Utada Hikaru - First Love

Multi-platinum debut album from artist who is currently one of Japan's hottest female pop vocalist. Includes one bonus track, 'Automatic (Johnny Vicous Remix)'. 1999 release. Standard jewel case. Album Description

A wonderful debut album

"First Love" is the debut album by Utada Hikaru. She only made it when she was 16 and it went on to sell over 10 million copies. 7 million being in Japan alone, the album has its ups and downs. Mainly ups, I'll be reviewing each song separately.

"Automatic -Album Edit" starts off the album and it starts off perfectly. From the sounds of the turntables to the tambourine you'll be hooked. Utada's English phrases in the slew of Japanese fit perfectly well together. "Automatic" might last a bit long but you probably won't notice since it's really catchy.

"Movin' on Without You" is the next song on the list. I like the beginning where Utada sings "Nothing's gonna stop me, only you can stop me" but after that I get quite bored since Utada sings low and then gets high again. The song just doesn't catch my attention.

"In My Room" is the next song, it starts with a very heavy urban sound and a voice of a male singing "Yeah, Yeah, Come on" then Utada sings. The song is a bit boring at first but then picks up and then you get hooked. The song finishes off with Utada singing with an echo sound.

"First Love" is one of Utada's signature songs. It's a heavy ballad song with some R&B thrown in. Utada's English phrases once again pop out to the listener. The song is very popular; it was so popular Utada actually made it a re-cut single. "First Love" is a song you should not miss.

"Amai Wana ~Paint it Black" is a very unique and complex song. You'd be surprised to know a 16 year old Utada arranged this song. The song has a very kick arse beat that everyone can enjoy. The song has some very catchy lyrics and even borrows the line "I see a red door and I wanna paint it black" from the famous song by the Rolling Stones.

"time will tell" is a urban piano song. It starts with a piano interlude and then Utada starts singing. Near the end the song mainly just ends with Utada singing "Time will tell." Nothing really special here.

"Never Let Go" is the next song and it starts with a guitar and then goes into more R&B. The song itself isn't memorable. It's mainly a track that just might play in the background or something.

"B&C -Album Edit-" is the next song and it's one of her bests. The song starts unexpectedly and it's really catchy. Utada hits her high notes perfectly and the English blends really well with her Japanese. Another great song by Utada.

"Another Chance," just like "Never Let Go" is not that memorable. I can't really remember this song, even if I listen to it over and over. I just can't get into it.

"Interlude" is actually one of my favorite interludes, although it's a bit short. The melody is from another song that appeared on Utada's next album "Distance."

"Give Me A Reason" is a slow, ballad song that has some R&B in it. The song is nice, but it's 6 minutes long. Way to long for me to listen to.

"Automatic -Johnny Vicious Remix-" is a bonus track, it's a hot dance tune of "Automatic." It's a nice way to end the album since the remix is quite nice.

"First Love" is an ok album from my point of view. It has it's ups and downs. Overall, an ok album. I suggest that you get the album if you love R&B or if you need more Utada to listen to.
August 26, 2008

fantastic

I enjoyed this one and there is only one song on there that i didnt like. Other than that First Love is up in there in play book. I love how Hikki mixes English and Japanese without any effort at all. Its an excellent cd for anyone that's a fan of hers or even if not. You will enjoy this cd...its not even about the language its about the music and it rises above any kind of barrier out there.

Love...first!! October 1, 2007

I Like it!

This is my first experience with the world of "J-Pop", so I don't have anything to compare to except to Western Pop. That being said, I enjoyed the album very much. There's something about Hikaru's voice that transcends both language and culture. August 1, 2007

Great Album

Hikaru's "First Love" album is still one of her greatest. The song "First Love" alone makes this album a great purchase. If you are new to Hikaru Utada's music(e.g. you found out about her from Kingdom Hearts)than you should know that this album has a deferent feel/sound from her newer songs. If you truly love Hikaru's music, than this album is a must-have. July 15, 2007

This is One of the Best Albums You Can Ever Buy

Whether you're into American music, Japanese music, it doesn't really matter. This album is an excellent album for anyone interested in music period.

