[A Song for XX]

01. Prologue
This is a pretty boring instrumental track if you ask me. I don't really like introduction- or prologue-tracks in general, I like to hear singing with the music. But this one's not special or anything, it's kind of acoustic-orchestra-sounding and on an Ayu album the orchestra thing only works if it's a remixed song.

02. A Song for XX
It sounds really boring at first but then it picks up. I think this is one of her best 'early' songs. Most of her songs from around this first album aren't unique or anything, that comes later. I like the little instrumental part that leads into the chorus, and the chorus. The thing that saves this song is that it has cool lyrics. If you find a translation, read it! "Why am I crying? Why am I lost? Why did I stop? Please tell me, when will I grow up? How long can I stay a child? Where have I come running from? Where am I running to?" The chorus is also a fun part to sing along to...

03. Hana
I've heard some complaints about this song but I find that it's one of the better songs on the album with a cool melody. Another good sing-along song. I can sing along to everything but Ayu's songs, especially her older ones, are always great! (Probably the only thing her old songs are good for...I know, I know, I've made it well clear by now that her songs these days are a lot better...)

04. FRIEND
This song is good after Hana because it's more relaxing and laid-back. Almost too relaxing, though. The same verse of music repeats over and over, just with different lyrics. This is the first song on the album that we've heard before...if you've been getting all of Ayumi's releases. This song was the c/w song on her debut single poker face. It's the exact same song, but for some reason I like it better on the album than I did when it was on the single.

05. FRIEND II
This is a really good song! It's not too much dance-pop but it's not too slow either. I don't really see this as being a re-done version of FRIEND though, it's totally different. Only complaint would be that it sounds mostly the same even the whole way through, like most of her songs on this album do.

06. poker face
Her voice sounds very clear on this song which was also released as her debut single. I didn't like it very much on the single but I like it better on the album. (FRIEND, too. I always seem to do that, saying that the song is really bad when it's on the single, then liking it when I hear it on the album.) This is kind of a 'dance' song but it's very addictive, don't be surprised if you find yourself listening to it several times in a row. I think it's the cool beat and her clear voice that makes me like this song so much.

07. Wishing
A really pretty but sad song, Wishing is an original track from this album that's never been heard before on a single. I think that's good though. Her voice is clear and all but it has that 'squeakiness' like in her other sad songs such as kanariya, for example. I don't think it would've made a very good single and it's definitely not as good as some of the other songs on the album.

08. YOU
This was the laid-back, springtime-sounding song used for her second single. A decent song but (I know I say this too much with her A Song for XX songs, but...) it's nowhere near as good as some of her more recent music. Ayu has a good voice in this one but it's not as clear as poker face. I tend to like her 'dance' songs from this album more than these relaxing ones. It's okay, though. I always end up hating songs on the single and then liking them once they come out on the album, but I liked YOU better as a single.

09. As if...
Here's another original song we've never heard before. It starts off with a slow piano intro, then Ayu starts singing and it speeds up. A lot. It's now a dance track similar to poker face. I don't usually put the CD in specifically to listen to this track or skip to it but when it comes on it's kind of catchy. I like the faster parts better.

10. POWDER SNOW
This song is a very sad song but it's done nicely. It picks up at the chorus and sounds great. For your information this song was re-done with a different beat and re-named P.S. II (that's short for POWDER SNOW II) on her second album LOVEppears. She sings similar-sounding lines over and over at the end and it has a cool effect. Near the end they also throw in the sounds of some bells which makes it even more of a winter song.

11. Trust
This is an okay song, not very original or catchy but still decent. Typical pop song that's good to listen to once in a while. This was the song from Ayu's third single, but as is the case with a lot of songs for me, I like it somewhat more on the album than I did on the single.

12. Depend on you
I might vote this as one of Ayu's best songs ever. This song was released as Ayu's fifth single, and her last single before this album was released. The song is somewhat hyper and annoying but really really catchy. I have the lyrics romanized and make sure to learn them, because this is one of those things you have to sing all of the time just to annoy anyone around you that might like Ayu (annoy them in a good way though!). This song is sooo good. I have her Part 1 of the Concert Tour 2000 VCD and she does a cool performance of this...to make a long story short, this song is rockin' and really cool. Must-listen!

13. SIGNAL
This song is annoying. Not good-annoying like Depend on you. This is bad-annoying. I rarely listen to this and sometimes skip it when I'm listening to the whole album the whole way through. For some strange reason it reminds me of that song Ai no Senshi from Sailor Moon.

14. from your letter
This is kind of a different song. It's slow and laid-back but kind of funky and I like it because it sounds different from these typical 'average pop-songs' that are filling up the rest of the album. Different from any other 'pop-idol' music I've ever heard.

15. For My Dear...
A great song that was released as her fourth single. I've heard a few people complaining about how loud and strong her voice sounds but it's good with this song. Kind of adds a sad effect. She prounounces the words well this time around (my usual Ayu complaint is that sometimes you think she's singing something completely different because of her accent or whatever). Good job Ayu~

16. Present
This is such a happy-annoying thing but I can partially translate the words from the only four lines of lyrics included in the liner notes and they are things such as everyone's love or everyone's voice so I'm assuming this is written basically as a thank-you-to-the-fans. I could've sworn I heard something very similar to this song from some anime once...I'm thinking Sailor Moon probably because that's like the only anime I ever really really got into. Not like that affected the review, but I'm just really wondering why I think I heard this before.

[overall rating 8 out of 10] A Song for XX is a good first album considering she wasn't an extremely popular artist back then (the album went platinum but she wasn't a huge idol like today), and that she wrote the lyrics to all of the songs. For some reason I never want to listen to it but once I put it in the CD player I get into it and listen to these songs...I wouldn't recommend this if you're only looking to buy one album of hers or something, but if you like Ayu this is cheaper than buying all the singles (become an Ayu collector like me and buy the singles *and* the album!!!). There are also a few songs not released on singles that were on here too that are good to hear. I took off a few points because all of the songs sound the same after a while...lacks variety...the only other thing I find wrong with it is that the song Two of us which is an excellent song, the c/w song on the Depend on you single, was not included on here.