fayray [genuine] (Third Album)

Walk on
Baby if,
us
faith
sugar
genuine: j-girl suite
I’ll save you
同じ瞳 (Onaji Hitomi; Same eyes)
better days
Rapture

The album starts off with Walk on. I’m wondering how I’m going to put this song into words, but its a pretty good track. The arrangement has a bit of an edge, but its not too obvious because it carries such a dreariness to it that makes the atmosphere a bit heavy. fayray’s vocals have the same thing going on with them, except she sounds bitter and I love it. Her tone brought a lot of personality to this track and really made me connect with it: ‘when you smile at her, when you make love to her’ wow, way to be straight-forward fay.

The next track on the album is the wonderful Baby if,. This is one of the first, if not the first song that I heard by fayray. Its also one of my all time favorites. The piano arrangement is gorgeous and makes me think of air and an intensely bright light. fayray’s vocals are just so lovely in this track, especially when she says: ‘and if you call’ I just really love that part. This song makes me think of a love you just want to protect, though that person will never know how you feel, you’re content to just watch them from a distance: ‘i love you more than you’ll ever know…’

The next track on the album is the down-tempo us. This is a rather quiet song and one I really didn’t expect to like. It has such a charm to it that I admire. I believe fayray sung this entire song in English, but what stood out was not the chorus but the verses. I didn’t too much care for the chorus, but the verses really made this song stand-out.

The next track on the album is faith. I wonder if fayray was meaning for this song to be religious, I’m not sure, but if she was I didn’t get a very religious vibe from this song. I mostly got a dreary and or desolate vibe, it could be hope after hopelessness. The arrangement is really nothing impressive and barely carries the song, it also sounds a bit strange. fayray’s vocals save this song, I mean the verses are pretty unmemorable, but I did like how her voice got somewhat strong during the chorus, it was the only part I really paid attention to and without it this song would have been pretty forgettable.

The next track is the interlude sugar. I want to say, thank goodness this is an interlude, because it was boring and just pointless.

The next track on the album is the intriguing genuine: j-girl suite. This is quite a song. Its long, very long, it clocks in at over ten minutes, but though you would have pressed the next button a while ago, I found that I couldn’t. I wanted to know where fayray was taking this song and why she was taking it in such a direction. It seems to bounce from one genre to the next, we have rnb and we have rock, then we have down-tempo and then have mid-tempo, fayray is singing, then she is talking. Then some guy pops in an starts rapping, real cliche like, but he had a nice flow and it just went with the song. I mean I don’t know how, because this track seems to have no balance, but it did. This was actually pretty good, despite the genre and tempo hopping and the length. Though, I didn’t too much care for the rock segment.

The next track on the album is I’ll save you. This was definitely one of the first fayray songs I heard and is still one of my favorites. The arrangement suits this song, it really does and I love how it rises during the chorus, it creates an almost desperate atmosphere. fayray’s vocals are good, mostly during the chorus which is the high light because the verses aren’t really all the memorable. I love when she says: ‘hey baby, drive me crazy/i’ll save you’

The next track on the album brings the pace down a bit more with 同じ瞳 (Onaji Hitomi; Same eyes). Ah, this was a really nice song. The arrangement is slow and the thrumming of the guitar is very gentle and soothing. It gives off a vibe of extreme loneliness and that is only enhanced by fayray’s pretty, but rather wistful vocal performance.

The second to last track on the album is the rock-laced better days. The arrangement makes this song seem so acoustic guitar. The guitar and drums together is always great, they compliment each other so well and it nearly out shined fayray’s vocal performance. fayray sung this song in full English and though I would have liked to hear more of an edge to her voice–because it seemed to clash with the arrangement–I still thought she gave a good vocal performance.

The last track on the album is the odd Rapture. This song sounds so dated and not a good kind of dated either. The arrangement is synth and it keeps that same annoying noise throughout that makes me think painfully of break dancing. fayrays vocals during the chorus were fine in a sense, high, but terribly forgettable, why? because she chooses to rap-speak the verses and it just does nothing for me and I honestly don’t get for a second why fayray thought she’d sound right rapping, it just blows my mind. This was such a weak album closer, way disappointed.

