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Ayumi Hamasaki - Secret
(Japanese)
Avex, Inc.
Release Date: November 29, 2006
01 Not yet
02 until that Day…
03 Startin’
04 1 LOVE
05 It was
06 LABYRINTH
07 JEWEL
08 momentum
09 taskinst
10 Born To Be…
11 Beautiful Fighters
12 BLUE BIRD
13 kiss o’ kill
14 Secret
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January 25, 2006
by Andrew Martinez
In the fall of 2006, fans of Ayumi Hamasaki were given news that the pop diva would be releasing a new mini-album before the year was out. Presumably a collection of her post- (miss)understood singles released throughout 2006, those fans who held out on buying the singles waited eagerly for their chance to own the songs in a more concise package. Of course, Ayumi had a little “Secret” (no, I couldn’t resist) up her sleeve. To the surprise of many, what was to be a mini-album was announced to actually be a full-length album, within just a few weeks of its official release. Of course, the previously-planned single tracks were still included, but presumably more additional tracks were added to flesh out the album. Singing on tracks in the rock-pop style that’s become popular as of late in Japan, Ayumi has delivered a matured performance and some memorable tracks. Personally, I was surprised as this was honestly the first Ayumi album that I loved straight-through on the first listen ever since Rainbow. So for those Ayu fans that may have been recently disappointed, or even the ones who never were, this album is very much worth having as part of your collection.
01 Not yet
Like many of Ayumi’s albums, there is a (mostly) instrumental track towards the opening, and in the case of Secret, it’s the actual opening track. The composition for the track really is perfect as it does set the stage for the mood that carries throughout the album. The mood is a bit dark, with heavy bass tones and reverberating dark tones. However, there is a great dance beat overplaying all of this, and this interplay predominates on the album. Flourishes of excitement give way to quiet moments, all with a bit of a goth/rock twist and electro flair.
02 until that Day…
A very driven song, until that Day… features a lot of playing with Ayu’s voice through various vox filters, giving her a far-away, yet over-arching presence through the song. The track is very upbeat, with electric guitar riffs interspersed with the heavy bassline and a more classic guitar riff from time to time. Another real treat for Ayu fans on this track is her signature mock-rapping throughout the entire chorus, much like what’s found on Fly High from Loveppears and Ladies Night on (miss)understood. Ayu’s voice is on the deeper end of her repertoire on this song, like it has been for many of her releases as of late.
03 Startin’
A bit more poppy than the previous track, Startin’ is again a song with a lot of energy. With a little bit of attitude displayed, the track is much more dependent on Ayu’s voice than the previous one, however, even though there’s just as much vox play going on here. There are many layers of drumbeats throughout the song, bringing with them flourishes and at times guiding the major parts such as the chorus. Although the track isn’t really a danceable song, it’s very catchy and at least worth a little head-bopping action.
04 1 LOVE
This track is a definite, straight-up light rock track. The style really fits Ayumi’s voice very well in this one, even when she gets just the slightest bit screamy for the chorus. This track is fun for its throwback feel and use of quite a few classic rock riffs. If you’ve listened to any American rock from the past few decades, the track should be very comfortable and almost recognizable. Ayu’s performance through the rambling chorus is a bit different style wise and adds a nice touch to mix things up a bit.
05 It was
At this point, things slow down a bit for a bit of an upbeat ballad by Ayumi. The style features the back-and-forth kind of singing that Ayu’s done before on tracks like Naturally, almost like she’s speaking to herself. While the main stanzas are very mellow, and feature little else besides Ayu’s voice and a repeating acoustic guitar progression to balance out the sound, the tempo crescendos towards the chorus and simply break out into an exciting drumbeat for the chorus itself. The feeling is one of catharsis and release, leaving the listener anticipating the chorus, but really enjoying the moments between.
