Boo and Jojo Tag-Team Review of Exodus

Boo: In this very special edition of 'View from a boo', I've invited former Centigrade Chief of Staff Jojo to discuss Utada's debut album Exodus with us. Jojo, first off, how many lungs would you sell to meet Hikki?

Jojo: 'Lungs' is a little high on the body part expense chart, given that I'm fairly confident that we'd have little to talk about.

Jojo: I might give a small toe for a shot at Tetris with the master though.

Jojo: There is always that. Is Tetris considered adultery?

Jojo: So to cover the history.

Jojo: I believe I was the only one in our group who could say that I liked Hikki back when she released 'Automatic'.

Jojo: I know that Aaron (Da Crank) despised it.

Jojo: Oh, and Hikki herself as well.

Jojo: And probably still does.

Boo: Face it, you were the only one among us who could even tolerate it, outside of Takko.

Jojo: I, on the other hand, couldn't get that song out of my mind, even after I'd come back to the states.

Jojo: I had to have someone mail me the single a couple of months later.

Jojo: I lost track of her from that point until I arrived back in Japan and settled in.

Jojo: Then came 'Can You Keep a Secret'. I'd say from that point on that every single she released was gold.

Jojo: It grew on me.

Jojo: If I like them, it's generally a slow burn situation.

Jojo: Deep River was an amazing album, and got an honorable mention for my album of the year that year.

Jojo: I'll also say that I actually dug some of her attempts at English. The song with Foxy Brown wasn't bad. I sang it in karoke once or twice.

Jojo: But that said, even back then I had doubts about her acumen in English. Something that I'm sure will come back up before this whole thing is a wrap.

Jojo: Alright. Let's start with the worst offenders and move to the best songs from there then, shall we?

Jojo: You insist that 'tongue is firmly in cheek'.

Jojo: I insist that 'tongue is firmly unable to flow in English'.

Jojo: There's not a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Jojo: The whole song is sung with an honest simplicity.

Jojo: That doesn't fit these lyrics at ALL.

Boo: Animato is a semi-march, and what really hurts it, is when her lines stumble ovber the rhythm like they're poorly defined automatons.

Jojo: Yes, the march time does hurt the flow, BUT

Jojo: musically (and this is a theme of the album),

Jojo: it's catchy as hell and plays around enough to keep you interested and coming back for more listens. But the lyrics?

Jojo: "this is not a time for reminiscing / this is something new and interesting / why are you trying to classify it? / this is music for all humanity / from me"

Jojo: All I can say is: Christ. You've got to be kidding me.

Jojo: I'd try to sing this in karaoke, but I'd be afraid that I'd bust out laughing.

Jojo: 'DVDs of Elvis Presley / BBC sessions of Led Zepp-a-lin'

Jojo: Every time I hear that unnatural splitting of 'Zepplin' into 3 syllables, I cringe.

Jojo: Also, I'm sorry, but I can't get over this lyric: " I need someone who's true / who does the laundry too". It's so much middle school girl poetry.

Boo: It's like she builds this wonderful little play mobil world and then inhabits it with scorpions.

Boo: This is one of those occasions on the album where you get the feeling Utada is trying to be auto-biographical.

Jojo: Unlike "I was dancing with a dirty blond Texan".

Jojo: Which I hope to God is not auto-biographical.

Jojo: Delivered correctly, that would have been a clever line.

Jojo: But it's delivered as though it's an English idiom she expects everyone to know, rather than something interesting she's coining and presenting for approval.

Boo: Some of her lines feel like they came out of a dictionary. Like they were examples.

Jojo: That's an excellent way of putting it.

Boo: Hikki has always come across as a somewhat plain girl, and suddenly she's a promiscuous hot asian fetish.

Jojo: Which she's remarked on in the recent New York Post article.

Jojo: Frankly, I have no issues with it. She's cute and she doesn't have a established image here.

Boo: I have issues with it. She doesn't have to come over here with a squeeky clean image devoid of sexuality, but her songs ARE pseudo autobiographical and for people who know her life's story, it seems dishonest.

Jojo: It does also seem a bit like a poor imitation of those American Divas that do currently rule the R&B scene.

