Ayumi Hamasaki - Best (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

Konichiwa! ^.^

Steven Piek | Calgary, Alberta Canada | 01/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well well well, I don't pretend to understand a word of what she's saying and all, but I must say I love Ayumi's voice. And the music that goes along with it, is a perfect match. As far as j-pop goes Ayumi fits the shoe perfectly. I also recommend the Ayu-mix series. The more dance/club selections are very well remixed by some well known remixers (Hex Hector, Ferry Corsten, Club 69 and Thunderpuss). I liked how most of the tracks here are updated with better sounding recorded instruments and more impressive baselines. As far as the Ayu-mix series is concerned get Vol 2 (the one with her looking like a cat) it is the best one."

A good place to start

R. Brown | Kyoto | 04/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ayumi Hamaskai (or just "Ayu") is the reigning pop diva in Japan. If she tries on a pair of sunglasses or boots or false eyelashes, the entire Japanese archipelago will be awash in teenage girls sporting the identical look. She dominates JPop in a way Madonna could not have dreamed of attempting in the US. In the December 31, 2004, edition of Kohaku, NHK television's massive annual New Year's Eve singalong program watched by millions, she was the climax, the grand finale clad in a cyber kimono (which she lost soon enough).

Although she tends to squeak on high notes, her voice has mellowed a bit as she has matured. All the songs on this CD are in Japanese (the Japanese lyrics are included in the insert).There are ballads and techno/pop, so you A Best gives the listener a good sense of what she is capable of. A good comparison would be to the more recent Cyber Trance Presents: Ayu Trance."

Late 1990s J-Pop at its Best

Jerry Sanchez | New York | 01/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would not know a thing about Ayu had it not been for my two years spent in the Kansai region of Japan seven years ago. Many of the songs compiled on this album come from her previously popular albums of the late 1990s. I heard her songs almost everywhere, from when I entered a Lawson's or 7-11 (or any number of convenient store chains in Japan) to McDonalds to small sidewalk electronic stores. I'll admit that I don't think that Ayu is the most talented Japanese female pop artist in Japan (I enjoy Bird much better), but this album captures the J-pop of a few years ago. It brought back all of the good memories I had walking around Japan for two years and made me smile. As such, it is worth five stars to me personally."

Very nicely done

Jerry Sanchez | 11/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say, I am a big fan of Ayu. HEr songs are always have lyrics that are deep and poignant. She is a very talented songwriter.

I must say this is another well done CD. All the songs tunes are very catchy

But if you are new to Ayu's songs, than I must tell you that she has a very high-pitched voice taht can sound very pleasant to some people, but to others, very annoying.

And if your already a fan of Ayu. then you probably know what to expect.

Ayu writes songs about hope, loneliness and self-doubt instead of love and heartbreak like those other artists.

P.s.If you wanna know the story of how Ayumi and Hikaru competing and stuff, keep on reading:

"A BEST"'s release date was changed to put her in direct competition with Utada Hikaru's second album Distance. Though Distance topped the charts first week, A Best topped the following week, and although both albums sold over 4,000,000 copies, this change staggered the sales of both albums. "Distance" and "A BEST" were the 1st and 2nd best selling albums of 2000 respectively.

However, it was made clear in interviews that it was not her wish to release the best album, as she felt that a best album seems to indicate the end of a career. Matters were made worse with all the public attention on the "competition" between the two.

On 2001-03-28, Utada Hikaru and Ayumi came in direct competition. Utada's album Distance and Hamasaki's album A BEST were released on the same day. Distance topped the charts for the first week while A BEST was #2. The following week A BEST hit #1 and Distance dropped to #3. At the end of the year, Distance and A BEST were the top 2 highest selling albums of the year.

In a very personal interview, that was broadcast by the Japanese NTV on 2004-04-12 (Ayumi - Special Interview 2004-04-12 NTV), Ayumi explained that this rivalry made her feel terrible but that it was pushed by the record companies. In protest Ayumi, who has a very large degree of creative freedom, is depicted with a tear on her cheek on the cover of her A BEST album. It is speculated that this protest is also the reason why she insisted on re-recording some of her old tracks that feature on this album.

On one of Ayumi's most recent TV-appearance on Music Station in December 2005, both Hamasaki and Utada appeared together and got along very well. Utada even commented that she sang some of Hamasaki's songs when she went to karaoke.

The Hamasaki-Utada rivalry has been regarded as one of the biggest rivalries in the Japanese music industry."

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