Deep Dive: Ayumi Hamasaki Part Twenty-Three (A ONE)

    Guys, these are strange times we are living in, I swear. Ayu dropped a new song earlier this month, and I had no idea. It's called "BYE-BYE," and it's actually a step in the right direction for her. Give it a spin, and see what you think! 

    Is it weird that I think of A ONE as "the ballad album?" It has "Warning" on it which is upbeat. But the intro of the album is like a red herring for "Warning" as it sounds like a ballad. This album had one single released from it, the "winter ballad trilogy" "Zutto/Last Minute/Walk." I think as a result of its focus on balance, there's a maturity here that we hadn't seen a super lot of from Hamasaki which is nice to say. It's also consistent. That said, I don't listen to this one that much. Let's do this ONE and Deep Dive!!

    So "A Bell" sets us up for the albums, and then we get thrown this curve ball with "Warning" being an upbeat rock track. Hamasaki sounds good on the song. It's exciting. It's a thrill. It's territory we've covered before, but we don't mind too much because Hamasaki is good at making songs like this even if she makes them a little too often.

    "No Future" is the best song here alongside of "Warning." She sounds great here. Her vocal performance is just that, a compelling performance. Sonically it's the most engaging a Hamasaki song has been in awhile. The strings are nice. The mastering of the album as a whole is spot on.

    There was more hype and promotion for A ONE than for Colours, I think. "Zutto/Last Minute/Walk" was hyped up as a return to winter ballads after it had been awhile since we got one. We also got 4 music videos, and fans even loved and received "Last Minute" so well that Hamasaki made a video for it for the album to raise anticipation. There was also a lot of press about "The GIFT," Hamasaki's collaboration with JJ Lin. She went to Singapore to promote it. Then finally, Hamasaki covered past-rival, Utada Hikaru's, song "Movin' On Without You." Which received positive reviews from critics and fans. It's featured here as a bonus track. And Hamasaki received a lot of press about it at the time, and it is still talked about quite frequently in the J-pop diva circles. 

    I'd argue this is the last album Hamasaki promoted properly. She's always switched up strategies, but Avex seemed to try to get her name out there more with this one. 

    Back to the songs themselves, "Anything for You" brings us back to ballad territory. It's dramatic. It's springy. Hamasaki is compelling. The lyrics are appreciated. It's just missing that last 10% to make it super memorable and a standout in Hamasaki's discography that you'd want to listen to again and again. 

    

    "Last Minute" is definitely a familiar Hamasaki winter ballad. Her vocal performance borders on the melodramatic though. Hamasaki around this time and a bit before it was being criticized for this in her songs, PVs, and live performances. It became something of a meme. The rock that kicks in around the 1:20 mark justifies the song being performed in this way though. It breathes life into it. And I think that drastic change is what you can appreciate the most about this song. It stands out. 

    "Zutto" is a little bit too safe. It's nice though. The acoustic elements of the song are the best part. The "zutto/zutto" hook works. It's memorable and nice to sing along to. 

    "Out of Control" keeps the album's central sound going. It's not as wild and, well, out of control as you'd like it to be, but it fits right in with the album. The backing guitars with their riffs are just gorgeous and catchy. They make the song. The marching band element deserves a shout out as well. The song deserves an explosive, cinematic chorus. And it doesn't quite reach the height it gets set up for. 

    "Story" is yet another ballad on this ballad album. I think the ballads is actually this album's strength. Though if you don't like ballads, you're in trouble here. Whereas Colours was all upbeat and club-ready, A ONE's ballad and meek nature give it an air of maturity that Hamasaki needed at this point in her career. That said, "Story's" chorus is nice. 

    "The Gift" deserves more. This collaboration should have left a more lasting impression. I could not remember the melody or chorus of this song to save my life while writing this review. Hamasaki sounds nice on the song, and the chime-like instruments during the chorus are the only two nice things I can say about it. 

    "The Show Must Go On"'s intro wakes us up from our nice nap. I think it's a little dated for a 2015 release. But the upbeat song is a welcome addition by this point in the tracklist. Hamasaki is a little too screechy here. Though this song proves she can still be squeaky which was a signature part of her early sound. The verses kind of bring us back to the album's ballad motif, but the chorus helps us stay awake. 

    The strings on "Walk" sound nice. It's a nice way to round out that winter ballad trilogy. The piano and soft beats are just gorgeous. It's not as memorable as Hamasaki's previous ballads though. It lacks a proper hook, I think.

    "Movin' On Without You" is still a bop. Hamasaki did the song justice and kept the fun raised to the max just like Utada did back in 1999. Hamasaki sounds amazing here, and whoever produced the vocals deserves an award. The beats are hot too. I still remember when this was announced as part of Utada's 15th anniversary tribute album. Fans of both artists were going nuts. It was a big deal! These two women were gigantic, pop mammoths back in the day (and still are, to be honest!). And they were pit against each other as a sales gimmick which is a shame, but the fact that Hamasaki covered Utada's song revived a nostalgia we haven't been able to tap into since. And it laid some nasty rumors to rest finally. 

    Overall, for a ballad album A ONE is very ballad-y. For better or worse. It's just okay. It's non-offensive even though we could stand a couple of slaps across the face at times. Hamasaki and her team by this point was just not sure what to do with her. It's hard to be a woman with a long career in pop, and it's a tough sea to navigate. Not to mention Hamasaki's unfortunate health problems. I honestly can't tell you what I think Hamasaki should do music wise (as if my opinion matters anyways). Like I can tell you that I think Koda Kumi should either do jazz, an album for the critics like a Koda-Rennaissance, or go back to her early 00's sound which has come back into fashion. Koda has the voice, the talent, the live skills, and the looks for such a comeback. Hamasaki? Not so much. She might consider playing up the nostalgia factor, go back to her I am... sound, or maybe just become a legendary legacy act and do tours like she likes. I think A BEST 3 would be a good start. 

Rank: C One Rank

Recommendation: When you feel at your most ballad.

Standouts:

    Warning

    No Future

    The Show Must Go On