Having already broken down some barriers with her own fusion of punk, R&B, and rock, J-Pop wunderkind Aya Kamiki's third album Are You Happy Now? continues her signature blend of pop infused with punk sensibilities.
This is J-Pop if Avril Lavigne (in her more mature form) had been writing it.
Where it differs from a straightforward Lavigne, though, is in two main spots -- first, Kamiki's voice is more powerful, and flexible.
She moves around the notes with a surprising dexterity, belting out the heavier choruses while slinking a little more on the ballads.
She can turn notes in a manner reminiscent of Yoko Kanno's Ghost in the Shell vocals, alternating styles rapidly and keeping a high level of emotive ability in the more powerful portions as easily as the lighter ones.
The second difference with Lavigne's style is the overarching influences of J-Pop embedded into the album.
Kamiki is of course a Japanese pop artist, and such influences should be par for the course.
However, her music tends toward a more American rock format for the most part, with only tinges of the overwrought guitar-stomp common in Japanese power pop and the sudden flat notes that tend to accompany the occasional English lyric.
Surprisingly good music, breaking out of the shell of idol singing that's so common with young Japanese singers.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | It's a Beautiful Day | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | Just Take My Heart | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 3 | Summer Memories | Aya Kamiki | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 4 | I'm Your Side | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | Walking Down the Street | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | Secret Night | Aya Kamiki | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Crash | Aya Kamiki | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | Good-Bye My Love | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 9 | Best of My Love | Aya Kamiki | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 10 | Are you happy now | Aya Kamiki | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 21 MB |
| 11 | Itsu no Hi mo Kimi Dake'(I Remember you) | Aya Kamiki | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| 12 | Sunday moring | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 13 | Kimi Sarishi Yuuwaku | Aya Kamiki | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 14 | Ai wa Kurayami no Naka de - cover by Aya Kamiki(Premium Track) | Aya Kamiki | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 56 mins | 129 MB | |||||
| 56 mins | 406 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aya Kamiki | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |