Duty

There's a reason this remains Ayumi Hamasaki's top selling studio album to date. This was when Ayu was really at the top, outselling most other artists in Japan at the time. Featuring the commercially successful songs SURREAL and SEASONS, this album displays some one of the most pivotal times of Ayu's career, a time when she was learning what her identity was in the midst of stardom. In my opinion, this album set in stone her role in the world of J-Pop as "Empress" due to her style, lyrics, and overall aura. Duty is very dark, contemplative, and carries a bittersweet and melancholy feeling in just about every track. I love the 90s sound it has, especially.

To be honest, when first hearing this album...I was surprised. This album seemed incredibly dark compared to her previous works. I never would of thought Ayu would be capable of creating masterpieces like this. I mean, when hearing these lyrics, they seemed to focus on the concepts of hopelessness. Almost as though Ayu was incredibly saddened by the fact that she couldn't express herself openly like she did through her previous works. Personally, out of all her albums, this one is takes the cake. This album made me see that Ayu was just as much of a human being like the rest of us. She proved that to me again and again through her lyrics. Each of tracks contained their own story. Focusing on the themes of loneliness, confusion, chaos, and a sneak peek of the burden of Miss Hamasaki's responsibilities. I loved this album. I loved the theme. I loved the covers and artwork! They touched my heart and gave me a reason to support this remarkable artist. I love nearly all the tracks, but the ones that stood out to me the most were: "Starting Over" "Duty" "Vogue" "Scar" "Seasons" "Surreal" "Teddy Bear" "End of the World" "Audience" and finally "Far Away". I loved the fact that she uses her experiences as a way to connect to her listeners. It's deeply warming that she can share such heartfelt words with us. It makes me more aware of the feelings I've experienced through the years I've been here...and I love her even more for that. Ayumi Hamasaki is an remarkable artist. If you're new to her, I recommend this album. There's a reason this album is her best-selling album to date. (Up to 2.9 million copies sold!)Maybe if you'd gave this album a try, you'd discover the reason why. (◠ ‿ ◠)

Track list:> 1 Starting over/ 2 Duty / 3 Vogue/ 4 End of the world/ 5 Scar/ 6 Faraway/ 7/ Surreal/ 8 Audience/ 9 Seasons/ 10 Teddy Bear/ 11 Key/ 12 Girlish.Well, this is SLIGHTLY disappointing after the powerful last project "LOVEppears". The energy and speed is gone and Ayumi has slowed the pace down considerably, opting for a more rock oriented direction. This is fine and it allows her talent to shine, her strong, high-pitched vocals to reign over the music. The vocals hit correct and there is no denying the infectious tunes -the girl can pen a great song and hit all the notes! However tracks like "Seasons" and the piano-led "Teddy Bear" come across as bland rock ballads -certainly lacking the originality and beauty that surfaced on "LOVE".The set opens with the misleading, futuristic intro, "Starting over" that springs into the big title track, which, with it's slow feel, Enigma-like chanting and broken beats, is a strange delivery. The fabulous "Vogue", opening with the sounds of a cheering crowd, takes the tempo up a touch. It's a gorgeous mid-tempo dance track with a bouncy "La Isla Bonita"-like energy and catchy synthesizer hooks; a definite crowd pleaser! From then on, Ayumi heads straight into the big anthemic rock journeys like "End of the world", "Scar" and "FarAway". Track 7, the delightful "Surreal" breaks up the set and leads into some teasing and rock guitar-powered dance beats. BUT it's the fantastic track 8, "Audience", that is the big dance hit here -a blinding, beat-driven slice of J-Pop that is the closest thing to the anthems that hit on "LOVE" and it's a great reminder that Ayumi is still in a league of her own. The closing track, "Girlish", is a fun feeling, unplugged romp complete with jangling guitars that reminds me of Janet Jackson's "Whoops now", that closed her "Janet" CD.It's hard not to compare "Duty" with the last set, considering that "LOVEppears" was such a huge success that catapulted her into a Mega Star status in the Far East. "Love" stood out because it sounded like nothing else before, wheras "Duty" sounds slightly borrowed, tried and tested. It's good to see Ayumi show some change in direction, be creative and her focus is still bold and confident but this project is not as hugely inspiring as before. Don't get me wrong, I still think she's great and I'm still going to buy everything that the girl puts out! I'm trusting that the forthcoming Remix CD -"A-yu-mi-x 3" (which includes remixes of "Duty" by various UK and US DJs) will spark my further interest. Buy it and make your own mind up. Whatever happens, you won't be TOO disappointed.

CD case is cracked on arrival.

どこの曲から聞いても気分が揚がるアルバムだなと思いました。

懐かしい！！の一言と共に衝動買いです。車の中で聴いてます。忘れかけていたあの頃？を思い出させてくれます。

どの曲も良いですね

"SEASONS""SURREAL"などのシングル曲はもちろん、"teddy bear"のような脇を固める曲まで、しっかり作りこまれている。全体的にメロディに艶があり、しっとり包み込んでくる。流行ものかもしれないが、確かな質の高さを感じる。