Utada Hikaru with her parents on their only album as a family band!

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2017

This is a family album featuring Utada Teruzane, Utada Junko (aka Keiko Fuji) and Utada Hikaru when she was 9 years old. It's very much a 90s rock album with beautiful synth work.

Utada Hikaru herself is only featured on a few of the tracks (most notably track 3: Kodomotachi no uta ga kikoeru, and track 6: THANK YOU, both of which she wrote) but the album as a whole is an amazing look at Hikki's roots as a singer/songwriter.

It also serves as part of the groundwork (along with her 1998 effort 'Precious', under the pseudonym of 'Cubic U', another play on words regarding the family name of 'Utada') for the album that would lead her to international stardom: her 1999 smash hit 'First Love'.

Whether you're new to Hikki, a die-hard fan, or would like to know about her musical roots, (including the equally amazing voice that belonged to her mother, Keiko Fuji), then this is the album for you. It's got fun synth-rock tunes overlaid with Keiko Fuji's heartbreaking and haunting vocals, and even a couple surprises in store, particularly track 9: NEW YORK SERENADE.

There is an updated version of this album that features bonus tracks, but this original version has something the new one doesn't: Hikki's original artwork, which was used as the album art for not only the cover but for the booklet and inlay as well, which makes it the perfect first choice.