At first I was worried that some of the songs are so different from what Kumi usually does that I'll never get accustomed to them and in the end never like them, however, most of them just required two more listenings than usuall for me to fall for them. Good album with several gems.
Introduction ~Bon Voyage~ Not the usuall awesome way to start an album but not bad either, you can hear seaguls and ships in the beginning which fits the theme of the album but then turns into electro club music with repetitive lyrics. Works nice as a transmitter to the first song. 7/10
SHOW ME YOUR HOLLA The best description I ever found for this kind of music was "a throwback to the 20s, 30s, and 40s-style jazz, blues, and feel-good soul music, but with a modern twist", it was a description for Christina Aguilera's album Back to Basic which I strongly dislike so I wasn't happy when Kumi decided to do something similar, however, I was hoping she will keep most of her own style in it and somehow make it awesome. I wasn't wrong. Though the first sounds made me worried the moment she starts singing I am home again. I absolutely love the chorus. 10/10
LOADED feat. Sean Paul Only second song but the theme already seems to fade away, the only connection left is the feeling of a pirate ship and the lyrics that are all about alcohol, getting drunk and enlisting different drinks. I don't get Kumi's logic though, they lyrics say "G for Gin and Tonic", but Kumi says "H for Gin and Tonic" Did she just mistook the pronouciation of English G and H? Anyway, the song is fast, funny, and works great in live performances. 10/10
Winner Girls Similar to LOADED, same tempo, similar energy but I'm not really fond of the constant repetition of the word Winner in the chorus. I admit it created a unique echo but it's tiring after a while. 8/10
Imagine The most underrated song of this album. It starts with a boring tune, though it lasts only a few seconds I remember being discouraged at first but when Kumi starts singing and the melody switches, it immediately turned into one of the best ballad of hers (though I had to hear it live to realize it). I love how intense the chorus is (especially near the end), it tell a story even though you don't know the lyrics. Actually it made me believe that once I know what she sings about I'll love it even more but unfortunately the lyrics aren't as great as I wanted them to be so that's the only drawback. 9.5/10
恋しくて (Koishikute) One of the typical generic ballads which some people love but for most of Kumi fans they are the dark side that you just need to get used to. I can't say a bad thing about this song, it's really pretty and once I listen to it I find it charming, however, on normal day basis I never listen to it. 6/10
LALALALALA The only drawback of this song is that it has a sister song that has similar energy but it wasn't included on this album. I'm talking about IS THIS TRAP? They are, again, fast, funny, energetic and awesome live. 10/10
Let's show tonight Back to the theme of the album, this time in not such a good way. When I listen to it I imagine Kumi tap dancing surrounded by tens of sailors. The finishing line Everybody go Bon Voyage is good though. 6/10
Interlude ~Bon Voyage~ I can see how this track was created to make a smooth transition from sailor-ish Let's show tonight to the next song, but personally I'd just skip both or at least the previous one, the interlude itself is quite good. 7/10
TOUCH DOWN The most unique song on the album, slow and very sensual with single tune upbeat and several moments when the music becomes more intense, I'm not the best at describing it but it was truly an amazing experience when I first heard it. Also, it has wonderful bridge, Go through the motion in slow motion, I think that's the bridge but I'm not sure since it happens twice. 10/10
CRANK THA BASS feat. OVDS I'm not sure if you can call this a song, to me it's just a noise, it reminds me of a motorbike engine, it gets pretty annoying very fast. The only good moment this song has is the bridge but then it gets back to noise. No. 3.5/10
LOL It feels weird at first but then you just realize it was supposed to be weird and go with the flow. Kumi is mocking instead of singing for most of the song but there are moments when she sings with a pretty clean voice. I'm still not sure how I find it, it's a song Joker from Batman would appreciate, good for clubs, I thought it will be amazing live but it was just fine, the visuals were better than the song itself. If I ever review the Bon Voyage Tour 2014 I'll post a link here. 8.5/10
Go to the top I love the heavy tunes in this song, you can feel out of breath after listening to it, there's some force in this song, it's far from being uplifting. 8/10
Dreaming Now! The song was written by Koda in honor of Japan's part in the 2013 Volleyball World Grand Champion Cup for men and women, both of which were held in Japan. (from wiki), the lyrics are about winning a cup as well and to me it doesn't really fit the theme of the album at all. It feels like both Go to the top and Dreaming Now are just fillers, I wouldn't mind if they were single exclusive. 8/10
On Your Side I had to listen to this one for few times before I fell for it, I love how intense the chorus is, especially close to the end, there's almost no time for breath but since it's very short I can stand the three minutes without breathing, it's one of those songs that makes me singing whenever I listen to it, I simply love the way my diaphragm works when I'm singing it. 10/10
U KNOW And finally the last song and a pretty good choice for closing the album with a positive energy. I was skeptical at first and needed two more listenings than usuall to convince myself that this song isn't something created in the 80's but now I love it, very uplifting. 10/10
So put your hands up
Show me how we don't care
No matter what anyone says, this is my style
I gonna smile smile smile like a superstar
Cause u know who I am
Album Rate: 8.2/10
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