The review scale is pretty straightforward -- the number of stars indicate how much I like a song/CD, with 5/5 being the most, and 1/5 being the least.

Grapefruit
(1st Album)

Released: 97/04/23
Produced by: Kanno Youko
3,045 yen
VICL-60012 		Tracks:
1. Feel Myself
Hmm...I think this song sort of reminds me of the 70s. ^^ Must be the trumpets. I really like it, especially the "tsuyoku nai..." parts. ^_^

2. I and I
Another song that reminds me of the 70s. o.o;;; Here's its definitely the violins. It's very bright and cheerful. ^^

3. Grapefruits
This is slow, and kind of R&B-ish.

4. Migi hoppe no NIKIBI
I don't really know what to make of this song. It's kind of silly, and reminds be both of Chibiusa's image song (Yume wo ijimenaide), and Madona's Material Girl (the beginning especially).

5. Pocket wo sora ni shite
This is an image song from Tenkuu no Escaflowne. It's an okay song. It's light and upbeat, and it reminds me of Hitomi's character.

6. Orange iro to yubikiri
This is a really great song! I guess you could say it's kind of a rock song, but it's also deep and soulful.

7. Aoi Hitomi
Another image song from Escaflowne. This song kind of has a "medieval" sound to it, if that makes any sense. It's very melancholy.

8. Yakusoku wa iranai
This is the great Escaflowne opening song. It's light, and almost has an ethereal sound to it. The bagpipe solo in the middle is probably the best part. It makes me think that I'm riding on a dragon.

9. My Best Friend
This is the English version of Tomodachi, again from Escaflowne. It's an okay song, and gets better near the end.

10. Kaze ga fuku hi
This is one of my all-time favourite Maaya songs, and yet again from Escaflowne. It's just so fabulous! It makes me feel like I'm soaring above the clouds just at the brink of dawn.

11. Sono mama de iin da
It's soft and slow, and is another one that sort of reminds me of the 70s, or at least of a folk song. o.o;
Overall reactions

I really enjoyed this CD thoroughly. It has the greatest number of Maaya songs I dislike, though, which is too bad. But, a bad Maaya song is still better than most other music. And considering this is her debut CD, it was a really good effort. It's probably my least favourite Maaya CD, but it's still a must-have for any Maaya fan! Especially because it has Kaze ga Fuku hi. ^_^

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DIVE
(2nd Album)

Released: 98/12/19
Produced by: Kanno Youko
3,045 yen
VICL-60320 		Tracks:
1. I.D.
This song starts off pretty soulful, with a lot of guitar and piano. Then it changes about 3/4 the way through into a very light, cheerful song with manly violins and drums. It's hard to describe, but it's really, really cool. ^_^ Ano sora e...

2. Hashiru
This song is very upbeat and fast paced, but in a sort of melancholy way, if that makes any sense. o.o;;

3. Baby Face
This is the requisite English song for this CD. It almost sounds like jazz, especially the beginning.

4. Getsuyou no asa
What an awesome song! I find that this song really stands out on this CD as the definitive gem. It starts off very slow, with certain verses a little faster, and then ends slowly. It's hard to describe, but it's almost gothic. It makes me think of grey and black, very drab colours, and Maaya singing with a stoic face -- with no joy at all. Actually, that's just like some of the pictures in the lyric book. o.o;;

5. Pilot
Another melancholy song. A lot of people like this one, but it doesn't do much for me.

6. Heavenly Blue
A very R&B-like song. It's kind of jazzy, too.

7. Peace
I'm not sure how to describe this song... I suppose it's lively and jazzy. ^^

8. YUCCA
One of the only happy songs on the CD. ^^ I really like this one. It's hard to describe, but it's a rock song with a lot of electric guitar. ^^;

9. Neco to Inu
This reminds me of "night club jazz." Very slow, and soulful.

10. Kodoku
I like this song a lot. ^_^ Again, it's melancoly (I'm detecting a theme :P). Sort of in the same vein as YUCCA, but not as happy.

11. DIVE
In the beginning, it feels like you're swimming underwater; it's really neat. ^_^ It's another slow, melancoly song, but I really like this one. ^_^
Overall reactions

Incase you couldn't tell, this CD has a lot of sad, melancoly songs. It can be sort of depressing if you listen to the whole thing over and over again. ^^;;; It sort of has a jazz theme for a lot of the songs, too (maybe because Kanno Youko was composing Cowboy Bebop around the same time?) The lyric book design really fits in well -- it has 19 black and white pictures of Maaya posed around what appears to be a swamp or lake with dead trees. o.o; In 90% of the pictures, she looks really depressed. Despite that, this is a really great CD, and I highly recommend it. ^_^

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Hotchpotch
(Single Collection +)

Released: 99/12/16
Produced by: Kanno Youko
3,045 yen
VICL-60507 		Tracks:
1. Yakusoku wa iranai
This is the great Escaflowne opening song. It's light, and almost has an ethereal sound to it. The bagpipe solo in the middle is probably the best part. It makes me think that I'm riding on a dragon.