Jojo: And looking at the video for 'Easy Breezy', we see that they are going to pursue this image all the way to the small screen.

Jojo: Which has been... 'contriversial' on the web, to say the least.

Jojo: I haven't seen people this mad since they cancelled 'Cheers'.

Jojo: I mean, an orgasm-inducing phone booth...?

Jojo: IT'S SO HOT IN THIS PHONE BOOTH.

Jojo: The video has a weird mix and match of imagery.

Jojo: It tries to show her sexy.

Jojo: And independant.

Jojo: And it comes off seeming a bit rough around the edges.

Jojo: As though she's dressing up in her big sister's clothes and putting on her make-up, then trying to go out to a club with the big kids.

Jojo: It's not the image I'd want when trying to break into the already well-established US R&B market.

Boo: You must admit though, if style is 90% of a video's success with the young crowd, she does look pretty swingin'.

Jojo: The video swings from bad fashions in the first half to swank styles in the second.

Jojo: A see-thru vinyl jacket over her clothes? Um... no.

Jojo: No, it's tres hot - on Beyonce.

Jojo: On Utada, it's neither cute nor hot.

Jojo: It's back to that 'dressing up in the older sister's clothes' thing.

Boo: There's another thing... Utada isn't built like Beyonce, and though I don't begrudge her a "dressing up", I think she should have played to her strengths more.

Boo: Which brings us back to the album because the songs that she DOES play to her strengths come off a little dull.

Jojo: I can't say I really disagree with that.

Jojo: All the songs but the last track really sit well with me musically.

Jojo: It doesn't mesh with the rest of the album in style or execution.

Jojo: We go from an entire album of techno-influenced pop R&B to an acoustic guitar ballad?

Jojo: The listener feels like they were aiming for third gear and ended up in reverse.

Jojo: By the time the song comes back to the style of the rest of the album (about 1 minute in), you've already written it off.

Jojo: And if you do start to dig the techno groove, just wait! It dumps you back to the acoustic guitar when the verse comes back.

Jojo: The stuff that was really off the rails is the stuff that I kept coming back to.

Jojo: Even when I knew that listening to the lyrics again were going to tick me off...

Jojo: the music brought me back.

Jojo: Musically there's a ton for anyone to like here if they can get past the lyrics.

Boo: I want to clarify again, that the lyrics in and of themselves aren't all that horrible.

Jojo: If you say so. There are some lyrics that just sound plain unnatural to me - even on a written page. Although the larger problem is definately as you say when she chooses odd rhythm patterns to put the lyrics to.

Boo: I would choose a line like "Daddy don't be mad but I'm leaving. Please let me worry about me..." as an example fo something that takes you out of the music.

Boo: There are several times when she repeats a word or phrase and it just doesn't work.

Boo: Kremlin Dusk reminds me of Nine Inch Nails 'Burn' in that its a very "heavy" song without a single guitar.

Jojo: I'm a huge fan of when it kicks in at 2:10 or so.

Jojo: That makes the whole build up worthwhile.

Boo: She hits enough sweet spots throughout to make you mostly forget the rough patches.

Jojo: Define a rough patch for me.

Boo: But then we get to the "Nobody has to know... " part and all is right with the world.

Jojo: I know exactly what you mean.

Jojo: 'Everytime I think about you heaven knows I fall into a groove / you're like a great interlude / Everytime I think about you my body ________ '

Jojo: I've listened to that bit dozens of times.

Jojo: I still have NO idea what she's saying in the blank. Everything I think I'm hearing makes no sense.

Jojo: 'Everytime I think about you my body smells ooooooh'.

Jojo: 'Everytime I think about you my body jus' melts oooooohhh'

Jojo: Either way, I can't come to terms with it.

Jojo: The PROBLEM, however, lies in the fact

Jojo: that lyrics be damned, the melody is entrancing. I want to sing along. It's like a wave you're riding.

Jojo: But then, I realize I don't know the words.

Jojo: And it all sort of falls apart for me.

Jojo: My first addiction on the album was 'Tippy Toe' though.

