of the GREEN version better, plus I enjoy "TO BE" more than "LOVE ~Destiny~" but both are definitely a must for any Ayu fan. She's at number 1 in the Daily Charts, lets hope she goes to number 1 with the weekly charts!

Despite loving J-Pop, I have really only known of Japanese music through video games and anime. That is until recently I branched out into it properly with their albums and singles with artists such as Hikaru Utada and Namie Amuro. I had of course heard of Ayumi Hamasaki and the impact that she has rusted into Japan but I had never really heard her music. Having recently downloaded the "Guilty" album off iTunes (they need to release more of her work on the UK edition) I was very interested to listen to her past work. Luckily, this compilation of her career had just been released so I deceided to purchase it. Man, I am a HUGE Ayu fan now. What a career she has had, and its not just because of the sales but what fantastic songs she had written and produced. I love how as the CDs progress you can hear Ayumi herself progress with her vocal ability and music style. My favourite CD has to be CD 3 which has her most recently releases because of how diversify the songs are. While they all fit into the "J-Pop" category they each take out different styles such as Rock, Gospel and soft R'n'B. While every track is a good listen my favourites are: "poker face", "LOVE ~Destiny~", "Boys & Girls", "vogue", "M", "NEVER EVER", "CAROLS", "Bold & Delicious", "glitter" and "Mirrorcle World" which the latter is probably the best song on the whole album. Ayu, you have certainly obtained another fan worldwide here, well done and congratulations on your fantastic career.

This is a fantastic album, featuring all of Hikki's hits up to the year 2003. I am a huge Hikaru Utada fan and this does not disappoint at all, especially if you are new to her. Each track is wonderfully penned with Hikki's own unique sound that is like a cross between Pop and R'n'B. I can listen to it over and over again because not one track is bad or dull at all, with my personal favourites being "Addicted to You", "Wait & See ~risk~", "Traveling", "Hikari" and "Sakura Drops". So I implore you, buy this now! Not only if you are a fan of Hikaru Utada, but to any J-Pop fan or in fact any music lover.