AI -Wa To Yo(和と洋) Album Thoughts(J-RnB/Pop)

  I've mentioned AI(Pronounced like the letter "I") briefly in another post. She's a Japanese singer that continues to bring a natural Soul RnB sound to Japanese audiences. AI was original born in California to a biracial mother causing her to be fluent in both English and Japanese. Over the years, she has had a successful career as the first female artist to sign to Def Jam Records Japan with chart topping songs and albums that paints AI as an artists that won't be slowing down anytime soon. Her newest album is said to be a combination of Japanese music and music from from the West(America.). Wa To Yo is her eleventh studio album but only her ninth under Universal Music Japan.

Tracklist

• Wa Disc (和)

1. WA Interlude feat. Jinmenusagi
2. Wonderful World feat. Himekami
3. From Zero
4. 最後は必ず正義が勝つ(At the End, Justice Always Wins)
5. FEEL IT
6. I Can't Pretend
7. グイグイナン
8. Home
9. IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT
10. Music Is My Life

• Yo Disc (洋)

1. YO Interlude
2. Welcome to My City feat. Junior Reid, Eric Bellinger
3. Right Now feat. Chris Brown
4. WHAT I WANT feat. Jinmenusagi
5. Sweet Nothing's
6. The One You Need
7. CRAZY LOVE

  This album isn't the same AI that gave listeners RnB music with a bit of Reggae mixed in. She's decided to scrap the whole Reggae infusion RnB style and go with something fresh. The instrumentals for Wa To Yo have musicians performing with traditional Japanese instruments that makes anyone who cares about Japan think of the beautiful landscapes at dawn or the outline of the mountains in the glow of the setting sun. These beautiful sounds entice you each time they make an appearance on the album. Wait! This is an AI album so that RnB beat drop happens out of nowhere to get listeners out of their relaxed trances. Much of the core of the tracks on Wa To Yo resemble a little of old AI. Certain tracks might be a little more based on group harmony than her last album. There's not lack of vocal support for AI here at all. The background vocalists are always very strong in AI's songs, like a church choir strolled into her studio session. A lot of repetitive English lyrics are sung in Wa To Yo's track selection too. Both English and Japanese are used in her music. She might use English first then just repeat the same thing in Japanese like most other artists. If it doesn't translate well into Japanese then she sings a whole lyrical line in English. I felt that her songs use repetitive hooks a little too often for my tastes. One or two songs were alright but then it kept being utilized throughout the entire album. What I do like are the lyrical meaning of her songs. A message to be strong not matter what you face has been a big topic of her songs. Also coming into your own self and being honest with yourself are the meaning of tracks like Can't Pretend. FEEL IT lets listeners know that Ai isn't making music or doing anything in her life that her heart isn't invested in. I'm not sure how Japanese audiences will take these songs because Japan isn't a very outspoken country. In certain cases, being too outspoken is even looked down upon. AI will always be her own person though. I've noticed her motivation to get her fans to be more outspoken like she is in her music. Huge progress on this goal has been made since she first hit the music scene in the early 2000s. 2017 brought out the creative side of her based on the sounds coming from Wa To Yo and I'm loving the Japan/America fusion instrumentals a lot.

  I can listen to anything AI puts out based solely on her vocals. She's a powerhouse vocalist that's in a league of her own. Not many Japanese female vocalists that I can name off the top of my head that can do what she does. Many try and fail. This girl has a natural talent for soulful based music. Music Is My Life gets the award for best vocal track out of all the tracks on Wa to Yo to me.

  Wa To Yo isn't AI's best album. Its an album that feels geared toward AI trying to express herself truthfully in her music more than pleasing the masses. This could hurt her album sales as well as the other factors like the ever growing new generation of Japanese youth( plus the internet) who might not even know who AI is. I do have hope for Wa To Yo's sales based on how well her best selections album did on the charts. However, I'm looking at the day to day ranking right now and it looks like this album might not even rank in the top ten on the Oricon Charts by the end of the week…… Words are not enough to describe my sadness. I'll check back again later. Still a fan no matter your album sales. Good luck girl.