ARIA [SHINING] (First Album)

BRAND NEW ARIA!!!
NEVER STOP THE FLOW
FREE YOUR MIND (Album Version)
You Don’t Know
雨に．．． (Ame ni…)
SHINING
Special Special
Desire
LAST BITE -最後にさらって- (Saigo ni Saratte)
High, Get high!
ESCAPE3AM
My Life For Life
永遠のバラード (Eien no BARAADO)

The album starts off with the up-tempo BRAND NEW ARIA!!!. I don’t think I really liked this song when I first listened to this album, but its definitely a good opening track. The arrangement is your typical rnb snap and clap beat, but it manages to play in a refreshing way that certainly keeps you engaged and interested in the song. ARIA’s vocals are strong and pretty into the song, the chorus was definitely a catchy high light and I loved how it seemed to have a bit of attitude. This is a really good and upbeat opening to the album.

The next track on the album is the about mid-tempo NEVER STOP THE FLOW. Oh, I actually liked this song when I first listened to it. I don’t know but despite how energetic this song seems, it still manages to play rather blandly. The arrangement is strange, but I guess it goes with the song. ARIA’s vocals were fine, but too deep and seemingly uninterested. This song is decent, but I find it a bit underwhelming.

The next track on the album is the somewhat up-tempo FREE YOUR MIND (Album Version). This song really reminds me of Beautiful Life from her ARIA album, in terms of it being confused on where it wants to go. The arrangement was a bit weird, as it seemed to be some sort of stop and go beat and I just wasn’t feeling it, because it sounded so very uninspired and bland. ARIA’s vocals are strong, but its like she’s trying to do too much and it just becomes exasperating after a while.

The next track on the album is the utterly forgettable You Don’t Know. I’m trying to figure out why this played like an insert song. The arrangement is just there, its uninteresting and unmemorable since I can’t really remember it and it sounds like another version of the previous songs arrangement. ARIA’s vocals were decent, but this whole sexy girl with attitude thing she had going on made this song awkward and confusing. It also plays like bad filler.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo 雨に．．． (Ame ni…). I love ARIA’s slow songs, I just really love them. This song gave me that ‘RAIN’ vibe from her fourth album. I love when she starts the song off with: ‘rain drops down on me, feeling so-so good’ I was like, ‘yes, i know I’m going to like this song’ the arrangement is so fitting (I think its the piano, it just sounds so smooth) I want to cry. I really wish she would have released this as a single, just so I could listen to it. ARIA’s vocals are gorgeous and she sung this with a lot of emotion. I love how ARIA’s songs like this always seem to speak to me, I never get tired of hearing her talking about love.

The next track on the album is the smooth SHINING. I actually expected this song to be up-tempo, I’m kind of glad it wasn’t. The arrangement is way mellow and I felt so relaxed and calm while listening to it. ARIA’s vocals are deep and a bit assertive, especially during the chorus. I got an old-school and new-school rnb vibe merged from this song and it just plays so nice. Its a bit long and though I didn’t care, I hated the fact that I noticed it was too long. I like this song though and goodness ARIA’s vocal performance was gold.

The next track on the album is the laid-back Special Special. I really do love how easy this song feels. The arrangement is rather nice, simple and so good on the ears. The harmonica was such a nice touch, I really thought it was a wonderful addition. The sound of the harmonica always reminds me of ’st’ ARIA’s vocals went along perfectly with the whole flow of the song. She went at a nice pace and didn’t try to do too much and that in itself kept me engaged. The harmonica solo’s are still the best part, but this was a good song overall.

The next track on the album is the mid-tempo Desire. This song seemed a lot sexier the first time around. This is another one of those songs that’s pretty hit or miss, especially with such a typical beat. Its a very strange beat and I’m trying to figure out why I thought they were clinking bottles around? It fits the song though. ARIA’s vocals are pretty strong though and it has an engaging chorus. This is one of the weaker tracks on the album, but I can still bump to it.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo LAST BITE -最後にさらって- (Saigo ni Saratte). This track goes nowhere and I mean absolutely nowhere. I mean I spent over five minutes wondering if the song was ever going to start, because it kept going at the same slow pace throughout. I still like this song though, the un-hurried pace of it is just very interesting to me or it could be because it sounds like a ‘cheater’ song, I got a whole ‘runaround’ by Xscape and ‘last time’ by Rihanna vibe from this song.

