Diamond Princess
March 7, 2007
1. Diamond
2. Eyes on You
3. Last Summer
4. kono mama zutto asa made
5. LuvSong
6. FAMILY
7. Caught Up
8. My Soul
9. Cry no More
10. I WILL
11. Sotsugyou
12. wasurenai kara
13. So special
14. Paradise
15. Wonderful

 

Eyes on You – 10/10
After the majestic but short opening of the album comes the sweet song Eyes on You. The song has a sort of old-school feel to it — sort of R&B mixed with bubblegum pop. And the lyrics fit, too “Lovin’ you baby love” “Look at my eyes on you”. The instrumentals don’t take the center stage but definitely help move the song along. Especially in the 2nd verse, the violins are very beautiful. They give the song a mature feel even though it might seem a little childish at times.

 

Last Summer – 9.5/10
The album transitions into the second major single on the album. Last Summer is more laid-back and returns to Miliyah’s regular R&B style reminiscent of songs on her debut album, Rose. The song is very enjoyable though not as unique as some of her other songs. The song travels along at the same pace, but stops for a more emotional bridge — it seems kind of out of place when the chorus continues. Overall, it’s still a pleasant and relaxing song.

 

kono mama zutto asa made – 9/10
The intro to this song is very odd… it starts with this man singing “Everyone falls in love sometimes” and some DJ-ing going on. This kind of turns me off, but when Miliyah starts singing and the great beat picks up, I forget about the stupid intro =P The synthesizers she uses are very cute. The chorus is great except for that guy again singing “Everyone falls in love sometimes”. The song was really 10-worthy, but unfortunately, he ruined it (especially with his “YEAUH!”s thrown around in the song). But I don’t like the bridge that much either with Miliyah giving dancing instructions.

 

LuvSong – 8.5/10
The next track opens with a more laid-back feel, sounding like her songs on Rose. The song’s melody isn’t anything great, but I really just like the tone of the song which makes it very unique. It sounds very melancholic.

 

FAMILY – 9/10
I love the dramatic opening to the song, and then the song goes to Miliyah thanking her mom on the phone. The song is pretty corny but still very enjoyable. The instrumentals are similar to her opening “Diamond” — somewhat brassy. The corny theme to the song seems to work well in this case.

 

Caught Up – 10/10
I love this song! It’s a great Get-Up-And-Dance song. The similar instrumentals to FAMILY and Diamond are used here, the fake brass is back! The chorus is the best of the song, with Miliyah building up a lot of climax. I also think she displays a lot of vocal power here.

 

My Soul – 8.5/10
My Soul sounds like the typical Miliyah B-side again. I like the fake brass in the beginning, but the verse opens and it’s basically just Miliyah singing to a bunch of percussion. Good thing the chorus is pretty enjoyable, but it’s a pretty simple song overall.

 

Cry no More – 9.5/10
This song has a lot of traditional influence in it, and sounds very sorrowful throughout and the traditional instrumentals help create that. It’s interesting because she uses some traditional-style percussion as well. Does Miliyah say “Damn” before the first verse? Or am I mishearing… Miliyah sounds a bit whiny in the chorus, but it seems to fit in with the tone of the song. The best part of the song is the bridge, where Miliyah does a great rap! It really makes the song at that moment.

 

I WILL – 10/10
This is really the one true ballad on the album, and good thing that it’s good! I don’t think I’ve ever heard Miliyah sing a “real” ballad before. It’s very emotional and well done. I feel like I’m going to cry because her voice sounds so great here! The ballad is piano based with a non-R&B beat, but also adds in some violins in the background. The bridge is very climatic (that’s good!) and her vocal layering is AMAZING. I’m very impressed with this song.

 

Sotsugyou – 9/10
Even the name of this song sounds like Jounetsu from the previous album. The song opens with a piano melody, and then continues adding percussion and Miliyah singing to a nursery rhyme sounding melody. I don’t love this song, but it’s pretty well done.

 

wasurenai kara – 9.5/10
wasurenai kara sounds like another ballad in the beginning with a hint of jazz. The bass of the song is great, and I don’t normally pay attention to the bass! I like the way the percussion flows with Miliyah’s singing. The song sounds very mature, and at the same time Miliyah singing with a very youthful voice in the chorus. She sounds a little whiny here too.

 

So special – 8/10
Is Miliyah on helium in the beginning? They made her sound like a chipmunk! I don’t understand what’s going on in this song, the opening is really confusing. I almost want to laugh at it. The chipmunk returns in the chorus in the background. Overall it’s sounds pretty typical of Miliyah’s upbeat R&B style.

 

Paradise – 8.5/10
Paradise doesn’t really sound like a paradise, but I can imagine myself listening to it in some nice weather. Miliyah uses a really cute flute and some guitars here which sound very fresh after listening to the album. There isn’t much variation in the pace of the song and it gets a bit boring after a while. The chorus goes on for a long time.

 

Wonderful – 8.5/10
Of course, Miliyah has to end with the corny-est of corny songs. Not the best ending to the album… It sounds like the music playing to the ending credits of a 70’s drama. It’s still a decent song.

 

Quality of A-sides: A
Quality of B-sides: B+
Album Flow: B
Singing: A

 

Final Score – 91% A-
Overall, Miliyah did a solid job with the album. She’s shown a lot of improvement with herself and style — her singing improved a lot, and she’s tried many more styles of music. But she still stays true to herself and there are still influences of her previous album in this newer one. However, the B-sides on this album aren’t quite as strong as the previous. Luckily, Miliyah’s A-sides are finally distinguishable from the rest of the tracks. Most noticeably, Miliyah’s vocals have dramatically improved. She sounds a lot more mainstream in this album, but still retains her unique musical qualities.