Slogging Through

Everyday, I just feel as if my work gets more and more challenging along the way, but it doesn’t seem to be too daunting as I’m starting to find my direction towards my research project.

Anyway, CD of the month is Ayumi Hamasaki’s MY STORY Classical :). And all I can say that the album rocks. Now the only quirk I had is that Ayu’s voice doesn’t seem to fit really well with a grand orchestra… at least the first few tracks anyway as I just feel that her vocals just go out of place (more like as if her vocals seems to be “superimposed” or pasted into the classical mix). And I was pretty disappointed with GAME as I feel that her vocals are best replaced by string instruments instead. But think about it, the effort of Ayu and the arranger is definitely worth praising for as arranging a rock song into an classical piece is definitely a very challenging one, if not really possible.

Overall, the orchestration is definitely majestic, beautiful, touching, and my praise for the orchestra and the conductor is totally endless as I listen through the CD. And sometimes I just wished that it was fully classical and instrumental as the strongest tracks are unexpectedly to be the interlude tracks in MY STORY (WONDERLAND, Kaleidoscope, Catchers In The Light)! And really, these arrangements will definitely blow you away. OK, probably I’m a bit biased (and feel really bad, since I’m a big fan of her) that I said that the album should have been purely instrumental as I prefer classical arrangements to be kept purely instrumental.

Somehow I’m a bit disappointed that INSPIRE and my name’s WOMEN didn’t make it (but probably to make a classical arrangement out of it would be equally as hard as GAME), but I’m pretty surprised that HONEY, HOPE or PAIN, winding road and HAPPY ENDING turned out extremely good (and not to mention that Ayu seems to be more adapted to the classical pieces). Especially HONEY when the cheekiness seems to seep in every single second, making it one of my favourite vocal song arrangement in this album.

Overall I’ll give this album a highly recommended 4. But most likely I’ll give it a perfect 5 if it’s an completely instrumental arrangement (like JPop meets Classical HARMONY: Ayumi Hamasaki Melody) album. But then again, these kind of album would probably be not much of a great appeal towards the younger audience… Or probably I’m just badly mistaken.

Speaking of which, I really need to buy more classical music albums :).