Jojo: The problem I had with it when I first heard it and that I still have is that 'Tippy Toe' is just far too juvenile of a lyrics given the rest of the lyrical content of the song.

Jojo: The rest of it plays with adult terminology for sneaking around. It has clever lyrics I really enjoy like

Jojo: 'Everytime I think about you heaven needs a prayer /cause you're married and you even have a family too / pray that they don't hear you'

Jojo: Great! Love it!

Jojo: But then she finishes it with 'let me see you dance on your tippy toes oooh!'.

Jojo: Whoops! Lost the flow.

Jojo: 'Tippy Toe' is a clever song name, but lyrically it doesn't fit the song well.

Jojo: LOL, indeed. Glad to see that we're not too far off on that.

Jojo: Musically this song is delightful. The sounds are all over. It's got some jungle rhythm and it mixes it very well with a synth melody.

Boo: Hotel Lobby reminds me of Lost in Translation or New York/Tokyo. Not in the content of the lyrics but the music.

Jojo: Interesting comparison! I'd agree with that.

Jojo: The problem I have with this song is that every line that's not part of the chorus is delivered.... around the beat rather than on it, I guess.

Jojo: It's awkward and disjointed.

Jojo: Then, you get to the chorus, and to use your words,

Jojo: it's the 'money shot'.

Jojo: The layers of background lyrics in that chorus are spine-tingling. A mark of amazing production.

Jojo: Kudos on that, whoever's responsible.

Jojo: ... in English, perhaps.

Jojo: She doesn't seem to have this issue in Japanese.

Jojo: Which is why it's so puzzling.

Jojo: And frankly, to her fans, frustrating.

Boo: Hotel Lobby does make me realize something though, this album has very little "live instrument" appeal.

Jojo: It's going to be a pain to recreate live.

Jojo: What's your take on "Exodus '04", which she's already managed to perform live on Japanese TV.?

Jojo: I want you to go first so I can present my nitpick at the end.

Boo: I honestly do think it's the closest she comes to a song with full-on universal appeal.

Boo: One problem I have with it, is that it spins its wheels a little without really gaining momentum, which hurts the power.

Jojo: True. I also felt the live performance was missing something.

Jojo: It took a few listens, but I realized what it was.

Jojo: The song is built around a nice automated drum track.

Jojo: Somehow it lost something when they tried to reproduce it on a drum set with a live drummer.

Boo: The pretty piano and the shifts from the verse to the chorus. And what is that instrument? A Chinese Mandolin?

Jojo: Yes, it is, I think.

Jojo: Can I put in my nitpick now?

Jojo: So here we have a song with a haunting mandolin that immediately brings to mind epic stories and timeless melodies.

Jojo: "Through mountains high and valleys low / The ocean through the desert, snow / we'll say goodbye to the friends we know"

Jojo: "I'm listening to a music neverending / my baby, don't you know I'll never let you down / you've opened me to so many different endings / but baby, I know you'll always be around"

Jojo: Every lyric in the song matches the music's timeless quality. Things that exist forever. Things that are constantly changing. Listening to this song I immediately pop a mental image of a time lapse video showing sunrises, sunsets, flowers opening and closing, traffic going and stopping in an endless flow.

Jojo: Then there's this bizzare lyric 'This is our Exodus, 04'.

Jojo: It jars me horribly.

Jojo: I hate the declaration of the year in it.

Jojo: It seems completely out of place in this song in my opinion. The song is sooooo close. If only it didn't have that lyric, it would be great.

Jojo: It's bizzare. The best metaphor I can come up with is to imagine if Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain' was called "The Chain '76". I hope that gets across some of my frustation.

Boo: Timbaland got his golden mitts on this thing in many fabulous ways one of which, was indeed, "The Workout"

Jojo: This was the second song I got addicted to on the album.

Jojo: The fact that the music was based around backwards notes was hard to acclimate to at first, but now it's one of my favorites.

Jojo: "Can you hold on, someone's calling on the other line"

Jojo: Followed by the perfect intonation of "I'm back". It gives me shivers.

Boo: The "Push it up, Push it down.." part hits just the right level of sexiness.