06 LABYRINTH
This is another instrumental track which really changes the direction of the tone for the album. It has a much younger feel, given its higher-pitched instruments. The feeling is also not as heavy as the rock-beat laden Not Yet and sounds perfect for a “wintery” type of song. As a lead-in to the piano-heavy ballad Jewel, it performs well.
07 JEWEL
Incidentally, when it was still thought that the album would be a mini-album, this would have been the title track for the mini-album. A very light and airy ballad, JEWEL relieves the listener of the heavy emotional expression of the previous tracks. Indeed, senses of longing, regret, and uncertainty express in Ayu’s vocals in the previous tracks are replaced by a very hopeful-sounding performance through the chorus of Jewel. Instrumentally, there is very little going on besides a piano accompaniment, making it clear that the star of this track is Ayu’s voice.
08 momentum
A bit more upbeat than the previous track, momentum still carries with it that “wintery” feeling with reverberating piano accompaniment, chime flourishes, and a very light and dream-like synth underlying everything. Similar to It was, the tempo of the song really picks up at the chorus. The sound of the chorus is classic Ayu and makes this song one of the tracks most similar to her early works.
09 taskinst
Just like all the other “task” tracks throughout Ayu’s albums, this one is, of course, an instrumental. The feeling is a bit off-kilter, with a baby crying in the background as a music box-like tune melts and gives way to a rock beat once again. It is clear to the listener that the break brought about by JEWEL and momentum has ended.
10 Born To Be…
Given the heavy rock finale of taskinst, Born To Be… is surprisingly poppy as the opening to the remainder of the album. With a prominent chorus of vocals aiding Ayu through the song like in Bold & Delicious on (miss)understood, the sound is very inspiring and driving. Drums play heavily into this song and keep the song upbeat and moving. Ayu’s voice is very mature on this track and her expression of emotion very clear. The track is, simply, a great get-up-and-go song.
11 Beautiful Fighters
Another very poppy song, Beautiful Fighters picks up pretty much where Born To Be… leaves off. The mood is a bit more playful, especially with the particular way the vox play is done on this one to make Ayu’s voice ridiculously high. A particularly march-like drum beat drives key portions of the song, while a pretty standard rock riff and beat moves the rest along. Synths and various sound effects play particularly important roles on this track, much more so than on most of the other tracks of the album. Although the drumbeat is much more integral to this song, it’s not quite as driving for head-bopping as other tracks here, but does keep the listener feeling happy and light-hearted.
12 BLUE BIRD
This song is a very enjoyable and light song to listen to. It’s not quite a ballad, but has elements of one. It’s a track with a very happy sound, which was great for the summer, when it first appeared as a single. On this album, it works well to keep up the feeling of the previous two songs, while bringing in Ayu’s more familiar string- and synth- heavy style.
13 kiss o’ kill
Simply put: the best track on the album. Well, at least in my opinion. The song is just very unique in many aspects. From the moment it opens with a group chanting in the background and breaks into Ayu singing in melody with a pipe organ (which returns at very important moments throughout the song), you simply know it’s going to be a great song. The track quickly moves into the rock sound featured on the first of the album, but plays with the interplay between this style and Ayu’s synth-heavy pop much more effectively than any of the other songs. Not to mention the very emotionally charged and catchy chorus. Ayu’s voice is almost weeping at points, and a quick read of the song’s translation shows why. All of the aspects of this song simply come together just right and make for a really inspired track. This one’s definitely a head-bopping track, if you can manage to keep yourself to that.
14 Secret
The title track of the album, Secret is one of the true ballads on the album. Instead of the piano featured on the previous ballads of the album, Ayumi is joined by an acoustic guitar and her ever-present string instrumentals. After the very emotional charged and pumped kiss o’ kill, Secret seems a bit held-back, as Ayu’s voice tends to be more for effect than emotion on this one. The track is very similar to those found on Memorial Address both in style and structure. Although it’s a good song, it’s not the best track or the best ballad on the album. This may be the only let-down of the entire album: that it didn’t end on a stronger note. Perhaps one more instrumental to close things off would have helped give a complete experience.
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