Search - Ayumi Hamasaki :: My Story

Lucky number 7

Samario C. Oliver | VA | 02/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the 3rd cd from Ayumi Hamasaki that I purchased(I am/Memorial Address) This is her latest CD and she still has it

CD:

1.Catcher in the light:I love the melody to this, and her voice; too bad it was short. 8/10



2.About you:Nice beat, and a pretty catchy hook, but when the hook is done the guitar playing sounds too much of US pop bands 9/10



3.Game:Awsome and very catchy, but it could have used some of that fast paced rock guitar at the end or something like that 3rd single 9/10



4.My name's woman:At first I hated it, but then it bagan to grow on mw like hair. It's a pretty nice song 9/10



5.Wonderland: A interlude N/A



6.Liar:It's an ok song, not particularly one of my favorites tho 7/10



7.Hope or Pain:This song has a sad feel to it, and the song doesn't have a constant beat to it... nice 9/10



8.Happy Ending:This song I really don't listen to a lot, cuz I don't really like it 6/10



9.Moments:Ah the first song I herd off the whole CD back in April. This song is where Ayu is not repetitive, it's just a great going song that reminds me of songs like dearest 1st single 10/10



10.Walking Proud:A pretty decent song, altho it's only beginging to grow on me 8/10



11.Carols:Such a sweet calm song. And her voice shines just like on the rest of this CD. 4th single 10/10



12.Kolidoscope:Another interlude N/A



13.Inspire:A good ol' energy bursting paulse raiser. I love this song, because the beat is great, and Ayu shows a lot of energy and charisma in this song 2nd single 10/10



14.Honey:It sounds like Ayu with a more childish voice, but the tone, beat and er voice makes this song one of my favorites. And very very catchy. 2nd favorite song 10/10



15.Replace:Wonderful beat, Ayu's voice, reminding me of her previous realeses by not having a constant beat, all I wanted on this CD was a song like this. My favorite 10/10



16.Winding Road:Boy this song reminds me of Sherryl Crow, and this song is definitly not one of my favorites 5/10



17.Humming 7/4:Definitly not like Ayu, but I can't help but find myelf in the shower saying "Everybody go, Everybody Jump!" 3rd favorite 10/10



DVD:

1.Moments:The video was almost like I imagened it, with a peaceful setting, but a lonley mood. 10/10



2.Inspire:A dance video? Odd. Ayu with braids on a beach? odd. But it's still a aite video 8/10



3.Game:What's to be expected, a calm opening with dudes jammin on gutars and stuff, and Ayu singing in a wierd room. 10/10



4.Carols:Near Perfect mood, Ayu on a stage with an empty audience, but still letting her singing take over. 10/10



5.About you:I only saw about a minute and a half of the video, and I have to say it's pretty wierd. 7/10



6.Walking proud:I love the setting of this video, a seemingly sad song, with a deppresing, somewhat desserted place 10/10



7.Humming 7/4:I love the song, and I love the video, a somewhat live J-pop/rock performance in a cage in front of an audience. cool 10/10



This is her first full-lenght album since rainbow. It is a great CD, and Ayu showes another good reason to why she is the queen of J-pop. Although I didn't like the cover scans, too much make-up, sadly reminded me of Gwen Stefani, but the Booklet scans are beautiul. Fans of Ayu have to get this CD. J-pop fans should give this CD a shot as well, but if you're just geting into Ayumi Hamasaki, I'd start with I am, it's nearly skip-proof material.



Peace



"

Ayumi Continues To Impress

A. Perez | Texas | 07/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've Always been fascinated with Japanese offerings, manga and anime, and recently became addicted to j-rock, and j-pop. Easily my biggest obsession thus far has to be Ayumi Hamasaki. After hearing her on XMradio I went on a mission to find out more on her. The first Album I bought was "My Story" along with A "CountDown Live 2002-2003" DVD and was literally floored by what I heard. Since then Ive bought more DVDs and most of her CDS and I must say "My Story" is possibly her best work yet.



My Story is well produced and has A wide range of musical styles from rocking tracks like "About You", "Game", "Inspire", and "Humming 24/7" to the softer Ballads like "Carols", with its classical styled music,and "Happy Ending". The popish, almost cutesy sound of "Honey" keeps the album fresh and keeps you listening till the very end. My Story's arrangment also works well. The album opens with anger, and seems like through out the album Ayumi releases it and finds contentment and resolve by the end of the record.



Ayumi's voice is excellent on "MY STORY".I wouldnt say her voice changed as much as I would say It matured. My story diffinatly has her best singing thus far, and the range of her voice is wider and the emotion is stronger.

My Story is highly recommended if you like J-Pop although I prefer to call My Story more of a rock album. Even if you dont speak or understand Japanese, Ayumi has a way of making you feel what shes trying to say through her beautiful and soothing voice. If your looking for a taste of Japanese music, and are getting bored with American pop, Ayumi Hamasaki's MY STORY is a safe first bet.



(IF you like "MY STORY", I also recommend the "I am..." album)"

Not her best, but good.

Sheldon | 05/31/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This isn't her best album, but it's still mighty good.



Catcher In The Light - I really liked it at first, but then I kind of got bored of it after a while. 7/10



About You - People always refer to this as a "rock song". Well, I would say the next track is much rockier than this one. This one's pretty good though. 8/10



GAME - One of her best rock songs, although it all sounds kind of un-original. It's like when you hear it, you think "where have I heard that before?" 10/10



my name's WOMEN - There's not much to say about this song. It's boring when you first hear, but be patient. 9/10



WONDERLAND - I'm not really a fan of her interludes. 5/10



Liar - one of my favourites on the album. It's driven by rock type guitars, but her voice is still all so melodious. 10/10



HOPE or PAIN - this one and the next one are tied as my favourite. It's somewhat sad sounding, and definitely a strong track. 10/10



HAPPY ENDING - another gooder. This one is also kind of sad-ish. Great chorus and pre-chorus. 10/10



Moments - possibly her most famous song. It's nice, but not my favourite. 9/10



walking proud - I always love her ballads, and this one is no exception. I really love it. 10/10



CAROLS - another great ballad. I think tracks 7, 8, 9 and this one all tie as my favourites. 10/10



Kaleidoscope - sure, it's an interlude, but I can't help but love the melody. It so sad sounding, like the kind of music you hear on a movie when someone is about to die in the hospital. 10/10



INSPIRE - Ah, the first ever J-pop song I heard. It's fast paced and has an addicting chorus. 9/10



HONEY - a very catchy song in which she sings in a childish voice. 9/10



Replace - this song really reminds me of her "I am..." days. Actually, it's one of those kind of songs that would have blended in nicely with any one of her albums. 10/10



winding road - it's okay, it still has yet to grow on me. 7/10



Humming 7/4 - at first I really loved this song, but not really so much anymore. But who can resist shouting out of nowhere, "everybody GO! everybody JUMP!" 8/10



Total - 151/170



Which rounds out to 89%. Good job, Ayu. If you're new to Japanese music, I would suggest starting here. If you are an Ayu fan, then I also recomend this album."