Which is not saying much really, considering I've only started my Jpop fanaticism this year.

Aragaki Yui is familiar to many, what with her roles in numerous hits dramas such as My Boss My Hero and such. I've never really paid much attention to her though, until I saw her recently on a Music Station interview, where she was all shy and sweet.

Why are all Yui's so shy? Or the ones I know at least. YUI is well, shy, and now Aragaki Yui is well shy.

I'll name my daughter Yui and try to break this creepy chain of shy Yuis.

Back to the topic at hand. This album is honestly one of the best albums I've heard this year. I put off buying this album due to that horrible looking album art and the silly fact that the limited edition is the one that doesn't come with a DVD. But as soon as it is back in stock at HMV, I'll definitely buy it.

The whole album is generally very VERY mellow, which is not surprising really, considering how soft and delicate her voice is.

So here is my album review, done using my method of course.

[The Good]



heavenly days is a nice start to the album, with a soft melody that frames her voice well. She sounds like a little girl in this one, which is really fitting to her image of course. The melody gradually picks up ever so slightly, such that it doesn't overpower her voice. This is easily the best song in this album.



メモリーズ and ペアリング are pretty similar to heavenly days, but is definitely more upbeat in comparison, with ペアリング being the "noisier" one. The result is a refreshing light sound that relaxes you. If it were a drink, it would definitely be iced green tea with a hint of peppermint - sweet and innocent with a very slight cool attitude to it.



愛を知りたくて is another song that is worth mentioning. Light, soft and cheerful, this is a song you won't want to miss either. It is pretty easily forgotten on first listen though.

[The Soso]




The album generally follows the same formula as heavenly days, a soft melody that picks up towards the end. These are the songs that are nice, but would be mixed up pretty easily if you don't take a close listen to them. That is to say, they are pretty forgettable. The list of songs include オレンジ, 陽のかげる丘, ひかり and そら.

None of them are bad, in fact all of them are pretty good. It's just that they don't strike me as songs that would make me go WOW. Like I said, these songs are the ones that are forgettable. The kind of music you'd hear in a cafe and think to yourself "Hmm, that's a nice song", yet won't bother looking it up when you're back home.

[The BAD]



There's only one song that didn't sit well with me on this album, and it really isn't the song's fault, nor is it her fault. It's just bad when the two of them are combined together. That song is スターライト.

What is bad about this song is the overpowering melody squeezing Aragaki out of the limelight. It is pretty irritating after a while, with the lack of balance in the song. This song would suit someone like YUI (the one with the guitar) better. It needs someone with much more attitude to perform it, and sad to say, Aragaki just doesn't have it. This song was just a total flop. The cotton-candy voice of hers is really nice, but simply melts into nothingness in this overly glaring song.

Overall, this is the kind of album you would want to get for late night listening, or for chilling out. Light melodies and sweet voices await you in this really awesome album.

Labels: Aragaki Yui