[single] Startin'/Born To Be... - 浜崎あゆみ

Startin'/Born To Be...-Ayumi Hamasaki

This is Ayumi's first single after the release of her latest album "(miss)understood". This single topped the charts on the Oricon charts (Japan's Billboard) after her previous single "Bold & Delicious/Pride" almost did not make it to Number 1, threatening the end of her consecutive Number 1 singles.

Chart performances aside, this single is nothing to go crazy about. Even as an Ayu-fan, i will have to be honest to say that i'm not too impressed with this. "Startin'" starts off really strong with the beats and synthesizers but when it came to the vocals part, it seems that her voice was drowned out by the beats. And it doesn't help that the PV (promotional video) was hard to watch, it was too Britney-esque and the butterfly sunnies have to go, Ayu.

"Born To Be..." scores slightly better than "Startin'", at least it feels a bit like a diva song and it is definitely worth a few more spins than "Startin'".

Overall, the single satisfys but packs no punch.

Rating: 3/5