Purchased: Hahaha. Acquired just under a month ago.
First Thoughts: This was the first K-pop thing I ever downloaded. The kind of sad thing is I think it's actually better than The Best of Afterschool.
Playthrough:
Rip Off - Very generic club banger. Perfectly acceptable, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
Flashback - Their most popular song, and understandably so. It's still a little generic, but it has the fantastic "b-b-b-boy I miss you" hook. Sounds a lot like Girls Aloud's On the Metro and Every Now and Then. And I'm always a slut for dubstep breakdowns.
Eyeline (Nana solo) - Sounds like a Dannii song. Like Rip Off, not something I'll probably ever seek out, but very enjoyable while it's playing.
Sonmoksigye (English: Wristwatch) - This is absolutely gorgeous. I have no idea which ones are singing lead on this, but they do a beautiful job with their lovely, smooth voices (Gloria Estefan teas). Beautiful melody too. I can imagine it as the closing song of a Princess Diaries-type teen romcom.
Timeless (JungA/Raina duet) - This reminds me of something, but I'm not quite sure what. It's more MOR than the rest of the EP, but that's not a bad thing at all. It's a nice midtempo that shows their flexibility.
Final verdict: It doesn't have anything in particular that no other album has, but it made for a very nice introduction to the group. I like it better than 90% of the K-pop I've heard. 7.5/10.
Purchased: My dad got a free promo copy since he wrote for the All Music Guide. Well, by this time he didn't anymore, but Disney apparently hadn't realized it.
First Thoughts: God, I love this album so fucking much. It was the album of my fourth to sixth grade years, even more than Teen Spirit. Actually, I knew the Spanish version, Milagros, a little better, because I lost my copy of the English version for several months. I am soooo looking forward to revisiting it. Let's get started...
Playthrough:
Lie, Lie, Lie - This doesn't sound exactly like your typical The Matrix song, but I'm not complaining. This was one of my very favorites. It's more urban-sounding, for lack of a better term, than the rest of the album. The middle 8 is especially incredible, especially that "I wanted youuuuuuu" at the very end. The accompanying key change absolutely made my nine-year-old life, even though I was years away from even knowing what the fuck a key change was. I preferred the Spanish version, as I did with, uh, almost all of the songs, and I still do, but the English version is still a 10.
Candy Boy - Faintly ridiculous lyrics about a candy metaphor, which got even worse in translation to Spanish, when they just became generic lyrics about "mi bailador" (my dancer)... I guess you could call it filler, but it's a total sugar high, to steal one of its lyrics.
Like a Girl in Love - Not as exciting as most of the album, but that minor key is a great touch, and the acoustic guitar at the beginning is one of the album's most remarkable moments. I imagine this is/was a favorite for a lot of people, just not me.
Miracles Happen (When You Believe) - Myra's one and only hit ("hit"), which so many people from my generation rightly remember fondly from its usage in The Princess Diaries. I listened to this on repeat for fucking EVER at the time, to the point that my dad complained about it just as incessantly. Five minutes seems incredibly long for a pop song to me now, but it doesn't seem long at all. By the way, it was written by two incredible pop songwriters: Eliot Kennedy (who's worked with Dannii, Atomic Kitten, the Spice Girls, S Club 7, and Céline ... but most importantly Billie Piper on Day & Night and Something Deep Inside) and Pam Sheyne (who's done stuff for Xtina, The Sats, M2M, Point of Grace, and God knows who else, and was the vocalist behind Rochelle on Almighty Records). It deserves every bit of praise it's ever gotten. The only pity is that the dancier "Miracle Mix," used for Myra's cameo on Port Charles, was never released except on an incredibly rare promo CD single.
Bye-Bye My Love - By no means bad, but a definite dip in quality. Christina-lite. I liked it at the time; I usually skip it now, just to get to the incredible next track.
25 Hours a Day - Sure, the lyrics are ridiculous, and it sounds totally out of place on the album. It's a breezy, Please Yourself-era Bananarama / Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me-era Gloria Estefan type song. Luckily, that's the exact kind of song I have a soft spot for if it's produced well - and this is produced incredibly well. Again, the Spanish version far exceeds the English version, but it's comparing a 9.5 to a 10.
Wishing on the Same Star - Ugh, fuck off, Diane Warren. The requisite ballad. It's a really pretty song, but the production leaves so much to be desired. I had no interest in hearing Myra do something like this when I was nine, and I'm not that much more interested now.