The next track on the album is the up-tempo High, Get high!. This is a definite party anthem, I mean turn this into a hot English track and I guarantee everybody in the club a be rocking to this when it comes on. The best part is the first verse, chorus and first hook–its gets OK after that. I love this song, its most certainly one of my top favorite ARIA songs. I never get tired of hearing it! ARIA’s vocals kill in this song, seriously.

The next track on the album is the somewhat down-tempo ESCAPE3AM. This song seemed a lot more eventful the first time I listened to it. I don’t know, this song is pretty hit or miss. I’m bias though and I love ARIA’s vocal performance in this, so I figure it’ll grow on me. I mean it gets a bit repetitive towards the end, but its easy on the ears. I guess its just the rnb in me taking over, because this song really goes nowhere and I still find that I’m inclined to like it.

The second to last track on the album is the down-tempo My Life For Life. I didn’t like this song when I first listened to this album, I thought it was boring and unmemorable. I find that I  like it now, the slow-ness of it is engaging because it gives you the opportunity to take the song in and absorb it. ARIA’s vocals are pretty tame, but still good and I really like when she says: ‘its my life, for life’ oh, so true.

The last track on the album is the lovely 永遠のバラード (Eien no BARAADO). This is a really good song, I found myself really into it. This song came across as so inspirational to me when I first listened to it, but it plays like love. The arrangement is jazz at its smoothest and its just such a good listen, I want a instrumental. ARIA gave one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard from her and had me hooked to the very end. I mean it started out a bit slow, but once she hit that first chorus I was sold. I LOVE her voice. This woman can sing.

-GRADE: B+
Rating: **1/2 stars

ARIA’s first album SHINING is still good, but not as good as I thought it was when I first listened to this album. I had no idea that ARIA had more than two albums, but then again that was when she went by ASUKA and well, she did great music even then too. ARIA is different from a lot of J-urban acts, solo or otherwise, I’ve really noticed that. I’ve become a really huge fan of ARIA because her music just has so much to offer and she really embraces this genre and does it right. I love rnb, especially old school and 90’s rnb, so I thought it was really just so refreshing when I stumbled upon her and I find that I haven’t been disappointed yet (I’m looking at you Kuri-chan, Color Change! WTF!?). This album was a bit on the safe and sure side, and very much so different from initial A which seemed to do a little bit of everything. I still found this album enjoyable with High! Get high! really standing out and Eien no BARAADO touching my heart, I mean I really have to give this song a shout-out, it really surprised me. I love ARIA, I can never get enough of her, seriously.

ARIA [Color of Love] (13th Single)

Color of Love
Come Closer (feat. DS455)
Dream On (feat. GANXTA CUE)
Departure (feat. AK-69) -DJ OLDE-E Remix-

ARIA’s 13th single starts off with Color of Love. This song is definitely inspirational and I kind of figured that out from the title. I thought of Boys II Men’s ‘Color of Love’ an I must say they’re completely different but they have the same ‘world love’ type vibe. The arrangement is light rnb, a fresh piano piece that certainly absorbs you. ARIA’s vocals are great as usual; why do people not take notice of her? She has such a strong voice and really carried this song. I loved when she would hold the ‘ni’ notes at the end of the chorus’ it just goes right through me. This was definitely a good a-side and stepped all over ‘departure’ in terms of quality.

The next track on the album is the b-side Come Closer feat. DS455. What a weird named group to collaborate with… anyways, no surprise I liked this song too, but maybe I’m being biased, because the a-side shines all over this. The arrangement is rnb of course, but it has a little electronica type vibe going for it that makes it a bit interesting. ARIA’s vocals are pretty tame in this song she doesn’t do much with it, but she still sounds good. I don’t really recall hearing DS455 and I listened to this song THREE times! This song is basically for those into rnb, like me, others will find it a bit unoriginal and everything else we’ve already heard rnb wise.