-GRADE: B
Rating: ** stars

fayray’s third album genuine is leaps and bounds better than her first two albums, but at the same time it still offers up some pretty weak material. Ah, I am so disappointed since the only two tracks on this album that are memorable and actually stand-out are: Baby if, and I’ll save you, the rest are merely passable. This album is also entirely too short to be so unmemorable with average songs, it really is. I mean for fayray to have such a great voice, she certainly half-asses her albums, well the three that I have reviewed so far. I’m gradually beginning to lose interest in her. genuine is a painfully forgettable album, just like the previous two were, hopefully the next four play better.

fayray [EVER AFTER] (Second Album)

give it back
No, never (album version)
その愛のかたち (Sono Ai no Katachi; Pieces of that love)
All I Want, All I Need
If, I
tears
見て (Mite; Look)
約束 (Yakusoku; Promise)
shane
My Heart Belongs To Daddy
MY EYES

The album starts off with the rock-laced track give it back. I really don’t get this song. The arrangement is very rock-oriented, which isn’t bad, but for some reason it just sounds muffled, static-like and after a bit, very irritating. fayray’s vocals weren’t much of anything with this song, I barely cared for them and I love her voice. This song went clear over my head, and I listened to it twice.

The next track No, never (album version) is another one that went clear over my head. The arrangement was just forgettable, I didn’t really care for it, but I do know a bit was going on with it and that isn’t necessarily a good thing, because it felt like my ears were ringing. fayray’s vocals were decent, but this song just didn’t have much going for it in the ‘keep my attention’ department. I think she sung this in English and Japanese, or just bits and pieces of the chorus in English. I can’t really recall, this song did nothing for me.

The next track on the album is the mellow and cool その愛のかたち (Sono Ai no Katachi; Pieces of that love). This song is pretty acoustic, the arrangement is minimal, just a nice piano melody, that really shines when its given a solo spot towards the middle of the song. fayray’s vocal performance was gorgeous. I love how it sounded so live. The slow and sure way she sung this song really made it interesting. This is not a song that will appeal to everyone, it would most likely bore some to death. I liked it though.

The next track is the pretty messy All I Want, All I Need. The arrangement has some drums, base, all that–It has a nice vibe, a nice rhythm, but it just seems so empty to me. fayray’s vocal performance was decent, but lacking in anything other than her moaning about, ‘take my hand and kiss it…’ and whatnot. Its almost like she’s not even singing, but crying or wailing, in that deep sort of sultry voice of hers. Its all rather odd and annoying.

The next track on the album is the awful If, I. Er, what was I just listening too? The arrangement was the trash. It was like amateur rock night for the kiddies, it was just way too annoying and unnecessarily loud to be listenable or even tolerable for that matter. fayray’s vocals sounded way off, and it was like she was trying too hard to make this rock mess of a song work, and failed miserably. This song is fail in every conceivable sense of the word.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo tears. This is more or less the fayray I’m use too, and one of the first songs I ever heard by her. I thought the arrangement was very nice, the piano added a lot of substance to this song. fayrays vocals were good, the deep and jazzy timbre of her voice really made this song shine. It added a lot of interest that would have otherwise been lost. I thought this song had a light sadness about it. This is one of my favorite fayray songs.

The next track on the album is the semi down-tempo 見て (Mite; Look). This song started really weird for me, and I didn’t really understand what fayray was going for with this one and it nearly ruined the song for me. I’m glad she found her niche and delivered an odd but endearing song. The arrangement is pretty interesting, it doesn’t really sound like its there, but it is. I can’t really explain it. Its a nice arrangement though, if only because it sounds so different without doing much of anything. fayray’s vocals were interesting as well, but I found that I liked them, even if they sound just not like her to me. This song was pretty neat, that’s the only word I can think of. I also loved how it went out with the brief piano melody.

The next track on the album is the mid-tempo? 約束 (Yakusoku; Promise). I like this song, but then again I don’t like this song, because it confuses me. The arrangement is fitting, but at a certain point in the song, the hook, where she holds the note before going into the chorus, the drums would sound and I kept thinking the chorus to her other song I’ll save you was going to play. fayray’s vocals are pretty nice in this song, she sounds like the fayray I’ve become a fan of, with that not so obvious deep set of her tone. This is a pretty decent song, I’m inclined to like it, even if I keep thinking I’m listening to two songs at once.

The next track on the album is a over two-minutes interlude-like song shane. I wonder what makes the name ’shane’ so significant that she would dedicate a short little song to it? Anyways, this song is a bit down-tempo, with a nice little guitar arrangement, that took a bit too long to start and had me thinking something was wrong with this song. I believe it changes to the piano once she starts singing. fayray’s vocals are nice and consistent, and made this song a bit memorable for it to be only half of a track’s length.