Dancing in the Street - Ah yes, my first encounter with Myra, from the Recess: School's Out soundtrack. Like Miracles Happen, I played it relentlessly, though I eventually tired of it. Better than the vast majority of covers of this classic, and miles better than Atomic Kitten's version, which the UK got instead as a single for the Recess soundtrack. It sounds totally modernized (well, modern to 2001). A really good example of what you can do with a cover.
Where You At? - This is where the album enters its darker section, both lyrically and musically. I mean, it's not dark by any means, it's just not as ebullient as what comes before. Listening to it now, it strikes me that it's an attempt to ape Britney, but honestly it's better than 90% of what Britney shat out on her first three albums. Very cool electronic touches. This one could genuinely have been a single to mainstream radio. It's a bit Stacie Orrico.
Girls Like Boyz - Echh. I almost always used to skip this one (the Spanish version is slightly more bearable, mainly because I can't understand the lyrics as well), and it's the most fillery thing here. Truly, truly vapid lyrics and an uninspired melody. My tendency to wipe this one from my memory explains why I made the "darker section" comment, since it's much more in the vein of Candy Boy than Where You At?
As If - This sounds so much like something I know, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Another old favorite, though it hasn't held up quite as well for me as Lie and Miracle. It's still a great song, though. Mikaila wishes she'd had something like it. Also, maybe the only song on the album where the English version is significantly better than the Spanish version.
Hanging Up on You - Oh my godddddddd. I loved this one so fucking much. That pre-chorus - "Now I'm so onto you... Am I getting through? Guess what I'm gonna do..." - is still incredible, with its little electric guitar riffs underneath it. I still don't understand what the second verse is supposed to mean (her friends were trying to set her up with her nasty ex? Huh?), but this is legitimately the catchiest thing on here. Btw, I always associate it with my mom's comment that she always expected the last line of the chorus to go "So I'm hangin' up... You're dead" (to rhyme with "everything you said") instead of "So I'm hangin' up... Goodbye!" which in fairness is a pretty bad lyric.
Dreams - Okay, the other slowie on the album, which if memory serves was originally going to be the title track (pretty sure I saw an ad in another Disney CD mentioning "her upcoming album Dreams"). Unlike Same Star, though, it's pretty convincing. It actually does a better job of showing off her truly impressive voice despite having less vocal acrobatics. It's very "soft AC radio," but also very "last dance at junior prom." I enjoy it.
Japanese bonus tracks:
Step Into the Light - This was used in a Japanese shampoo commercial, which is random, but it's a worthy addition to the album. More rock and not as electronic as the other songs, which makes it stand out a little (at least they had the grace to stick it on as the first track). I imagine if she'd made it to a second album this would have been the lead US single. Forever bitter she didn't get that second album...
You're the Dream - The theme song for the 2001 Japanese Special Olympics. How random. It's not very good. Obviously a rip on Gloria's Reach, and a totally uninspired one.
Lie, Lie, Lie (Main Stream Mix) - This is great. Makes it into an A+ dance track.
Lie, Lie, Lie (SCHWEITZER Remix) - More trancey/bigroom than the Main Stream Mix, but just as enjoyable and anthemic.
Lie, Lie, Lie (DJ Akim in the 90's Mix) - Not nearly as effective in making it into a freestyle-ish track as the two other mixes are in making it into their respective genres. Still, a bit of a bop.
Final verdict: I mean, this is well and truly one of the milestone albums of my life, so I'm probably not able to be as objective as I'd like. But listening to it now, it still sounds just as fresh and invigorating as when I was younger. There is not a single bad song here - Girls Like Boyz is the worst, and it's still a 6.5/10. Besides, most of the songs are 9+. It literally set the template for the Disney girl albums to come - but it did it way better than any of them have, even including my beloved Metamorphosis and When the Sun Goes Down. In short: fucking incredible. Its total lack of recognition is a mark of the true evils of society. 10/10.
Highlight: YOU SHOWED ME FAITH IS NOT BLIND, I DON'T NEED WINGS TO HELP ME FLY
I realize Popjustice isn't exactly the most Contemporary Christian-oriented music forum out there, but upon revisiting this album I felt a need to do a lil write-up.
(How unspeakably bad is that styling on the cover? Oh my...)
Released: Dec. 11, 1997
Purchased: Bit by bit from iTunes when I was in middle school
Playthrough:
Testify to Love - I bet all of them wake up every day thanking the Lord't they got their hands on this, considering what a smash it was (their biggest hit to date, by far). And deservedly so - it's not their most interesting song by any means, but it is a basic BAUXP.