This single also comes with two remixes the first being Dream On feat. GANXTA CUE; this is a good remix and Departure feat. AK-69 -DJ OLDE-E Remix-; this is an all right remix, I actually like the chorus, buts its still pretty forgettable.

-GRADE: A
Rating: *** stars

ARIA’S 13th single Color of Love was quite the good single, seriously. Color of Love was just a much needed inspirational song with one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard from her. Come Closer is a hit or miss b-side, but I personally liked it. The two remixes were pretty good as well with Dream On standing out as one of her best.

ARIA [Departure/Harmonize you] (12th Single)

Departure feat. AK-69
Harmonize you feat. Kalassy Nikoff
HANDLE IT feat. “E”qual (Eighto/THE ULTRA★MEN Remix)

ARIA’s 12th double a-side single starts off with the first a-side Departure. This is a collaboration track which features AK-69. When I first listened to this song, I didn’t really like it, because I had no clue what she was talking about, then mid-way through the song I realized she was talking about leaving him, and referring to said leaving as a departure. I thought the arrangement was pretty interesting, if not a little chaotic and quirky, with the typical snap clap beats. ARIA’s vocals were good, but not anything impressive. AK-69 did all right for this collaboration, I mean I’ve heard worse. This is a pretty OK track, I’d listen to it, and I actually like it, because of the message in all–but its not really single material, more album material, really.

The second a-side is the down-tempo ballad Harmonize you. It’s a collaboration track as well feat. Kalassy Nikoff. I thought this was a lot better than the first a-side, and not because its down-tempo either. The arrangement is pretty gorgeous, it has a sad lilting quality to it that I adored. It could be piano or guitar. ARIA’s vocals were a lot more defined on this song, especially during the chorus: ‘every time i see your oh i know, how much i need you, love you more and more’ and it really shun on the: ‘zutto, zutto’ parts. Kalassy Nikoff’s part on the other hand really dragged this song down, and nearly ruined it for me. His voice is too sharp, and not very good. As where ARIA’s voice blended right in with the arrangement, his seems rather loud, and its almost as if he’s singing over it. Their voices did not mesh well together either. I really wish she would have did this song without a collaboration, or at least chose someone whose voice was better suited for a song like this. Ignoring Kalassy’s part however, this is a good song.

The last track on the single is a remix, HANDLE IT feat. “E”qual (Eighto/THE ULTRA★MEN Remix). I really do detest remixes, and what do you know, I didn’t like this. I’m still pretty up and down with this song, and this remix only makes it worse.

-GRADE: B-
Rating: ** stars

ARIA’s 12th double a-side single was pretty decent. I thought Departure was nice, even it went a bit over my head. Harmonize you would have been so much better if only she had chosen someone better, or just sung this song herself. The remix of HANDLE IT is of course forgettable. I did in a sense enjoy this single, but at the same time it isn’t anything impressive. I however do anticipate her next single.

ARIA [initial A] (Second Album)

Sexi Sexi
X-MAN2~Saturday NightヤバFever✩~
OH…What a night
LOVE again-200% mix feat.TYPE-Lo
A Song 4 U
話をしようよ (Hanashi wo Shiyouyo)
名前呼んでIで叫んで (Namae Yonde I de Sakende)
initial A
EXCUSE ME
7days
(Another 3 months) without u
Breathe into the rhythm
me & my girlfriend-home girls remix feat. Black Fly
NEVER SURRENDER ~信じる力~ (Shinjiru Chikara)
Missing

The first track is the mid-tempo Sexi Sexi. ARIA starts the song off by talking, letting you know that this is her second album (because we didn’t know that) the beat that is playing in the background sounds like a sample of Mary J. Blige’s early hit Real Love, which is quite possibly my favorite song by her. I thought ARIA’s vocals were pretty strong in this track, if not a bit strained; towards the end when she was aud-libbing it sounded like her voice was going out. The arrangement was very street, I liked that. This is a pretty cool song, the whole ’sexi, sexi’ gave this song a lot of flavor, and made this a pretty decent opening to her second album.

