Review: This Is The One, Utada
It’s always exciting to hear music from credible artistes these days, given that many singers out that are really quite mediocre, and it makes you wonder why they can release albums even though you can sing better than them! Anyway, it’s exciting to hear new music from Utada. It’s been about 5 years since her US debut with Exodus, which really didn’t perform as well as expected. So, is this the one the US is waiting for?
Overall, the songs have amazing beats and production (I guess), and it’s probably her most pop-ish release to date. It’s still rather R&B though! The first single, Come Back To Me, is probably as pop as it gets. Really love the lyrics for that song though, maybe because I’m a simple person (haha!).
In addition, it’s interesting to hear how the songs are layered- the beats, various accompaniment etc… has a bit of Mariah’s layering style, probably because of the overlapping production team.
My only disappointments are the lack of new and/or experimental elements, like that of the Exodus album- this album is comparatively quite predictable- and that there are only 10 tracks! Her albums usually has about 12 tracks?
Many artistes have tried to break into the US market but only a few have been successful, e.g. Natasha Bedingfield. Even the magnificent Kylie failed to crack the market! I hope Def Jam will try its best to help promote this album. And given the recent interest in Asian stuff, this may be the one for Utada (hopefully)!
Favourites: Come Back To Me, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence-FYI, Apple and Cinnamon, This One (Crying Like a Child)
3.5 out of 5
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