The second to last track on the album is the ultra jazzy My Heart Belongs To Daddy. This is another one of the first songs I ever heard by fayray. Its so interesting in the fact that the arrangement sounds way jazz blues, smoky lounge-club-like. Its such a nice arrangement. fayray’s vocals really mimic the music, to a T. I mean it made me imagine her singing this at the Cotton Club back in the 20’s. Then the whole, ‘my heart belongs to daddy’ is just really creative, in different. It always made me wonder if the song held a double meaning, like is she really talking about her actual daddy? I love when she says, ‘because my daddy treats me so well!’ and she holds the note in ‘well’, it just went through me. This song is so mellow and leaves me with such a feeling of contemplation and awe. I really adore this song.

The last track on the album is the somewhat up-tempo MY EYES. I thought this was a pretty interesting song, if only because of its mild up-beat-ness. I thought the arrangement was pretty quirky, it sounded strange like they were blowing through pipes or something, because I kept hearing this high sound, though of course it was most likely some sort of wood instrument, like a flute or something. fayray’s vocals were nice for a song like this, she certainly sung it the way it was suppose to be sung, but at the end of the day, though the vocal performance was fitting, her voice just isn’t suited for up-tempo. This was a weird way to end the album, almost awkward in a sense. I do like this track though.

-GRADE: C
Rating: * star

fayray’s second album EVER AFTER was quite the disappointment. I think I like this album even less than I did her debut album CRAVING. I mean I can’t remember any of the songs on here aside from tears and My Heart Belongs To Daddy, even the other four tracks that I did happen to enjoy including the interlude-song shane are unmemorable. There’s not much I can say about this album, since it clearly has no replay value whatsoever. I’m wondering why fayray chose to jump from genre to genre with this album in such a messy and uncreative way? EVER AFTER aside from a few tracks is pretty forgettable and a step down from her debut album, which I didn’t so much like, but it played a lot better than this one did. It could have been worse though, it could have always been worse. I’ll give it to fayray though, she’s one of those people that when they do good its great, but when they do bad its downright awful, this is a little bit of both.

fayray [ZERO] (21st Single)

ゼロ (Zero)
Forever

fayray’s 21st single starts off  with the weeping a-side ゼロ (Zero). This song is really just hauntingly beautiful. The arrangement has a quiet appeal to it that makes you think of dark skies and cold nights, alone. The piano is the main, and it just plays so sorrowfully but surely, bringing forth an atmosphere of deep pain and infinite longing. fayray’s vocals were just gorgeous, and really brought forth all the emotions I’ve already described. Her voice was very deep and haunting, lilting and sounded weary, just incredible and powerful on this track. The song just sounds heavy, and gives you the feeling of being weighed down by burdensome thoughts, in a world in which you are truly alone.

The next track on the album is the b-side Forever. Its a cover of the late and great Marvin Gaye’s song, ‘Forever’. I thought fayray’s version was a lot sadder and a lot more emotionally moving than Marvin’s had been. I didn’t like how the song seemed to just end, it just made everything seem so unfinished. I did like this cover though, and thought fayray did a good cover of it. ‘Darling forever, forever…you can break my heart, forever if you want too/I’ll play the part of a fool, just to be with you forever…’

-GRADE: A
Rating: *** stars

fayray’s 21st and latest single ZERO is good, but that’s really no surprise. ZERO is a hauntingly beautiful song, that really makes you feel isolated and alone, but it plays like a surreal dream. Forever is a really good if not sadder version of Marvin Gaye’s classic, Forever. This was a solid single, and I really hope she puts out another soon, because as it stands she hasn’t released a single since July of ‘07.

fayray [Craving] (First Album)

in four~Love always,*
太陽のグラヴィティー (Taiyou no Gravity; Gravity of the sun)
NEON TETRA
Daydream Cafe
PURE WHITE
Same night, same face
YURA・YURA～Vibration (Swaying vibration)
UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS
Powder Veil
Craving
Daydream Cafe (DA MIX)

The album starts off with the oddly written intro track, in four~Love always,. It begins with heels clacking and walking along a hard surface, than a piano starts playing a rather beautiful melody. I actually wish she would have extended this instrumental into a full track.