The next track on the album is the up-tempo and quirky X-MAN2~Saturday NightヤバFever✩~. The main reason why I like this song lies in the title. It makes me think of someone who has broken it off with their boyfriend, said break-up not being a very good one, and instead of wallowing in self-pity she goes out with her friends and has a good time. The title is pretty crazy, but very unique. ‘X-men’ of course meaning ex-boyfriend, and ‘Saturday night fever’ meaning something along the lines of one going out on a Saturday night and partying it up. The arrangement was pretty edgy, a bit chaotic, very old-school rnb-ish and somewhat consistent. ARIA’s vocals were good, and she was really into the song and that really made me connect and enjoy it a lot. This is the type of song that makes me proud to be a woman.

The next track slows the pace down a bit with OH…What a night. It’s your typical rnb song, but it does have a bit of depth. The arrangement is nothing interesting or special, and is pretty much just there. ARIA’s vocals on the other hand were pretty good and kept this song above water long enough for me to actually enjoy it.

The next track is the fresh LOVE again-200% mix. Wow… this is a very interesting title. This is a collaboration track feat. TYPE-lo. When I first listened to this song, I didn’t too much pay attention to it, but then again its not like I really paid attention to it this time around either. I’ll admit though, I do like this song a lot more than I did the first time. The arrangement is very fresh and crisp sounding, it has a flow about it that makes you want to smile fondly for no reason. ARIA’s vocals were nice, that deep depth she had shun through even though she tried to keep it relatively light. This song is pretty OK, even if it did seem to go on far longer than it should of, making it a bit tiring.

The next track on the album is the weird A Song 4 U. I did like this song when I first heard this album, but maybe I wasn’t listening with both my ears, because this song it very strange. Its down-tempo that much is obvious. The arrangement is rather unique, it sounds a bit otherworldly and its a pretty interesting concept. ARIA’s vocals are good as well, but she sings this song very strangely, I don’t know, her voice seems to drop and rise at odd moments and it throws you off. She sounds a bit strained, and says things like, ’sing-a-ling-a-ling’ or something crazy like that. It makes the song very immature, which is a shame, because if it didn’t play so awkwardly I would actually have enjoyed it.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo 話をしようよ (Hanashi wo Shiyouyo). This song really played like a breeze. The arrangement was minimal, I believe only one maybe two instruments was used, but it was so smooth and simple that it really played like a dream. Would have been a good instrumental. ARIA’s vocals were pretty good, I mean she sung the song in a breathless almost sensual whisper-like tone throughout, but it really gave forth a mood and pretty much worked. The song can get boring and impossible, but its still a nice and easy-going track.

The next track is the up-tempo (mid-tempo?) 名前呼んでIで叫んで (Namae Yonde I de Sakende). This song is pretty hit or miss. It actually went over my head, and I honestly don’t know what I just listened too. The arrangement was pretty typical, and ARIA’s vocal performance was a little irritating because of the deep tones she was using, as if she was singing out of her throat or something. This isn’t a bad song really, but its just not interesting enough to catch my attention or keep it.

The next track is the title track initial A. I always tend to like title tracks, but not in this case. The song is pretty much a chaotic mess, that isn’t really sure what it wants to be, or where to take it. The beat is a wreck, it sounded like they were banging symbols throughout the whole thing. It had a rnb vibe to it, but it could almost be mistaken for soft rock. ARIA’s vocals were, I really don’t know, just know I did not like them. Also for some reason they felt the need to add a repeated succession of: ‘oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!’ Why? We may never know, but it was pretty lame and pointless. I guess this was suppose to be a get up and dance song, but it just came across as very annoying and loud.

