Track Listing
-
Smile for…
-
Tsukamaete!
-
Kokoro Pokapoka
-
Kimi ga Warau to Sekai ga Warau
-
Honey
-
Watashi no Taiyou
-
Ukiyou no Fairy
-
SMILE
-
Bokura no Mirai e
-
way to heaven (Regular Edition only)
-
Namida no Niji (Regular Edition only)
1. Smile for…
We begin this album with the single that brought back Aya from her hiatus. Sadly, the song is one of those songs that really make you question you’re really a fan because it’s heavily idol-infused. I mean Aya…seriously? You probably should’ve stuck to something that wasn’t delving into this area of music. Not my favorite A-side from her.
2. Tsukamaete!
Our first new track is kind of like “Smile for…” but take out the hardcore idolness of it and you basically left with an energetic pop song. Problem is that she sounds monotone going through the verses and even the chorus isn’t popping out from the song. It does sound cool like a beach song, with the whole upbeat nature and stuff. Better than the last track.
3. Kokoro Pokapoka
After those two poppy tracks,we get a country track? I mean it does start with a banjo opening…yeah you heard it here A BANJO. It is a bit more of a mid-tempo laced track and include some strings here as well and you basically get this track. If it wasn’t for the banjo, I think the song would’ve been an easier song to take in….oh yeah, the verses do take a very light reggae feel…strange, but alright.
4. Kimi ga Warau to Sekai ga Warau
We finally get into the first ballad of the album and c’mon Aya can do ballads right. Things progress further into the song as it gets strings and some drums to fill in the spaces. It might be a little underwhelming considering the other ballads that filled the era, but this is actually the first song that I don’t think it’s cheesy so that’s a plus.
5. Honey
Oh hey, Honey really sounds like something that was back in the 50’s which is great enough for me. It’s lighthearted and poppy just like songs of the time. It does show more of variation that the album has so far, and the song is like uber catchy though. Clearly one of the best songs off the album.
6. Watashi no Taiyou
We return to cheesy music with Watashi no Taiyou. It does start out nice enough, but the synth here and the other instruments doesn’t exactly scream nice. It’s like a mix of pop and R&B all wrapped up together to make something at least presentable. It sounds a bit bland overall though…
7. Ukiyou no Fairy
Wait…We return to cheesyness at full blast with out next track. I mean it’s sadder that the song sounds like something rejected from H!P. At most, the song comes off alright, but I can’t think but that Aya is going the wrong direction with her music…It’s nothing that good.
8. SMILE
I want to say this is the title track, but SMILE is actually another ballad from her. It’s really a nice track because it’s mainly an acoustic guitar playing the arrangement. It’s rather very simplistic and I kind of like that it is compared to the other tracks. Even when bongo drums are included, the song doesn’t sound complex or a bit turnoff. Another great track here.
9. Bokura no Mirai e
Being the longest track over 6 minutes, Bokura no Mirai e is also a ballad here, albeit sounds like something that should’ve been released in th winter time because simply, it’s wintry sounding. I have to say, I love Aya’s vocals here since she really put herself out there. Though sometimes she does run flat, but once again she pulled a ballad off very nicely.
10. way to heaven
Let’s plug ourselves back into 2007 when she released this single…Two years ago right? Well on the regular edition, you do get the last two A-sides of the era. way to heaven is a just like “Tsukamaete!” in the fact that it’s so upbeat and loud. It does sound like jazz mixed in with disco…kind of strange, but the song has grown on me since the single. It’s one of the better songs off the album.
11. Namida no Niji
The middle A-side released in the era, I would’ve preferred “SAVE ME” over this because well, Namida no Niji is just a messy ballad. I mean the music is alright, but when Aya sings it kind of disrupts the flow of the album. What a disappointing way to finish off the album really.
Tracks Recommended
-
Honey
-
SMILE
-
way to heaven
Song of Avoidance
-
Ukiyou no Fairy
Honestly, I was disappointed on Aya’s return to music. I’ll take to the fact that the album had more of a diverse selection of songs, but most of the songs were the directions I was hoping she wouldn’t go. It was nice she featured the older tracks, but “SAVE ME” and “Owari ni Shou” should’ve been somewhere on the album…Not really that good of an album.