Deep Dive: Ayumi Hamasaki Part Twenty (A SUMMER BEST)

    Like these A SUMMER BEST album covers, we might be entering a bit of uncanny territory here. or maybe not. I debated on not covering this compilation because it only has two new songs with one of them being a cover and the other featuring on the follow-up album, but then I was like why not? I hate the covers of this album though. I'm not going to say anything else on that though.

    Anyways, it's spring but let's talk about summer in this deep dive!

    There is lots of summer goodness here! And we've talked about almost every track! We start off the 2 disc affair with "BLUE BIRD" which I think is a great choice. It's anthemic nature and breezy chorus lift up the spirits so well. This first disc is full of songs of this style. Upbeat. Bright. Summer days. The second disc are full of songs that are mellow, a little dark, and like a summer night. Just look at the first song on that second disc. "HANABI." Enough said. 

    

    At the time of release, a lot of fans and listeners accused Hamasaki of trying to reach #1 on the albums chart to keep her record going after Party Queen missed the top spot. This effort also reached #2. And Hamasaki would later release two singl- *ahem* mini-albums at the end of the year to try to reach number one. Those also faltered. But we got a lot of material out of trying to keep the record going, so I guess one can't complain too much.

    Our two new songs here are pretty good. "Happening Here" is a cover of the TRF song of the same name. I love the original "Happening Here" so much. I usually don't listen to Hamasaki's version that much. They're pretty different though. Hamasaki entirely made it her own, and she used this song as part of her tour at the time. And it's great for that. Timothy Wellard's rap... Is a choice. Not the first part of it, but the second part where he tries to sound like the guy from The B-52's. 

    The second song is a new original song, "You & Me." It's standard summer fare from Hamasaki. The hook is nice. It's not her best summer song. The production is not up to par with what we're used to from her. The English is hit or miss. It gets the job done though. The older material is what carries the compilation through.

    Overall, I usually give A SUMMER BEST a few spins during the summer. There's not enough here that you wouldn't listen to A BEST, A BEST 2 -Black & White-, or A COMPLETE ~All Singles~ instead though. That way you get all of your favorite songs. Though this is a summer exclusive, so I guess you're not in the mood for winter ballads in June. 

Rank: A Summer Rank

Recommendation: for A Summer

Standouts:

    The goldies.