The next track is the endearing EXCUSE ME. I don’t know if I’m losing my mind, but I actually find myself inclined to like this song, even though I swear all I heard was ARIA singing, rather assertively: ‘excuse me’ and then an, ‘oh, oh, oh….’ or ‘ah, ah, ah…’ echo in the background. OK, I listened to the song again. ARIA’s vocals are pretty assertive in this, and I do like her tone. The arrangement is pretty basic, though I did like how it opened with the aggressive piano playing, though after that it became a bit annoying, as nothing was really going on with it. This is not a good song, at all, but I do like how ARIA is making a point–so I like it, a bit.

The next track is the pretty fun 7days. The song starts off with ARIA yelling ‘BABY!’ it immediately catches your attention, though not in a good way. Luckily it gets better. The arrangement is pretty basic, but fitting and nice on the ears. I did enjoy ARIA’s vocals in this song, the slick way she sung the verses and how the chorus was pretty catchy and fun. Its like the type of song you’d play at an intimate gathering among friends, passing drinks and having a good time. I’m getting the whole, lets party all seven days of the week vibe from this song!

The next track on the album is the down-tempo (Another 3 months) without u. I was happy to hear another slow jam on her album, because ARIA really makes some lovely slow songs. This is no exception. The arrangement is a nice soft piano arrangement that is just lovely on the ears, and gives you such a feeling of lost love and missing that love. It sounded like this one Alicia Keys song in the beginning when she was aud-libbing, her old hit If I Ain’t Got You, which was the jam back when it first came out. ARIA’s vocals were nice in this song, I can tell she was somewhat feeling the song. The rise of the chorus was interesting, I always like songs like this. Verses slow and then go all out for the chorus. This is a nice song.

The next track keeps the slow tunes coming with Breathe into the rhythm. This song is really the type of song that just drags, and sounds like a song you would record when you were high. ARIA’s vocals were very deep and soulful in this, stretching some of the words to give them more feeling, it was a very nice approach especially considering how smooth and un-hurried the arrangement was. This is the type of song that would put you right to sleep, and really it never seems to end fast enough but I found myself really enjoying this song and how laid-back and casual it was. It was somewhat sexy and sensual in a sense and didn’t try to do more than what it should. I liked this.

The next track is the quirky me & my girlfriend-home girls remix. This is a collaboration feat. Black Fly, who I am going to assume is female. This track started off on a very annoying note and I was almost certain that I was going to loathe this song by the end of it. After awhile though it really picked up and got fun. ARIA’s vocals were really great, I love the deepness of her voice and she really knows how to manipulate her tones to give off just the right emotion. I thought this was a pretty decent collaboration, the two sounded like they were having a lot of fun together and I enjoyed this song for the most part, even if the arrangement was pretty much all over the place.

The second to last track is the inspirational NEVER SURRENDER ~信じる力~ (Shinjiru Chikara). This song is in the same vein as The World’s Greatest by R. Kelly, Can’t Take That Away by Mariah Carey and let me not forget Greatest Love Of All by Whitney Houston. I thought the arrangement was very nice and majestic, and ARIA’s vocal performance was the best I’ve heard on this album. She put so much emotion and feeling into this song, that it really just goes into you, in such a powerful way. Her voice was exceptional towards the end and I adored the way it went out. This is a really great song.

The last track on the album is the down-tempo Missing. I’m not sure I paid a lot of attention to this song when I first listened to his album, but I’m glad I gave it a thorough listen this time around. The arrangement is pretty basic, but very pretty and smooth. ARIA’s vocals were really nice, she sung this song at the same consistent and slow tone/pace and it gave this song a lot of character and depth. I thought this was a really nice and quiet song.

