Artist: Utada Hikaru
Album: First Love
Musicians: Utada Hikaru (Vocals)
Composer/Lyricist: Utada Hikaru (Lyrics)
Release Date: 10 Mar 1999

First Love - Utada Hikaru Tracklisting: 01. Automatic 02. Movin’ on without you 03. In My Room– 04. First Love – 05. Amai Wana ~Paint It, Black~ 06. time will tell– 07. Never Let Go 08. B&C -Album Version– 09. Another Chance 10. Interlude 11. Give Me A Reason – 12. Automatic -Johnny Vicious Remix- *Bold Titles -–recommended listening

OVERVIEW

Utada Hikaru is J-pop’s guiding light. An international superstar, and one of the country’s wealthiest people at only 24 years of age, she has shattered countless records since her debut. This is the album that started it all: First Love. Released in 1999, when she was only 16, this album has sold more than 10 million copies, making it the highest selling Japanese album in history. The astronomical sales record is justified: every single song on this album is beautifully crafted, with her deep, clear voice shining through. From the J-pop classic “Automatic” to the beautiful ballad “First Love”, the contents of this album can not be described as anything less than epic.

THE GOOD

Automatic
Virtually every single person Japan has heard this song. As Utada’s first single, it sold more than two million copies, and continues to be popular even today, eight years after its release. The fame is deserved: this song is contagiously and additively catchy. From the opening beats to the trademark chorus of “it’s automatic!”, every part of this song is as good as it is memorable. The beat is solid, the vocals are strong, and the melody is easy to remember and sing along with. Right from the start, you’re swept by the cheerful tone of the song and, like her, “can’t help but feel alive”. The entire song almost begs for you to sing along with it, and you’ll be tapping your feet and bopping your head. By the time the chorus rolls around, you can’t help but sing with her automatically, “It’s Au-to-matic!” A perfect song to cheer you up on a bad day, put on in the mornings to wake you up, or simply enjoy, “Automatic” is truly a modern Japanese classic.

Movin’ on without you
This song comes right after “Automatic”, which is just perfect, because it feeds off the energy from the the first track. Like the one before it, “Movin’ on without you” is a fast-paced and catchy pop tune. Her songs have a tendency to catch your attention starting from the first note, and this song is no exception. The verses of this song are fast, low, and quiet. Ever slowly, her voice builds up and the chorus comes off as energetic, clear and loud. Like the chorus in “Automatic”, this chorus also has the same qualities: catchy and simple. In it, she demonstrates her impressive vocal range, spanning well over two octaves. Overall, the song has a quite ‘genki’ feel to it, and like “Automatic”, is sure to put a smile on any listener’s face.

First Love
A refreshing change from the first three tracks, “First Love” is a slow, almost R&B-styled ballad. It’s beautiful, almost intensely so, yet extremely soothing. Her deep voice comes in, softly, and sings a song of beautiful, pure love. The melody is clear and beautiful, her voice complements the simple guitar and piano instrumentation, and the chorus, true to her style, is simple and beautiful. It is fortunate and absolutely marvelous that her English is immaculate; no cases of “Engrish” plague this song. This is especially critical because most of the important lines in this song are sung in English. This song is definitely not written in a J-pop style, and has American influences. This is fitting for an artist who comes from New York, and one of the reasons why this ballad is so popular on both sides of the Pacific. A beautiful ballad, this song excels in all departments, and is definitely the best song on the album.

Another Chance
This song is halfway between upbeat pop and soothing ballad. The song starts with the sound of a coin being inserted into a machine, and then segments into a catchy intro. The song is completely syncopated, and so it has a jazzy/swing feel to it. Her vocals in this song are considerably softer than those in “Automatic” or “Movin’ on without you”, but not as soft as “First Love”. The only problem with this song is that she experiments with dissonance a bit, which may lead to some unpleasantness, especially in the middle portions of the piece. Overall, while not as good as the other three pieces listed here, “Another Chance” is also a pleasing song to listen to, and definitely worth a listen.

The Rating: 10

Reviewed by: Akira