2. Tomodachi
This is an image song from Escaflowne. It's an okay song, and gets better near the end.

3. Bokura no Rekishi
This is a really fun song! And really appropriate for CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan.

4. Gift
This is a really great song! It was the 2nd CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan ED. It's really fun and lively, and has this cool yodel thing at the beginning and end. ^_^

5. Kimi ni ai ni ikou
I don't really find this song very interesting. ^^;;; It's okay.

6. Hikari no Naka e
A fabulous, fabulous song. It almost starts off like a lullaby, and is very soft and soothing.

7. Light of Love
This is my absolute favourite Maaya song ever! It's just so wonderful. *_* I just love how it changes 3/4 the way through. *_* It's an image song from Brain Powerd.

8. Kiseki no Umi
This is the OP from Record of the Lodoss War TV. It's very primal -- there are a lot of drums, and people sort of chant. It's really good.

9. Active Heart
This is another really fun song; bright and cheery.

10. Pilot
A melancholy song. A lot of people like this one, but it doesn't do much for me.

11. Platina
This is the 3rd OP from Cardcaptor Sakura. It's really fun, and very Sakura-like. It's perfect for the show.

12. 24 twenty four
Hotchpotch's English song. It was the coupling on the Platina single. It's pretty upbeat and fun.

13. Koibito ni tsuite
This is a very pretty song, with nice solo piano pieces, and nice violin parts, too. Suits Napple Tale well.

14. Pocket wo sora ni shite
This is an image song from Tenkuu no Escaflowne. It's an okay song. It's light and upbeat, and it reminds me of Hitomi's character.

15. Call Your Name
A slow, melancholy song, worthy of DIVE. In the lyric book, the song is dedicated to Hitomi.
Overall reactions

This CD is called "Single Collection +" for a reason. ^_~ It contains all of Maaya's Victor label anime singles up to the end of 1999. The other four songs sort of fit in the miscellaneous category (hence the "+"). ^^;; Pilot is from her jpop Hashiru single, Koibito ni tsuite is from Napple Tale, Pocket wo sora ni shite is an image song from Escaflowne, and Call Your Name is from the Escaflowne movie (it was a hidden track on the Esca movie CD). It's a very good CD, with a lot of variety. ::hugs Hotchpotch:: It's also less expensive than buying all the singles (but then you don't get the karaoke tracks, so...).

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Lucy
(3rd Album)

Released: 01/3/28
Produced by: Kanno Youko
3,045 yen
VICL-60702 		Tracks:
1. Lucy
This is just an instrumental song, but it's very good.

2. MAMESHIBA
There's a lot of guitar in this song. It's very upbeat and happy.

3. Strobo no sora
The best part of this song is the "wakkateru wakkateru" part. That part's awesome. *_* The first and last 4-5 bars are very different than the rest of the song.

4. Alkaloid
It's country music! O.O There's a very strong guitar beat, especially at the beginning.

5. Koucha
It starts out with something that sounds like a mandolin, then turns into a very R&B-ish song.

6. Kinobori to akai skirt
This one starts off country-like, then kind of evolves into a rock song. There's a little Shippo no uta flavour to it, too.

7. Life is Good
Lucy's English song. ^^ It's a typical pop song, but good.

8. Honey bunny
Almost like an R&B song. ^^;;

9. T-Shirts
An excellent song. I think it reminds me of Kaze ga fuku hi, even though they don't sound alike. o.O; Starts of slow and steady, then gets more rock-like.

10. Kuuki to hoshi
This sort of sounds like it was made for a British drama set in the 19th century, if that makes any sense (reader: no, not really...). o.o;;; It's very slow, and has a soft guitar and piano in the background.

11. Rule ~ iro asenai hibi
This one is very country and western-like all the way through. It's kinda neat. ^_^

12. Watashi wa oka no uekara kabin wo nageru
One of my most favourite Maaya songs. ^_^ Starts off slow like T-Shirts, then speeds up a bit. I love the "ah-ah" parts. ^_^ And especially the "voices in your head..." backgrounds. It's a really neat effect when there's 3-4 Maayas singing background, then the "lead" Maaya comes in. ^_^ It also has a really long title. o.O;
Overall reactions

I would have to say this is my favourite Maaya CD, though Hotchpotch is very, very close. It has 3 of my top ten anime songs (from a total of 5 Maaya songs). This CD has a lot of guitar in most of the songs -- a fact emphasized by Maays carrying a guitar in most of the lyric book pictures. ^^; I wonder how she delt with that crow, though... o.o;;; The CD was released this past March, and is full of jpop-only songs. By that I mean that none of the songs were used in anime (DIVE is the same). I kind of wish that Yubiwa and Vector were included, too, though. It would be so wonderful to have those songs on an album. Oh, and just as a note, Maaya wrote all the Japanese songs for the album. ^_^

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Easy Listening
(Mini Album)

Released: 01/8/8
Produced by: hog
2,000 yen
VICL-60760 		Tracks:
1. inori
This song is so good! *_* I really don't know how to describe this song, but it's really ethereal. o.o;

2. blind summer fish
When it starts, you think it'll be just a typical jpop song. And not a very good one. But then it gets better. It's like it doesn't take the path you think it'll take. Or something. The "blind summer fish" parts are especially good. And, no, I have no idea why the lyrics are "blind summer fish." o.o;

3. doreddo
The beginning of doreddo really reminds me of that Men at Work song (you know, "we come from a land down under...). But then it drastically changes. It's really good, and has a primitive beat, sort of like Kiseki no umi.

