“How Crazy Your Love” is YUI’s fifth studio album. I am a fan. Hence you can imagine how painful it was for me to wait till the record hits the store here in Singapore when not too far away, in a place called Hong Kong, the album not only comes with a CD, but also a DVD recording of YUI’s live concert in Hong Kong. Normally, it takes up to a month for a regional cut Japanese CD to arrive at our stores. It takes even longer if the album contains video contents. Having learned my lesson, I ordered online via HMV Hong Kong and have this special edition album (that comes with a YUI printed guitar pick!) delivered.
If you are a fan, the special edition is a must buy. Her 2011 concert in Hong Kong has a listing of 17 songs plus 5 encores. That is over 2 hours of entertainment. Compare to her 2006 “Song of the Sun” concert, she now has more songs and has grown up to be a sweet 24. Like the previous recording, she plays her guitars on stage. Shy, she may seem, her live performance has exceeded my expectation. I cannot wait to see the same concert recorded in Japan. The DVD is lying somewhere inside my shelf.
It took me a bit of time to like “How Crazy Your Love”. Perhaps my sensory system has been abused by over-produced music of recent time. Or perhaps I wanted more rock music from the album or that missing killer slow song. To be frank, YUI is not a great singer. But she writes good songs. So far, her albums are pretty consistent, in terms of style and delivery. And I am still eagerly awaiting for her next production, which I hope to see later this year.
Back to the album, the more rock flavored “Rain” is my favorite. The opening track “HELLO” is playful, and it seems to work really well in a live setting. I also like “Separation”, which is more melody driven especially on the bridge. I can’t say I love all 13 tracks. But I can’t find one that I don’t like. Fans out there. What are you waiting for?