The whole concept was Japan, its traditions and sounds mixed with modern trends and Koda Kumi personality as a a grown woman but frankly, it's hard to follow the direction of the tracklist. Too many genres, too many styles, too many songs, too many collaborations, too many fillers....this JAPONESQUE, after the enthusiasm of the first days, immediately sounded redundant and out of focus.

If JAPONESQUE, as a whole, is a bit sloppy, let's see how each song stands on its own; here's my track-by-track album review:

 

01. Introduction ～JAPONESQUE～ The album starts with a good intro, it's not her best intro but it perfectly matches the mix between Japanese traditions and modern sounds that the album wants to evoke 6/10

 

02. So Nice feat. Mr.Blistah Is a sexy slow-jam with a very Japanese feel. Kumi's voice is perfect and balanced, unfortunately I absolutely hate the rap part...they always ruin Kumi's songs with useless collaborations! It could have been a better track with a good bridge instead, this is also the only song which made me think about the "Japonesque" concept 7/10

 

03. Boom Boom Boys I love when Kumi dares with these kinds of songs mixing rock, hip hop and electronic sounds....I think it's where she shines the most and is able to prove that she has an edge that other artists don't have 9/10

 

04. V.I.P. feat. T-Pain While I enjoyed the single version to a certain extent, I think that this album version with T-Pain is weaker. As usual these rappers don't add nothing special to Kumi's songs...on the contrary, they are unnecessary and stretch the length of many tracks. Kumi's vocals then are too squeaky and are very annoying. It's really bad 4/10

 

05. Slow feat. Omarion Finally a quite good collaboration. Omarion is far from being relevant but he's a great dancer and if Kumi can't afford Usher, this Omarion is a good compromise and his part is actually good. The track has a massive Tricky Stewart kind of production and is a great rnb slow-jam which could be featured on her previous album Dejavu, I like it a lot 8/10

 

06. Brave Is a tired and long ballad which recycles the same old formula but it's not supported by a memorable melody. Kumi's interpretation is still good and her voice gets you through this song anyway, the bridge is the only good thing here 6/10

 

07. Everyday Among all the music genres that Kumi has challenged herself with throughout her whole career the Cute-Kawaii-Fluffy-Sugary-Childish-Pop is definitely the worse. Some silly and childish songs are ok but this doesn't add nothing to her discography. It's so bad and annoying 3/10

 

08. IN THE AIR Finally an excellent production full of details. The '80s but modern sound is amazing, the melody is excellent, the chorus is moving and the bridge flows smoothly...one of my old time favourite Kumi's songs! 9/10

 

09. You are not alone ~acoustic version~ Here's the second ballad of the album: I wasn't a big fan of the original version and I'm not digging this acoustic version either. The melody is fine, the vocals are good and I like the gospel touch that is something new for Kumi. It reminds me a bit of You Are So Beautful but this song simply isn't just as good and it didn't impress me that much 6.5/10

 

10. Interlude ~JAPONESQUE~ This interlude continues mixing Japanese elements and modern sounds with a drum'n'bass twist. Nothing great...it sounds rather bad actually 5/10

 

11. ESCALATE The second part of the album starts with a bang! ESCALATE is an upbeat track and despite being fun it sounds a bit messy and overproduced, the melody isn't memorable either and I found myself to be skipping this song quite often. Another song that is just discrete 7/10

 

12. Love Me Back When it first came out I was going crazy for this and the video is fun as well! The chorus is ok, the production's rich with its tribal influences. It's that Kumi's mix I love: upbeat rnb/pop with a J-Pop melody and good vocals. Nothing to rave about but a good track 7/10

 

13. No Mans Land Did I tell you that I love Rock-Kumi? I'm still hoping for a heavily rock driven album because just a couple of random rock numbers once in a while don't make much sense to me. The song is not a game-changer and it's quite simple but the strength of its bridge makes it a standout! Guitars and drums are elementary but overall, No Mans Land kicks ass! 8/10

 

14. Ai wo Tomenaide (愛を止めないで) At first I didn't like this ballad that much but it grew on me. The melody is astonishing, the vocals are excellent as usual and the bridge is breathtaking. Production-wise it's the usual Kumi's power ballad but this is a very classy and elegant effort, easily the best ballad on the album and one of Kumi's best to date 8/10

 

15. KO-SO-KO-SO Another super sexy song! The beat is terrific and the melody is simple yet catchy and effective. It's a pity that the song doesn't evolve that much in the bridge and it basically stays the same until the end, it could have been perfect 8/10

 

16. Lay Down This was one of my favourite snippets before the album came out because of its massive production but with time, due to its weak and steady melody, I lost interest for this song. It lacks a strong chorus and I find it unfinished. Lay Down is just a filler 6.5/10

 

17. Love Technique This is one of the few exceptions where I can tolerate the Cute-Kawaii-Fluffy-Sugary-Childish-Poppish thanks to the bridge tha saves a rather stupid song 6/10

 

18. Poppin' love cocktail feat.TEEDA I found The Offsrping sample to be fun and the song is an explosion of colors and energy. Having said that, the song is so long to the point it gets annoying. Just a no for me but it's an ok pop-rock song that many people love 6/10

 

19. All for you I love this song but this live version is terrible. The acoustics is awful and she's pitchy all the time...a lame version of a rather beautiful and touching song. I can't understand why they decided to put this live on the album instead of recording the song in the studio, a shame indeed 5/10