Release Date: December 18, 2019
Track Listing
- Break it down
- Dissolution
- Escape
- Hana Uta (ハナウタ)
- STRONGER
- Kimagure (気まぐれ)
- TRICK
- IDENTITY
- BYE BYE
- Betsu no Hito no Kanojo ni Natta yo (別の人の彼女になったよ)
- Parallel Date (パラレルデート)
- Watashi no Migigawa [Takuroku] (私の右側［宅録］)
Review
Suzuki Airi’s debut album Do me a favor was her first as a solo artist. It was comprised of a mix of dance and rock songs were an amalgamation of her musical influences up to that point in her career. Working with artists such as Akai Ko-en, SCANDAL and SPICY CHOCOLATE only re-enforced the idea that she was going to carve her own path. The end result was an unexpected turn away from the sugary idol music she had been associated with for so long.
On i she continues to move forward with slight tweaks being made to her sound to accommodate for a little more musical variety.
The opening song Break it down was Suzuki’s only single release in 2019. The follow up song after is the first of the album cuts titled Dissolution. Both are a pop/funk blend and are unlike anything Suzuki has released previously as a solo artist. Songs like these show her diving head first into unexplored musical territory with a successful outcome.
On tracks such as ESCAPE, STRONGER and TRICK Suzuki goes back to the well of dance music. The latter two songs in particular are very catchy and are reminiscent of AVEX style songs. IDENTITY and BYE BYE on the other hand fulfill the album’s rock quota.
The former was released as a b-side on 2019’s ESCAPE single while the latter is a new song. Of the two BYE BYE is the more attention grabbing with its driving beat and crunchy guitar lead.
The remainder of i is comprised of several fluffy pop songs that kind of bring the momentum of the album down a bit. They feel more like stop gaps (a.k.a. filler) than anything but you should probably at least give them a shot to see if anything floats your boat.
i can be considered a very good follow up to Do me a favor. Similar to that album i out stays its welcome with filler and could have been tightened up a little. Otherwise there are no other weak points to make note of.
In the end this can be considered a small step in the evolution of Suzuki Airi. It’s probably not enough to convert non-believers but it is good enough to keep her current fanbase happy until her next release.
