BoA - IDENTITY review

BoA's seventh original Japanese album leaked a while ago, so I'm going to review it. Initially I was impressed that BoA had produced this album herself, but as only a casual listener I was left sorely disappointed.
It's sad to say, but this album has little if any replay value. I enjoyed less than half the songs.

01. This Is Who I Am
lyrics & music: BoA
There's not much to say, starts off okay and then the repetitiveness at the end really ruins it and annoys me.

02. EASY
lyrics & music: BoA
This starts annoying, but the melody is quite good. This song could have been great if she wasn't singing as if she was dead. Nice tune, bad vocals. People said about alan's my life that her vocals made it sound as they were bored. They need to check out this track. It IS a shame though because it could have been so nice to listen to.

03. BUMP BUMP! feat.VERBAL
lyrics & music: VERBAL
Despite this being released as a single, I still haven't heard it. So far this is the first decent song, but it gets old quite fast. The saxophone is quite pleasing to the ear, but it isn't enough to make me want to listen to the end.

04. LAZER
lyrics & music: VERBAL
The second VERBAL track of this album! It sounds quite good and the laser effects are pretty neat. Her vocals in this song are nice and the chorus is okay. This is the second good song of the album and the first of the album tracks. Although my one complaint about this song is her English isn't as good as it should be considering she debuted in the States not long ago. The song is overall pretty sick!

05. interlude #1
A newcomer to the interlude bandwagon it seems. This one features footsteps and then the slamming of a door. Uninteresting although it's something you'd expect to find on Namie Amuro's Sweet Nineteen Blues. Lame.

06. is this love
lyrics & music: 川口大輔
A ballad! Her vocals are okay if not a little on the bored song. I HATE the percussion in this song. This track made me lose hope for the album a little.The chorus isn't redeeming the song and there is no hook. Her vocals aren't enough to keep me interested.

07. まもりたい ～White Wishes～
lyrics: MIZUE music: 山口広尾
Finally! A song that is worthy enough. I've loved White Wishes ever since its release and it is the song which got me listening to BoA again. The music is good, the vocals are good, the hook is there. This song is fantastic, her best song for a long time. It's sad to say that this is the only song so far I've fallen in love with.

08. interlude #2
Camera sounds. Boring.

09. ネコラブ
lyrics BoA music: U-key zone
Another good track! The repetition of B O A is catchy rather than being annoying and her vocals are quite good. I'm not sure it has playback value, but in terms of this album it's great. I bet it's fun to sing karaoke to!

10. THE END そして and... (album ver.)
lyrics & music: BoA
So, this was on White Wishes' single and I didn't pay attention to it then. I'm not going to pay much attention to it now either. Whilst her vocals are quite nice the song itself is boring and bland like a lot of the tracks on this album so far. Her English is okay but there's nothing that is keeping me listening.

11. Possibility duet with 三浦大知
lyrics & music: nao'ymt
Another duet! The music has an oriental edge to it which I like.  Her vocals are interesting here and the song is a good ballad! When you see the composer, you realize why this track is so nice.

12. Fallin'
lyrics & music: BoA
This song initially reminds me of White Wishes, but it makes me wonder "Does it share the greatness?"
The song is actually quite good! I love the electronic theme mixed with organic instruments. Her English gets better with each track.

13. my all
lyrics: BoA music: 川口大輔
The final track is yet another ballad. Not surprisingly it manages to be just as boring as most of the other ballads on this album. Her vocals are quite good as the music allows us to focus on them. I'm disappointed though.

Final opinion:
This album is okay the most. I was left feeling disappointed by the poorly made tracks which were, in my opinion, not good enough to be album tracks and come across as fillers. Whilst BoA worked hard on this album, it makes me sad that her effort didn't pay off. I hope that if she produces her next album that she improves dramatically.

Highlights:
- The album artist is good.
- I enjoyed ネコラブ, まもりたい ～White Wishes～, Possibility and Fallin'.

Lowlights:
- Poor use of interludes, they came across as redundant.
- Poor track quality.

Best ballad: まもりたい ～White Wishes～
Best upbeat: ネコラブ