-GRADE: B+
Rating: ** stars

ARIA’s second album initial A was a lot better this time around than it was when I first listened to this album. This is actually ARIA’s second and last album under the name ASUKA before she changed it to the much better and much more urban ARIA. When I first listened to this album I hated it, but now I actually quite enjoy it. Compared to SHINING this really is a step down, but it could have been worse. ARIA as ASUKA had some pretty strange album titles, the most odd being: X-MAN2~Saturday NightヤバFever✩~, LOVE again-200% mix feat.TYPE-Lo and Breathe into the rhythm. However I found that I enjoyed all three songs. This was a pretty interesting album, with a slice of variety and a nice length. I also gave this album bonus points for having no intros, interludes or outros–no bonus tracks either. I’d have to say that the stand-out track on this album was the very inspiring NEVER SURRENDER ~信じる力~ (Shinjiru Chikara), but I enjoyed nearly all her down-tempo tracks and found her up-tempo tracks to be very fun and catchy, even the ones that I didn’t expect to like such as: 7Days and me & my girlfriend-home girls remix. I still wish that she would have let loose more vocal-wise, but I still thought this was a solid album.

ARIA [ARIA] (Third Album)

Beautiful Life
Is this LOVE?
Dream Drive feat. HI-D
Slow Jam feat. DOHZI-T
NASTY OR CLASSY feat. TWIGY
Bye Bye Bye
He’s My Baby feat. YOKO
Don’t you
TOKYO
Just urself
I to I feat. Kayzabro
Gonna Be Special

The album starts off with the very block party-esqueish Beautiful Life. It opens rather majestically, giving one the feeling that they are about to be blown away…wrong! ARIA’s vocals during the verses are all over the place, making it chaotic, it’s almost as if she’s speed talking, but it’s so unintelligible even in Japanese that you have no idea if she’s singing or speaking in tongues. The chorus is a little more easy on the ears, very rnb-ish, but not enough to save this song from mediocrity. It’s just impossible and I can’t be bothered with it, despite it’s catchy beat and rhythm.

We transition rather smoothly into the next track, is this LOVE?. A nice smooth rnb number, that starts off rather odd, I was hoping that I wasn’t going to dislike this song the way I disliked the previous track, but eventually the song starts and it really captures your attention, especially the chorus, ‘is this love? somebody tell me is this love?’ I really love how ARIA sang the chorus, putting some of her lovely vocals to some good use, to make a nice little rnb track.

ARIA slows it down with the next track, the surprisingly good Dream Drive. I don’t really think I liked this song when I first listened to this album, or it was that I didn’t pay attention to it, which is strange because I really love ARIA’s collaboration songs (and they’re a lot) because they are nine times out of ten, really good. Dream Drive is no exception, and ARIA collaborates with HI-D who has a nice voice, that blends in well with ARIA’s and makes for a nice smooth rnb down-tempo song, with a lovely instrumental arrangement that gives off a nice peaceful air, and really makes everything feel like a ‘dream drive’.

The down-tempo tracks keep coming with the next track, Slow Jam. This is another song on this album in which ARIA collaborates this time with DOHZI-T. This song reminded me a lot of her one b-side i’m not gon cry with the way the beat was very slow and unobtrusive. Though I liked i’m not gon cry more. This song was good in a sense, but it’s forgettable as well and not only that but the collaboration seemed unnecessary, because I’m sure she could have carried this song herself without DOHZI-T’s rap segment. Still I’d listen to it again, because it’s not a bad song, it’s just not one that will particularly stick with you.

The next track on this album is more on the mid-tempo side and one I have a hard time taking seriously, NASTY OR CLASSY. It’s another collab track, three in a row, which I think is just crazy. I feel that the collaboration with TWIGY made this song worse, because his parts are just so corny. He samples Salt n’ Pepa’s hit Push It, saying the infamous, ‘Ooh baby-baby, baby-baby’ parts and it just sounds so lame. The beat is rather nice and catchy, and the song has a sort of sexy mood going for it that should have made it appealing, but it all falls to the wayside when we get to the ridiculous chorus, where ARIA asks him does he want her to be his ‘nasty’ girl, or his ‘classy’ girl. Lame.

