Gouriki Ayame releases her debut album this week. For those who don’t know her, she’s basically this actress in Japan who among others, like Takei Emi, gets a lot of push in the industry for the past year or so. She has been in multiple dramas and most recently, she was in Black Butler movie alongside Hiro Mizushima. While she may have more experience in acting with a longer career in that particular industry under her belt, I don’t think a lot of people actually know that she learned dancing from quite young. Personally, I didn’t know that until she released her first single Tomodachi Yori Daiji na Hito last year. So now that she’s stepping into the music industry, how will her debut album fare?
Tomodachi Yori Daiji na Hito
Serving as her first single, I find this being the opening track in her album a quite fitting position. When I first heard this song, I liked it right away. The music video probably contributed a lot to that factor. It was colourful, fun and we get to see her dance along her other backup dancers in classrooms, hallways and basketball court. The dance is actually pretty innovative and addictive that I rewatched the video several times just to see the choreography. The song itself is electro-laden, catchy bubblegum pop, some synths and her vocal is sort of autotuned. That final bit is probably the only gripe I have about the song and actually all her songs. I think this will somehow be her signature style from now though.
Kuyashii Kedo Daiji na Hito
This is her third single and it pretty much follows the same pattern as Tomodachi. There’s something about the way she sounds that kind of refrains me from listening to the song repetitively. There are parts where she falls flat and even the autotune can’t save it. But ignoring that, the song is enjoyable like Tomodachi.
Wagamama wa Daiji na Hito
The synthy intro reminds me of some idol songs (which I couldn’t pinpoint) but I heard it before. This is a midtempo track so things are slowing down a bit. I also think that her voice is less altered in this song, especially in the verses. It’s nicer to hear a more natural voice. Also, it’s not hard to notice that the titles for the first 3 tracks so far ends with Daiji na Hito. I don’t know the purpose of this but if anyone knows, do share what you think in the comments. As for the track, I actually like it.
Nanairo 7 Days
An upbeat summer-ish track was what came into my mind when I heard the intro. It’s quite a bop but my complain is again how her voice is altered. There’s something very annoying about it, especially when she hits the higher notes. I can’t explain but it’s giving me a slight headache. It’s like grating in my ears. Maybe she’s straining, maybe it’s the producer’s fault. However, there’s a part where she sings lower notes and that sounds much better. The chorus might be repetitive but overall, I don’t hate this.
Tic-Tac
Did I hear R&B in this song? Love the beats. Thank goodness she doesn’t have to screech here, if anything, the chorus is the best part. The piano keys in the background gives a cute groovy vibe. The funny thing is she doesn’t pronounce the Tic as ‘tick’ but ‘Chick’ lolzz. This is a good diversion from the pattern so far so it makes sense that this track stands out right away.
Hitotsu Dake
The intro sounds so familiar it annoys the hell out of me that I couldn’t make out where I heard something like that before. This song is driven by synths. The song is slightly forgettable if not for that repetitive melody in the intro.
GO! GIRLS!! GO!
I was kind of waiting for something like this to appear. While her signature style is electro pop that sounds slightly juvenile, this has some ‘house EDM’ element. It could do without the excessive ‘Wow oh Wow oh’ though. I feel this track is probably the first song that sounds lazy in production. It’s obviously a filler, it doesn’t quite go anywhere, stays plateau mostly and that ‘rap’ which sounds like Avril’s Girlfriend doesn’t belong in this track. It’s a pity largely because they had a chance to pursue mature EDM but wasted it on this. I’m just waiting for it to explode into awesomeness but it never happened.
Kimi Iro
In essence, this is business as usual like Tomodachi and the like. I’m glad her voice is less strained and actually smoother here, a pleasure to listen to. I see whoever produced this fixed her vocals. Now why can’t she sound like this in all her songs? I like the breakdown in this, the best part for me. That flute-like melody is nice.
Listen to Kimi Iro here.
Asagao
This is downright forgettable. The chorus is weak and there’s really no redeeming factor. It does remind me of 2000s Jpop so it has this dated sound but it’s not doing anything for me. Another filler. She sings some English in the bridge which surprisingly I can actually understand (for the most part anyway).
Rainbow
This is the only track that has ‘rock’ element with the fake-ish electric guitar. I think they’re trying to produce a pop/rock tune and I do appreciate the effort. The problem is, it’s not catchy and the rainbow is kinda lame. I mean, she sings ‘over the rainbow’ and stuffs, that’s not cool. The synths doesn’t quite blend well with the overall style. I think they should ditch the electronics and just focused on real pop/rock.
Anata no 100 no Kirai na Tokoro
She ends the album with her second single. I think it’s catchy like all her singles are, but it’s not something I will listen to countless times. It’s her vocals again.
Impression:
For an actress who ventures into the music industry, I admit I was doubtful on how she will deliver. Overall, I do find this album is listenable and it’s not horrible. There are some actual good songs in this. The only major complaint I have is her vocals. Her vocal is sadly on the more ‘thin’ side and it can sound very grating on the ears. It really needs ample time to get used to, at least for me personally. I find that I can’t listen to her songs repeatedly because of the vocals. The track where she sounds the best is Kimi Iro and I really hope the producer will keep that as a lesson for her future songs. That aside, this album is actually better than I expected. Since it’s her debut, I didn’t put a lot of hope or expectation into it. She’s afterall more known for acting than being a singer. She’s probably great in dancing but I think she needs more work in her vocal. Getting a good vocal trainer should be her priority before releasing the next album. I’m not sure if music is one of the tactics her agency does to milk more money from her (consider the push she’s getting) but I think she’s genuinely interested in music, considering her dancing experience. Overall, I do like the direction she’s heading to, as far as music goes, this album has quite a few bops so I won’t put it down. I think she has a good team behind her with musical inspirations, but they just need to figure out how to fix her vocal. If they can solve that, I’m more than happy to look forward to her new songs.
Score: 6.5/10
Highlights: Tomodachi Yori Daiji na Hito, Kuyashii Kedo Daiji na Hito, Kimi Iro, Tic-Tac, Wagamama
Ritsu no Jpop Land 