A World Away - I learned this one on piano back when I took lessons. It's kind of fillery, but it's enjoyable. With more effort in the production, it could've been the best thing on the album.
A Maze of Grace - I bet they thought this was so clever. It took me literally years to get the title ("amazing grace" / "a maze of grace"). It's really dated, but I imagine it sounded fantastic at the time. I loved it when I was getting into them. It has a really solid structure and arrangement; it's just the production that's lacking.
Knockin' on Heaven's Door - A banger, though oddly generic. Probably the hookiest thing on the album.
Adonai - My favorite Avaballad, which is saying something considering they've got Can't Live a Day and the superb I Don't Want to Go. Nikki's voice is incredible here. I can understand why she left the group to go solo - she got three leads on this album (this one, A World Away, and The Move), but judging by their next album, I'd bet that by the time she left, Avalon was already becoming "Janna and her backup singers" and she felt underused. To be fair, Janna is technically a far better vocalist than Nikki, or indeed anyone else who's ever been in Avalon, but she doesn't have Nikki's range, nor the gorgeous clear quality of Nikki's voice. Only a shame Nikki's career went down the shitter faster than you can say "a Lisa Scott-Lee tea," and never managed to climb out. Anyway, this song is really gorgeous - that key change is everything.
Speed of Light - Like A Maze of Grace, this had to have been excellent at the time, but it's just so dated that it's hard to hear it as anything but an artifact of its time now. Nonetheless it's still a bop.
The Move - Okay, this really needed a better chorus. "Rising from the ashes is the flame ... THE MOOOOOVE" repeated over and over is so half-assed. That being said, it's a real pop moment, helped again by an awesome performance from Nikki.
Reason Enough - I remembered this as a lot more boring than it is. The soon-to-be-requisite Jannaballad, though it's actually a midtempo. It's a bit Donna Summer melodically, and very Céline Dion production-wise.
Forgive + Forget - Easily the weak link here, but it's still perfectly good. It's just a little try-hard, and the unison vocals on the verses was an odd mistake considering Avalon's strength was always their harmonies.
Dreams I Dream for You - Pretty generic, but it has nice vocals and is a really pleasant listen. Again, could have been something really special if they'd fleshed it out more, but as it stands it's still good.
Final verdict: In every single case, when I've gone back to one of the Christian albums I listened to in middle school, they haven't been nearly as good as I remembered, even the ones I loved most (Avalon's Oxygen, ZOEgirl's Room to Breathe, Rebecca St. James' Transform). So I was pretty much dumbfound when I realized this is actually better than I remembered, and even better than I thought at the time. Their finest album for sure - an incredibly solid pure pop album in the vein of The Corrs or even Carly Rae Jepsen. 9/10.
Highlight: Adonai is really my favorite, but I expect The Move (my second-favorite) is the one that will appeal to PJ the most.
Purchased: Five or six years ago at Barnes & Noble. Saw it in the budget section and took it over to the listening station because I'd heard Sixpence None the Richer compared to them, and liked what I heard.
Playthrough:
Breathless - I think there's a good argument to be made that this was their artistic peak to date, though it's not my favorite on the album. It's really catchy, and one of their most exoteric moments, but still identifiably Corrs.
Give Me a Reason - This is so of its time, but I love it anyway. It's sort of generic, but a great generic song is still a great song. The Cutfather and Joe remix is a little better than the original mix.
Somebody for Someone - Unusually dark theme for a Corrs song, but it fits well in their aesthetic. It has a great melody, and I adore Sharon's "somebody's gotta make it right" BGVs. She really was criminally underused as a singer - she's by no means as skilled a vocalist as Andrea, but I love her tone.
Say - The first song on the album that doesn't totally do it for me. It's pleasant, but unremarkable. It sounds like a B-side, actually. It just doesn't fit in at this point on the album.
All the Love in the World - Wonderful production and performance that really enhance the melody. It's like The Corrs doing a Céline-type power ballad: Andrea's voice has its weaknesses, and it never quite explodes, but it has a big emotional punch. The only low point is the outro - the remix's outro is way better.
Radio - I know many fans prefer the original MTV Unplugged version, and though I really like that one (and the similar Live in Dublin version), I think I like this one more. It's got the angst of the original, but is a lot catchier - a proto-1989 tea.
Irresistible - I played this one to death and back when I got the album. It is such a summer anthem - breezy, fun, sweet. I'm still miffed it wasn't included on the Dreams comp.
