Originally a classical crossover artist, Ayaka Hirahara takes on a whole series of ballads on her fifth album.
Luckily for the listener, Hirahara's voice is outstanding and ballads are perhaps the best showcase possible for her talents.
Unluckily for the listener, there isn't much here beyond the ballads; there's very little variety.
The album opens with the title track, a nice canvas on which Hirahara can show off her softer, more tender side vocally and really explore the shapes of her sounds.
The follow-up, "Nocturne" (in English) continues this trend, giving her more room to cover different dimensions of vocals, from soft and vulnerable to powerful and dominant, all while accompanied by a sparse piano.
It is in this light that Hirahara's vocals really get a chance to shine, and the reason she's a star is made clear.
However, aside from an interesting flirtation with the vibraphone in "Sora ni Namida wo Kaeshitara" and an attempt to be a little gruffer in "Ima Koko Watashi," an alt rock style piece, the the songs are almost always straightforward ballads.
Over and over, the arrangements are just a bit saccharine, though the vocals are always outstanding.
Hirahara could use a bit of expansion in her repertoire, but what she's got down, she most definitely has down.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Path of Independence | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 03:54 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 2 | ノクターン (Nocturne) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | 星つむぎの歌 (Hoshi Tsumugi no Uta) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:59 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 4 | 孤独の向こう (Kodoku no Mukou) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:32 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | 空に涙を返したら (Sora ni Namida wo Kaeshitara) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | さよなら 私の夏 (Sayounara Watashi no Natsu) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 7 | 今・ここ・私(Ima・Koko・Watashi) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 05:22 | 12 MB | 40 MB |
| 8 | あかね (Akane) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 9 | 天使の梯子 (Tenshi no Hashigo) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | 一番星 (Ichibanboshi) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 06:36 | 15 MB | 49 MB |
| 11 | 今、風の中で (Ima, Kaze no Naka de) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | 雨のささやき(Ame no Sasayaki) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 13 | カンパニュラの恋 (Campanula no Koi ~Acoustic Version~) | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 14 | To Be Free | Ayaka Hirahara | Play | 05:21 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 65 mins | 149 MB | |||||
| 65 mins | 442 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayaka Hirahara | 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. |