Utada Hikaru wrote all of the songs on this album, apart from Amai Wana ~Paint it Black~ and was only 15 when she recorded this.

This album is especially precious to those interested in R&B. In fact, in one of her songs, Hikki (a fan name) used the background from Monica's (it's really Sting's song, "Shape of My Heart") "Take Him Back".

The beginning of this album starts out with an R&B beat, "Automatic". Although most lyrics will only be able to pick up a few words, "it's automatic", "I feel so good", etc. it is definitely worth the experience. There is a bit of guitar in the background (electric, it peps up the beat a bit) and makes this song even more energetic. "Automatic" was Hikki's first single and it sold nearly 50,000 copies in its first week and over 2,000,000 in total.

"Movin' On Without You" was another upbeat song. The hook, "Nothing's gonna stop me, only you can stop me" is quite catchy. The background is quite nice but, although this was a high selling single, it never caught on too much for me. However, it's a great song and I do give it a listen fairly often.

If you ask, no one can say they don't like the background of "In My Room". It caught me immediately, and I never can skip this track. The lyrics, even though it's impossible to pick up any more than "in my room" every now and then, are quite touching. I love them entirely, stop by an anime lyrics site if you get the chance and check them out. Once you get a good listen to this track, it's impossible to skip it.

"First Love" may not catch you at the beginning, but the chorus will. "You are always gonna be my love" the beat behind that and the voice was beautiful. It can seem like an easy skip because it's so slow but it's a choice you'll soon regret. Again, the lyrics are quite touching. English chorus: "You are always gonna be my love. Even if I fall in love with someone once again. I'll remember to love. You taught me how. You are always gonna be the one. It's still a sad song. Until I sing a new song." The background turns into excellence on the chorus and after it.

I have yet to find the English lyrics for "Amai Wana". The end is quite catchy. "I see a red door and I wanna paint it black." The background is upbeat and quite a refreshing difference from the slow tempo of "First Love".

"Time Will Tell" may seem like a repeat of "First Love" at the beginning. But just take a listen. It turns into beauty around 0:15. Again, I haven't found the English lyrics. The entire melody and song sounds so pretty and happy. Again, it's quite different from "First Love." (Why do I keep comparing the tracks to that song in particular, I don't know.) I love the chorus. This track quickly became one of my favorites. This was released as a single with Automatic. You'll quickly fall in love with this song.

"Never Let Go". This is another pretty song. I knew I recognized the beat from somewhere, and many of you are bound to know it. As I said earlier, it's from a Sting said that Brandy re used in "Take Him Back". The background vocal is nice "I'll never let go". The main vocals are just as good and they have touching lyrics. Run through the sand with the one you love, and never let go... (Oh, BTW, that's not a direct quote this time...)

"B&C" is another happy beat. I don't like it as much as I like "Time Will Tell" but it's nice to listen to all the same. It's lovely. But, to be honest, there's not much for me to say here.

"Another Chance" is another one of those songs I listen to on occasion. Similarly to "In My Room", the background is great. It's a bit more funky, though but excellent all the same.

The interlude is pretty, but there's not much to say about it, it's only 17 seconds long...

"Give Me a Reason" is pretty but it doesn't catch me again. I like it and I like the backgrounds as well.

"Automatic" (Johnny Vicious Remix) is lovely to listen to when you want the vocals of Automatic but you want it to get upbeat or you want to dance to it. I wouldn't recommend listening to it before you listen to the real "Automatic" of course because the real "Automatic" is about a hundred times better. This track isn't bad, but it's just a remix. It's great and all, but, well, the original's better. ^_^

All in all, I give this album two thumbs up, five stars, 10 outta 10, whatever phrase you want to use. Utada Hikaru has done a GREAT, FANTASTIC, AWESOME, EXCELLENT, etc. job with her debut album. Be sure to buy "Distance" and "Deep River", and "Ultra Blue" her second, third, and fourth albums.

Additional Notes:
* The "First Love" album was at #1 on the Japanese charts for 4 weeks.
* The "First Love" album has also landed itself on #1 at the best selling Japanese albums in history since 1999
Source: Wikipedia April 8, 2007

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