One Night - I've only rarely made it all the way through this. I hesitate to call it noisy since it's so slow and soft, but I don't know what other word to use. It needs a much better melody - a rarity among Corrs songs. Well, at least it doesn't have Alejandro Sanz like the Spanish version (I can't stand his voice).
All in a Day - Pretty basic filler. Nothing wrong with it, but I never seek it out to listen to.
At Your Side - Another remake from the Unplugged session, but unlike Radio, it's very similar to the original, just a little more popped up. It's the most Talk on Corners song on the album, and it's kind of a nice link to their past at a time when they were overhauling their sound.
No More Cry - It's like a Katy Perry song: generic, basic, shoddy lyrics in spots, but effortlessly happy and so fun that it overcomes its flaws.
Rain - Another filler song. It really sounds like it was meant to be a B-side. I'd have liked for this and All in a Day to have been the Breathless B-sides in place of Head in the Air and Judy (neither of which needed to ever be released), with their places taken by the spectacular Make You Mine (instead of sentencing it to best-of album track) and Looking in the Eyes of Love from the bonus disc. That being said, it's perfectly fine. The syncopation in the chorus makes it stick in my head (kind of Amy Grant-like), though I don't remember the verses at all. But I don't understand why it's called Rain...
Give It All Up - The best Ace of Base imitation this side of Alejandro. The downside is that, unlike Alejandro, it hasn't really been integrated into the act's sound, so it sticks out on the album like Madonna on Instagram, and just comes off as an attempt to ape Ace of Base, with oddly processed vocals. Nonetheless: amazing.
Hurt Before - I took a long time to come around to this; it wasn't until the lyrics took on meaning for me that I started to really like it. It's nice, and Andrea's vocals are pretty good, but it does drag on a bit.
Rebel Heart - I spent some time as a narcissist... Ahem. This is an instrumental, and I'm not generally here for instrumentals, but it's really good for what it is.
Final verdict: Though it's certainly got its flaws, this is a really strong MOR-pop album, and a good example of how to change your sound and image fairly successfully. The songwriting isn't as strong as on their other albums, but the production is consistently great: they and Mutt Lange were a great match, though it's too bad there wasn't a David Foster song or two in there. With a little trimming and reworking (as described above), it's a really solid pop album, and it is a great introduction to the band. 7/10.
Highlight: I could easily go with Breathless, Irresistible, Give Me a Reason, or All in the Love in the World, but I'll toss the honor to my favorite album track.
Unspeakable - I loved this and played the crap out of it when I bought it on iTunes as I was going through my Ace of Base phase in ninth or tenth grade. (I got the album in tenth or eleventh.) I remember specifically loving the "it's all so clear ... tooo ... meeeeee! ALLLLLLL!" bit and the key change. Now I don't really care for it, which is sad because I want to go back to being able to hear it as one of the greatest songs ever.
Beautiful Morning - Kind of obviously the "fuck, we need a viable single" track, but still extremely good. I've always loved the video too - beautifully filmed.
Remember the Words - It's appropriate my last review was of Hilary, because this is a very 2003 Disney-type track. The lyrics are meant well but sort of hopelessly basic ("remember the words, you are never on your own, out here alone"), and it mimics that The Matrix / Alain Bertoni production style perfectly. Would have fit in on Christy Carlson Romano's "album" or any early-'00s Disney soundtrack without anyone batting an eye.
Da Capo - Among their most dancey songs. It's a very good, catchy song - sort of like Kesha with less auto-tune - but the lyrics have always bothered me. It's like they took two different songs, one about being in love with someone who can't tell ("I'm telling you I am your friend / But you can't hear me in your dreams") and one about a relationship based purely on sex ("I'm your everlasting property"), and combined them without a further thought.
World Down Under - Another Matrix-type song. It's not as good as Morning or Da Capo, but it's more than serviceable, and among the more Ace of Base-ish songs on the album. The lyric "I believe in there's a world down under" has always bothered me though, because "I believe there's a world down under" or "I believe in a world down under" would have made perfect sense, but combining them doesn't.
Ordinary Day - This is my big discovery from replaying the album. I've never paid much attention to it before, but I'm loving it right now. Unless I'm very much mistaken, it's the only song Linn sings lead on. Though I love Jenny, I think Linn is marginally the better vocalist, and this is a pretty good showcase of her vocal abilities. It's a little bland, but it works for me. It's basically Don't Go Away 2.0 (and that's another one that only clicked with me fairly recently).
