Ayumi Hamasaki – M(a)de In Japan Review

Ayumi Hamasaki Made In Japan

Release Date: June 29, 2016

Track Listing

  1. tasky
  2. FLOWER
  3. Mad World
  4. Breakdown
  5. Survivor
  6. You are the only one
  7. TODAY
  8. Mr. Darling
  9. Summer Love
  10. Many Classic Moments

Review

M(a)de in Japan is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 17th studio album. It was released via the Japanese streaming service AWA on May 11, 2016. The physical CD editions were released a month later.

When this album was released online, it came out of nowhere. There was no advanced hype for it other than a cryptic message on the AWA site about some exciting news regarding Hamasaki. Is this something pleasant from Ayu, or is it another one of those inconsistent, overly long messes of an album that have plagued the later years of her career?

Well, you will be very happy if you liked the days of yore when an Ayumi Hamasaki album was a concise collection of pop. The album’s 43-minute running time is full of Hamasaki bypassing all the pageantry and just keeping what works for her brand of songs.

The simplicity captures the listener’s attention regarding M(a)de in Japan. Much of this album is a throwback to her glory days, with tracks like FLOWER, Breakdown, Survivor and Summer Love being the prime examples to look out for.

It has almost become expected to have some sort of train wreck from Ayu these days whenever she releases new music. Whether that’s deserved or not is subjective, but it’s nice to know that she can still hit one out of the park every once in a while. If you’ve given up on her, I suggest you take a chance on this album. You may end up liking what you hear.

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