You may wonder why I, admittedly not the world's biggest fan of R&B, insist on reviewing R&B CDs. Well, one reason is that I do enjoy good music of all kinds, and occaisonally I find an R&B artist I like. (Utada Hikaru being my favorite.) The second reason is that I feel it is my duty to inform you, as consumers, about products you may wish to buy. So, even if I don't like the CD, my review might interest you enough to buy it. With that said, let's move on to Kuraki Mai's latest effort, and see how it stacks up.

1. Fairy Tale
Oh, boy. This songs starts with some second-rate Barry white spoken lines. Not a good sign. The song itself, though, begins with a nice beat and MaiK's voice sounds good. It's really the chorus of this song that makes it worth a listen to. It's very memorable with a catchy melody. Mai does say the word "fairy" kinda of strangely though... it's sort of like "Fay-AWE-ry." Weird. There's nothing really special about the instrumentation in this song, but it manages to get the job done. Some nice piano buried in the end if you care to listen carefully. A good song.
Rating: 9 out of 10

2. Feel Fine
This song is wonderfully upbeat, and has revving motors and guitar! Yeah! Mai's singing is very high quality, as always, but sometimes I wish she'd really just BELT. The chorus really clips along though, making this a fun, summery kind of song. It's almost more pop than R&B. It has the obligatory back-up singers going "ooh" but they aren't that noticeable. Except at the end, when they become Beach Boy clones. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you. Personally, this is the kind of R&B/pop that I like.
Rating: 10 out of 10

3. Ride On Time
This sounds more like traditional R&B for those of you turned off by the album's pop-ish beginning. Unfortunately, there isn't much background music, and it has a very predicatable beat. Mai's voice doesn't sound particularly strong either. The melody of both the verses and the chorus is forgettable, and the phrase "Ride on Time" sounds like "Lide oh Tahm." Normally, this doesn't bother me much, but she just doesn't sing it well enough to cover the pronunciation. There's a rap section in the middle too... and it's not particularly creative rap. Not the best song.
Rating: 6 out of 10

4. Key to My Heart
We come to the first ballad, and it begins like an early 90s Boyz II Men song. Luckily, that doesn't last long, although the beat does retain that last-generation feel. It has "ooohs" and "aahs" too. Mai's voice sounds better on this song, and I do like the "Won't you take me in your arms" part; it is very fluid and has a nice melody. The male singers have to go though. Seriously. They are wrecking the effect with their boring, jumpy backup. This song actually FADES out! That NEVER happens. How strange.
Rating: 6 out of 10

5. Winter Bells
I've always loved this song. It is so happy, and maintains a seasonal feel while being perfect for anytime of year. The beat is a little cheesy, but in a way that makes you smile and bop your head back and forth. The chorus will become permenantly burned into your brain, I guarantee. Even the bridge is cool and has nice harmonies. Mai's voice is much more enjoyable here, and she sounds very cute. I do so love this song. ^_^
Rating: 10 out of 10

6. Loving You
Is this going to be a rap song? Oh, guess not. It sure sounded that way for a sec. Mai's voice sounds like she's trying to improve her lower range, but the effect is not pleasant at first. Luckily, most of the song is in her comfortable range. The jumps aren't always perfect, but she hides it well. (I sound like a choir dork! Argh!) This song has some nice effects with echoes and such, but its just so... boring. The bridge is more melodic and helped a bit, but by then it was too late. I'd like to hear MaiK do something really innovative. This ain't it though. Could've been a good song with some emotion injected. Did I mention it is far too long at 5:17?
Rating: 6 out of 10

7. Can't Forget Your Dream
This also sounds like a Christmas/Winter song. I don't know if it is, since I haven't bothered to look up some lyrics, but it would certainly be at home on a Christmas CD. There are nice little bell/chime effects, and the overall tone is very soft. It does develop a pretty strong beat, but Mai's singing remains restrained and subtle. I like the sweeping feel of the melody and the orchestration, no matter how hard it is to hear. Mai really sounds cute when she wants to. Not as good as Winter Bells, but a great song.
Rating: 9 out of 10

8. Trip in the Dream
I'm assuming the title doesn't mean to suggest this is a druggy song. Er... this song has a very "club" beat, but again not much in the way of accompaniment. Just percussion. The verses sound very "sexy" but the chorus is more pop in tone and destroys the feel. This song attempts some harmony in the choruses, but it is hard to hear. Overall, this song kept changing tone and flavour until I was completely confused. There are elements of pop, rock, R&B and techno, and none of them are done very well except the R&B.
Rating: 6 out of 10

9. Not That Kind A Girl
Another 80s-esque song. I can just hear Paula Abdul or someone doing this. This song chugs along pretty slowly, making me wish I could kick someone in the *ss. Seriously, this song needs to be fast to get its point across. Instead, Mai sounds indecisive and bored. And the title makes me mad. I can handle mispronunciation, and I love singing bad "Engrish" in j-pop songs, but this... go with 'kinda' or 'of,' but don't try to combine them! Argh. Again, this is another boring song that does not make you want to dance or even get out of your chair. Blah.
Rating: 6 out of 10

10. Like A Star in the Night
Finally, another ballad. This opens with some beautiful, delicate piano and strings. Mai's voice sounds so much more mature and trained, its like listening to another person. There is also so much more emotion evident here. The chorus is more upbeat, but still very beautiful and uplifting. Mai's phrasing is so much more fluid and smooth, it's unbelievable. The English is good too. Mai outdid herself here. I really do think this is the best song on the album, and will appeal to both j-pop and R&B fans alike. It's a long song at 5:39, but the length in this case is appreciated.
Rating: 10 out of 10

11. Fushigi No Kuni
This song starts with some neat little bell effects. Maybe its a harp. Oh well. This song has a choppy, happy kind of beat that for some reason reminds me of canto-pop. The chorus is so great; I was instantly singing along. Lots of nice echoes and repeated lyrics giving it a layered feel. I also like the acoustic guitar in the verses. This song has a great organic feel not evident in most of Mai's music. This is probably the second-most fun song on the album, after Winter Bells.
Rating: 10 out of 10

12. Fantasy
This album ends with a... ballad! Surprise, surprise. This is a good one though, with very simple acoustic guitar and a floating melody. The chorus could be more original sounding, and I could do without the backup singers repeating "Fantasy... fantasy" over and over in their ethereal voices. Still, this is a much stronger offering than many of the songs on the album. I just wish it had some heart in it, some FEELING for god's sake. That is the one area that MaiK can't match up to Utada Hikaru in yet.
Rating: 8 out of 10

Overall, this album felt too early 90s for me, despite many good offerings. If you are a MaiK/R&B fan, you will probably enjoy it. However, for the casual listener, there's not enough substance here to make it a worthwhile purchase.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10