Next is the utterly forgettable and all over the place Bye Bye Bye. I hated this song when I first heard it, mostly because when it was over I had no clue that I had been listening to a song, and that’s never good. It usually means the song was so forgettable that I couldn’t even be bothered to pay attention to it. Normally when I do that, I’ll give the song a second listen, because I have a tendency to really get into what I’m doing and forget I’m listening to a song. In this case, there is no need. This song is bad, everything from the vocals to the arrangement to the horrid ‘bye, bye, bye’ chorus is forgettable.

The next track is one of my favorite ARIA songs because it’s just so funny to me. We come to the somewhat mid-tempo track, He’s My Baby. It’s the fourth collaboration on the album and this one is a female collab with YOKO. The song started off on a weak note, with both ARIA and YOKO speaking in uncertain English: ‘he’s my baby/no he’s my baby’ and then the song starts and shines. I really love the chorus where the title is repeated, and of course ARIA’s vocals, and the fresh urban arrangement that keeps you interested and focused on the song. YOKO’s part is also nice, because when she raps her voice is very assertive and I thought it was a good collaboration. At the end, they are both over him and offers him to the other, only to walk away saying he can find some other girl. Brilliant.

ARIA doesn’t slow down but picks it up a little more with Don’t you. This is a very interesting song, because you wouldn’t expect it to be as good as it is, but it’s actually one of the best songs on this album. I think ARIA’s going with the same sort of block party beats and arrangements for all her up-tempo, mid-tempo tracks, because that is the impression I have gotten so far. I love ARIA’s vocals, though I have yet to hear her so far use her voice to it’s full ability. The chorus is the best part with ARIA singing along the lines of, ‘don’t you feel my love, feel my love’, a nice song and incredibly infectious.

We slow back down with the next track TOKYO. There is not much I can really say about this song, other than the fact that it’s a good rnb down-tempo song from ARIA, with a nice instrumental going for it, and crisp, clear vocals. It seems to come and go, which is really the only problem I had with the song, because it’s almost forgettable in a sense.

Finally we get to one of the songs on this album that I really love, Just urself. The title is very creative and I like that, because usually the songs with abstract or miss-spelled titles, are normally the REALLY good songs and Just urself is definitly one of them. ARIA still doesn’t go all out, but I loved how controlled and intense her voice is in this song, as well as the message this song conveys, such as everything will be all right if you just be ‘urself’.

The second to last track on the album is the wonderfully down-tempo I to I. This is the fifth and last collaboration on this album, and in my opinion the best one. The song is rather sad, but still very good. It seems as if she was going for the same arrangements with her down-tempo tracks as she was with her up and mid-tempo tracks, because they all seem to have the same beat just mixed around a bit. I thought Kayzabro’s collaboration in this was one of her best, because he adds to the song instead of take away or detract. One of her best down-tempo songs.

The last track on the album is unfortunately not a very good one, Gonna Be Special is entirely too forgettable to be so long. It starts off with the instrumental, which is so stagnant I had no idea I was listening to it until I checked to see if the song was actually playing. It took too long to start, then when it did ARIA’s vocal performance was so basic, I was forced to just ignore the song until thankfully it ended. I don’t know what’s ‘gonna be special’ but it definitely isn’t this boring and forgettable track. I to I would have been a better ending to the album, or even better Just urself.

-GRADE: B+
Rating: ** stars

I never thought I would ever become a ARIA fan, when I went looking for J-Urban artists, I never thought I would find one that would capture my attention and keep it. RnB is my favorite genre of music, but it has a tendency to sound the same, and that’s what a lot of J-Urban and Western Urban artists have bad, sounding like everybody else. I’m not saying ARIA is different in that respect, but you can take something cliché and make it into something all your own, and that is what ARIA does and that is why I love her music so much. ARIA is not a great album, but it’s a pretty good one. I didn’t like how all the beats sounded like different versions of it’s predecessors, or that ARIA seemed to be holding back instead of letting her voice out to it’s full potential, because she really does have an incredibly unique voice, for someone so underrated. This album is a good listen for not only that trickle of fans that ARIA does have, but casual rnb fans as well.