Wonderful Life - Of all the versions of this song I know (Kim Wilde, Tina Cousins, Lara Fabian), this is probably my favorite. It's far more upbeat and bright and shiny than the original or the other covers. It's also pretty much the only thing on the album that sounds like it could have been on Happy Nation, despite the group's explanation of the album title as meaning that they'd gone back to that sound. Then again, Happy Nation is by far my least favorite of their albums (not counting the dot group's album), so whatever.
Show Me Love - This was my favorite for a long time, and may still be. It takes the smooth sound of Flowers and runs with it. It's identifiably Ace of Base, but it could easily have been played on AC radio. Pity it wasn't a single.
What's the Name of the Game - Filler. They obviously try harkening back to the Living in Danger-type synth lines under the chorus, but it doesn't really work. It's not a BAD song, but it's obviously not as good as anything else on the album, or on Flowers for that matter.
Change with the Light - I was obsessed with this one too. It sounds exactly nothing like Ace of Base, but it's great, and they deliver it better than I can imagine anyone else doing. Jenny's and Ulf's voices are a perfect fit for the song, and it's exquisitely played and produced.
Hey Darling - I think this is one of the fan favorites. It's perfectly nice, but a little boring compared to most of the album.
The Juvenile - This would have been great as a Bond theme, shame that rat bastard Clive Davis yanked them from the project. That being said, outside of the Bond context it was a laughable choice as a single (especially a lead single, for God's sake...). I really love it - it actually has kind of a Tori sound to it, but darker - and I think it has great lyrics, but I absolutely cannot imagine hearing it on the radio.
Don't Stop - Basic bop done right. Sounds like it came off The Lizzie McGuire Movie soundtrack, which isn't a bad thing. It doesn't shine as well as most of the main album, though.
Summer Days - All I can think is that it sounds like a demo. An almost-finished demo to be fair, but still, a demo. I've struggled to understand the lyrics for years, but I think I've finally got it, and it's about realizing you're in love with an old friend you're out of contact with. It sounds appropriately beachy, and for the most part the lyrics are fine; I just wish they'd polished it up a bit.
Beautiful Morning (Groove Radio Edit) - Nice idea but poorly done. Should've been replaced with the Junk&Function/M12 mix of Unspeakable, which is about 1000 times better.
Final verdict: If you've noticed all the references to Disney above, well, that's deliberate. I kept thinking as I played the album that it really, really sounds like AOB trying to ape the Disney sound perfected on albums like Myra's debut and the Princess Diaries soundtrack, often at the expense of their own sound. Luckily for them, I happen to love that sound. The songs themselves are at about their usual level, maybe a little lower than Flowers. This is probably my favorite of their albums, though I understand why the Happy Nation crowd didn't like it. 9/10.
Purchased: My mom got it for me shortly after its release (I'd guess October). I still remember getting out of school and going to the car to see it on the seat, and being so excited to listen to it when I got home. I hammered it very nearly as hard as Metamorphosis - tween/teen me was really into Hilary despite her being so uncool.
Playthrough:
Fly was a big song for me in middle school, as I started to be alienated from my classmates (and as my depression flared up again, though I didn't know at the time that was what it was). It's pleasant, but basically a Kara DioGuardi-by-the-numbers song. Not very inspired, and a little faceless.
Do You Want Me is sort of absurd with its syncopation, and it comes across as Hilary trying to be a safer version of Avril and not really succeeding. Not terrible, though.
Weird wasn't one of my favorites then, and it's even less so now. It's noisy.
I also didn't like Hide Away, but it's one of the better songs on the album to me now. Her vocals are weak in spots, though.
I still don't understand what compelled Hilary and Haylie to write a song called Mr. James Dean, but it's very enjoyable despite the bad vocals in the chorus. Very slightly like Roxette. Ariana could NEVER.
Underneath This Smile is where the vocals really get bad, and it's not much of a tune.
Dangerous to Know has a sort of sinister beauty, even though its lyrics don't make a lot of sense.
Who's That Girl is still a gem. Her vocals are thin, but the emotion actually seems genuine, unlike much of the album. Just checked Wikipedia, and it was co-written by Andreas Carlsson, just as I suspected.
Shine is pretty shit.
I Am is still that bop. Apparently it was written by Diane Warren, which surprises me given how basic the lyrics are, but it does have her melodic touch.
The Getaway is awfully good. I remember being happy it was included on Most Wanted even though it wasn't a single. It has some of the better lyrics on the album.
