Doing a review for an ‘old’ CD seems out of place, but since it’s a hidden gem and requests for her remixes, I’ve decided to give it a proper critic. Exodus is the debut English language album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Utada, released in 2004. It was released on September 9th 2004 in Japan, on October 5th 2004 on the US, and the UK version was released about a year after on September 26th 2005.
First Impressions
rickified: Though the album was a flop in the west, sales were good in Japan. Compared to her usual japanese releases, this album is rather dark and unconventional. All songs are written by Utada and only a couple of the songs aren co-written with Timbaland. Not going with a safe attempt to ensure good sales, Utada experiments with Electronica. Does it work??? Yes, in technical sense, but not many would appreciate this album, cause it doesn’t sound mainstream. Hence, this album is deemed as underrated (in my perpective).
Standout Tracks
Devil Inside 2nd single. Rumbling drum beats paired with the moody syth. It feels different, not the weird kind though. Chorus is catchy.
Exodus ’04 3rd single. Co-written with Timbaland. Not your typical club banger sound. It lean more towards the midtempo side. I like the lyrics at the chorus. =)
Easy Breezy 1st single. The infamous Japaneezy song that either fans love or hate. I think it’s cute. This is the closest to getting a bright pop song from the album.
Hotel Lobby Weird title right. You can hear the obvious middle eastern influence though. The song sounds very intriguing.
Wonder ‘Bout Standard Timbaland beats. Quite unique. Love the syth beats.
Final Verdict
rickified: This album is very experimental. As you see (or hear), the singles are much easier to ‘digest’ than the rest of the tracks from the album. I wouldn’t put this album in the same league as ‘TITO’, which is her 2nd english album released early this year. TITO is more mainstream. everyone could relate too. As for this album, it show thats Utada is able to push boundaries by writing almost all the the tracks. Even though it’s not commercially successful, It has an identity of it’s own and proves to be a cult favourite.