The next track is the up-tempo, 太陽のグラヴィティー (Taiyou no Gravity; Gravity of the sun). It’s sounds so much like an anime theme song, I’m wondering if it is one. It’s incredibly catchy. I love the fast-paced, retro 80’s arrangement, and fayray’s strong, quick and smooth vocals, especially during the chorus. This song blew me away when I first heard it, because I’ve never heard such an up-tempo song from fayray, because she normally takes a mellow route in concern to her music.

fayray doesn’t slow down and keeps the anime theme songs coming with the next track, NEON TETRA. This song is not as interesting nor as catchy as Taiyou no Gravity, but in a way it’s still a good track. The arrangement is rather sparkly, but still holds that 80’s maybe early 90’s sound to it. fayray’s vocals are consistent. The song is pretty forgettable, but it’s not a bad song.

We finally get to the first real down-tempo track on the album, Daydream Cafe. Which is a very accurate name, because that is exactly what it sounds like, it has a very dreamy quality to it that is rather enchanting. I love how smooth, and fantasy like the arrangement is, it plays like a lullaby. fayray’s vocal performance is also very nice and mixes well, to give the song that feeling of being in a daydream cafe.

The next track, PURE WHITE picks up the pace, and the anime theme song vibe that fayray has going for this album. I have to admit, Daydream Cafe was more like a ending theme, but PURE WHITE is like a theme. It has this club vibe about it, I mean it’s literally one of those songs you’d here in a club, and I like that. The vocals are nice as well, consistent, and fayray keeps the pace going. I didn’t like this song when I first heard it, as it sounded very uninteresting and forgettable, but its a nice song and it gives you that feeling of being trapped in a blinding white light.

Ah, this is the fayray that I am accustomed too. The next track is the pretty down-tempo, Same night, same face. This is one of the first songs I ever heard by fayray; it didn’t interest me much, but I thought the whole arrangement of the song was very interesting. It also has a throwback 70’s vibe going for it, that’s pretty intriguing. I like fayray’s vocals, even if they are rather robotic, and all I could make out was, ’same night, same face’ which oddly doesn’t get repetitive.

The next track is the oddly titled, YURA・YURA～Vibration (Swaying vibration). It’s a pretty interesting song, though quite forgettable. I guess the reason why this album sounds so pop nineties, is because it was made in the nineties, though the late nineties, so it’s all rather odd. It does sound like an anime theme song, like most of the songs on here. fayray keeps her vocal performance consistent and interesting, so it makes this average song tolerable, that and the chorus is somewhat catchy.

This next track, UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS is very forgettable. Nothing about this song stands out, and it’s very bland. fayray’s vocal performance is the only thing about this song that is good, even if it did stay at the same pace and never went anywhere. The arrangement is very average, and this sounds like an English dub, like I could picture this song being dubbed in English and being sung, quite horribly by an English seiyuu. It’s also very boring.

The next track is just as boring as the last, and a mix between down and mid-tempo. Powder Veil, has nothing really spectacular or ground-breaking going for it, the arrangement is terribly stagnant, and the vocal performance is almost monotonous, as fayray sings in the same tone, never letting her voice rise or fall. Still, it’s a lot more interesting than UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS.

Next up is the albums title track, Craving. It’s a nice little down-tempo song, that has a nice smooth, and mellow vibe going for it. The arrangement is pretty basic, with a little guitar thrumming throughout (song ends on a guitar solo), and fayray’s vocals were pretty nice as well. It’s a simple song, and I like that.

The last track on the album is a remix of Daydream Cafe. I really don’t see the difference, but it’s a nice remix overall, much slower and smoother than the original. A nice listen.

-GRADE: B-
Rating: **stars

fayray’s first album CRAVING is pretty different from the fayray I know and love. The tone of this album is pretty light and simple, as where the songs that I’ve encountered have a very jazzy, smoky and longing feel to them. As a debut album, it’s not very impressive and despite having a couple nice tracks such as, Taiyou no Gravity and Daydream Cafe; plus those that are passable like PURE WHITE, Same night, same face, and Craving… it’s a painfully forgettable album; mostly because a lot of the songs played like filler, most notably being UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS. I’m really glad that fayray shied away from this genre of music as she got more into her career, because I don’t think I would be a fan of her, if she was still making generic music like this. I mean the album isn’t a complete dud, she does have some nice tracks on here, and even the ones I didn’t so much like are worth a second listen, because fayray’s vocals are really nice. However, I’d only recommended this album to die-hard fayray fans, casual listeners would just be bored with it.