4. afternoon repose
A really soft and slow song. ^^ And in English.

5. bitter sweet
Very R&B-like. It has a really heavy bass.

6. another grey day in the big blue world
A very sad, slow song. It's in English, and the lyrics are very poignant and haunting. It's about a husband leaving his heart-broken wife with their baby.

7. Birds
A simply fabulous song. Parts are soft and slow, and others fast and sound like a rock song. It's hard to explain, but it just works perfectly. *_*
Overall reactions

This just came out!! Wai! Wai! Sakamoto Maaya-sama!! *_* It's Maaya's first mini album, and is it ever good! I must admit, I was worried when I first heard it was coming out. Who was this "hog" guy, and what was he doing producing one of Maaya's albums!! What happened to the wonderful Kanno Youko? ;_; When the track list was released, I was relieved to find that Kanno-san had composed all the songs, but "hog" had arranged them. Evil. Although, when I heard inori for the first time, I was won over. *_* Seriously, though, I wonder what happened to Kanno-san? Did Maaya (or Maaya's agents or whatever) want to branch out? Or was Kanno-san too busy? I hope she comes back to producing Maaya's next album.

Rating:


23ji no Ongaku
(Mayonaka wa betsu no kao OST)

Released: 02/5/22
Produced by: Y.K & Ota toshiaki (Border Line)
1,575 yen
VICL-60885 		Tracks:
1. Two things
This is a great little mambo-type song. ^_^ Makes you wanna dance!! (Instrumental only)

2. Here
I *really* enjoy this song. It sort of reminds of of her DIVE songs, just because it's so sad. It's in English (like most of the vocals on this CD), so for someone who doesn't understand Japanese fluently (::raises hand:: ^^;;), the impact of the song is just that much greater. :) My favourite part of the song is probably the long instrumental part -- it's pretty. *_*

3. DANIERU
The very beginning of the song sounds R&B-ish, then it turns into more of a pop song. It's an enjoyable song that I think gets better as the song progresses. Another English song. :) For some reason, I always picture Maaya playing the guitar parts of the song. ^^;

4. Pepper strech
Jazzy. :) Definitely shades of Cowboy Bepop! About 1:25 into the song, Maaya sings some background vocals.

5. Kissing the christmas killer
Another very sad song (as you can probably tell from the title o.o;), but this one doesn't really feel like it would fit on DIVE. I think Maaya's vocals here are quite different from most of her other songs. Most of them are sort of "echo-y", and she sings in a higher octave than usual. This isn't a critisism; I think they sound very pretty, and make the whole song very etherial. :) More English. :)

6. Trust me
I don't really know how to classify this song. Actually, the vocal style is very similar to track 5, but sung much slower. I wouldn't call it sad, though. It's more of a hopefull song, I think. :) Yet more English. :)

7. NOERU
This one really has a Spanish feel to it. ^_^ I think it's the acoustic guitar in combination with the piano. At 1:20 the song changes quite a bit (more violins), then changes to sort of an amalgam of the two. Another strictly instrumental song.

8. FADO
I really love this song! ^_^ For some reason it reminds me of Vector. o.O;; Maaya sings this song in "Kanno-ese" (Kanno Youko is fond of making up her own languages for songs ^^). It just works fabulously! I especially like the ending.

9. TARUKAN
This song sounds sort of futuristic. A man is singing background vocals this time (in Kanno-ese).

10. PENGIN
I don't know how to describe this song other than "weird." :P It reminds me of some of Kanno-san's odder tracks on the Escaflowne CDs (this is in no way a bad thing ^_^). Instrumental.

11. SUPEKUTORU
I really like this song! ^_^ It seems to have been made with mostly synthesised music, with real violins, and some coral bg vocals later on. It sounds very good, even with (or because of) its sadness.

12. Toto
My favourite song on the album! ^_^ I think it reminds me of Ongaku. ^^ Another fabulous English Maaya song. :)

13. NAIFU no shi
I think this song has a "nightclub" feel to it. Like something Kei-kun might play at Lizard Live House in Marmalade Boy. ^^ Instrumental.

14. NOERU no PIANO
This is a reprise of track 7 with a piano arrangement (thus the track title ^^;). Still very pretty. :) Instrumental.
Overall reactions

As is probably evident from the title, this is the Mayonaka wa betsu no kao OST. :P For the first time (to the best of my knowledge), Maaya is singing for a live action drama. I think it's really great to see her grow, and get new experiences (but still stay with Kanno-san ^_^). I was really pleased with this CD, epecially since it was only around 1600 yen. :D Maaya's song's are great, Kanno-san's instrumental songs are great...it doesn't get much better than this. ^_^

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