Cry is probably the worst song of Hilary's career. Absolutely no melody.
I loved Haters at the time, but it hasn't aged well at all. Her vocal inflection on "it all goes on behind closed doors" is great, though, and I loved scandalizing my mom with that lyric.
Rock This World is obviously out of a second-rate teen movie (which I've still never seen), but goddamn if it's not one of the album highlights. I think because even though it goes against Hilary's sparkly-spunky-shiny ethos and is totally unconvincing as a transition to Avrilness, it obviously has some real energy behind the recording.
I've included Someone's Watching Over Me in several playlists over the years. Totally should've been a single worldwide, not just in Australia - it's gorgeous. Maybe her best "ballad" (midtempo) to date.
The download I have is sourced from iTunes, which has a very different mix of Jericho than what's on the CD. It's 3:53 as opposed to 3:59 and has a cold intro, as opposed to the one I know, which has a longer intro with a guitar lick that sounds like the State Farm Insurance jingle. (CD mix / iTunes mix) This mix is way too harsh-sounding to me; I still like the one I knew, though. Her vocals aren't up to snuff, but it's a good pop ditty.
The Last Song is a very pseudo-deep closer, but it's good for what it is.
Final verdict: This is not nearly as good as I remember it being, which is really kind of sad. I did always like Metamorphosis better, but I remember jamming out to this one too. It could have been a five-song EP and the world wouldn't really have lost anything.
Highlight: Someone's Watching Over Me
[comment on March 2, 2015: Looking back at my Hilary review (to copy and paste it for my next post), I have to wonder what exactly I was on. Ariana could never what? Why would I of all people have cared about Hilary being uncool? And just how did I know Andreas Carlsson wrote Who's That Girl? Whatever, me.]
Purchased: On SwapaCD, three or four years ago, I don't even fuckin' know anymore
Playthrough:
L'amour naissant - Absolutely gorgeous. I don't even have the words to describe it. I remember having to keep myself from listening to it too much when I got the album because I knew if I did, it'd lose its magic. One of Mylène's best ever vocal performances.
L'âme-stram-gram - Not one of her best singles, but she's got so many incredible singles that's not saying a lot. It's okay, but it comes across as filler to me (which is funny for a single).
Pas le temps de vivre - Elevator music, but again, really beautiful. It's easy to get lost in it, even though I barely remember it once it ends.
Dessine-moi un mouton - The album's big rock track. Definitely deserved to be a single in its own right, not off the live album.
Je te rends ton amour - Pas le temps de vivre, partie deux. But with a little twist melodically. It has the slightly off-kilter feeling of a lot of her earlier songs.
Méfie-toi - Also should've been a single. The closest the album gets to pure pop, but with a little undercurrent of anger.
Innamoramento - More elevator music. This one always irritates me because the chorus gets stuck in my head, but I can't remember quite how it goes.
Optimistique-moi - The spacey dance song, essentially this album's Dégénération. And creepy oedipal lyrics, just as we've all come to expect from Mylène.
Serais-tu là? - Has a very Cyndi Lauper-ish melody, but could do with being more memorable.
Consentement - Not much of a song.
Et si viellir m'était conté? - Er, likewise. I think I might've tuned out the album at this point, because I don't really remember any of the last three songs. I had to look them all up on iTunes and play the samples back.
Souviens-toi du jour... - Now, THIS one. I somehow completely forgot how incredible this song is. Vocals right up near the level of L'amour naissant, a beautiful melody, and perhaps the best production on the entire album. I remember listening to it on repeat for literally hours - it sends chills up my spine sometimes.
Mylenium - Basically a bonus track. It's just ambient electronic music and Mylène singing the word "innamoramento" over and over.
Verdict: I like this one a lot more than that review might lead you to believe, maybe because I do just tune it out when it gets boring (it's nice background music), or maybe just because its highlights are so incredible they outweigh the problem spots. It's been compared a lot to Ray of Light, which is appropriate in some ways, but I think it's more melodic and therefore more enjoyable, though it's also less electronic and more rock-oriented than Ray of Light. It's one of only two Mylène albums I can listen to from start to end without skipping anything (the other being its immediate predecessor, Anamorphosée), and unfortunately, at this point I can't see her topping it, since I haven't been too impressed by Bleu Noir and Monkey Me. This is one of those that I want to say every PJer should have. 9/10.
Standout: It's really close between L'amour naissant and Souviens-toi du jour, but I guess I ultimately have to go with the latter, not necessarily because I like it better, just because it's more accessible.