Boo: And that my friend, is a soufflet that could have gone flat at the drop of a pin.

Jojo: I dont' like ending it with 'Ain't it good to be alive tonight' though.

Jojo: It doesn't kill it, but it can be improved on.

Jojo: But man, this song has some really NG lyrics.

Jojo: "I was talking with a born-again Christian / oh ooh oh uh / said, "so what's it like to start life all over?" / he said / "oh, man / feel I've been / rediscovering the tomb of Tutankhamen"

Jojo: That's like the punchline of a bad joke.

Jojo: I'm not with you on this one.

Jojo: Folks, listen and evaluate for yourself.

Jojo: I'll agree that it has appealing flow, but lyrically.

Jojo: Gah, it's the kind of thing I'm embarrassed to admit is on a record I like.

Boo: I'm just saying, you're thinking too hard on that one. Tori Amos, Alanis Morisette, Jewel. They've all had similar lines.

Jojo: Funny, cause I sure don't remember any that bad.

Jojo: It's good that our readers get separate opinions. The S & E vibe, if you will.

Boo: "and maybe I'll find me a sailor / a tailor / and maybe together / we'll make mother well"

Jojo: Very well, point made.

Boo: I want to make sure I say something about how the end of 'The Workout' is absolutely fantastic with those horns.

Jojo: Agreed. Timbaland also produced 'Wonder 'Bout', and BOY does it show.

Jojo: As soon as it starts, you'll know.

Boo: I think the sucess of the song was put entirely on Utada's shoulders. and she does an admirable job.

Jojo: The chorus melody is catchy.

Jojo: I agree, but I don't like the backwards-echo on some of the lyrics.

Jojo: And it leads into my current favorite song on the album, and likely to remain so - 'Let Me Give You My Love'.

Boo: Yeah that one completely snuck up on me. Or it would have if you hadn't made a point of shining your bright spotlight on it.

Jojo: Man, the bassline on this song is breathtaking.

Jojo: I can't get over it.

Jojo: The lyrical content is nice too.

Jojo: About real relationship issues, nothing abstract, something I can really dig into.

Jojo: Not quite the same.

Jojo: EB tries to play off the emotions and then act uneffected. Great for actual people, but it plays poorly through a singing voice. You need that emotion to get the impact.

Jojo: 'Let Me Give You My Love' has some desparation and desire vocally, and it shines.

Jojo: It also has my favorite lyrics. The flow is great: "And we're kinda like soul-searching / but your body's so jaw-dropping / our chemistry's ground-breaking / don't keep me waiting".

Jojo: The way that lyric plays on the music is spendid.

Boo: Or is that 'Vol. 4'...? Hell, it's not like our readership knows what I'm talking about anyway...

Boo: Yes, which brings me to a point I'm trying to stress here. I think Exodus is a success as an artistic endeavor because it suceeds more than it fails.

Boo: However, I was constantly plagued by the feeling that it never got to where it was going.

Jojo: Agreed, but given the feedback I've gotten from those I played it for, I wonder if the American listening audience is going to be willing to look past the rough spots and dig out the money shots.

Jojo: We'll have to wait and see, I guess.

Boo: The car broke down and left me waiting alone in a hotel lobby with a devil inside, on my tippy toe looking out past the kremlin dusk.

Jojo: I wonder 'bout you sometimes, boo.

Jojo: I'm afraid this will sound very harsh,

Jojo: but I'm prepared to roast in the flames.

Boo: I mean this record beats the ever living shit out of Seiko Matsuda's US record.

Jojo: On this album Utada sounds like a very talented Japanese girl trying to be a very successful American woman by buying help where she didn't need it (Timbaland's production is solid, but most of my favorite tracks are the ones that weren't manned by a huge name) and not soliciting it where she did (the lyrics need a reality check from an experienced, successful native English songwriter).

Jojo: But, the fact remains that she is very talented, and despite my problems with this album, at the end of the day I've listened to it well over 50 times already.

Jojo: Although I've said before that I'm not a good litmus test.

Jojo: I'm willing to give it more listens that many others might be based on my history with Hikki.

Boo: I've had it in the car for a few days now, and it makes good background music, but the real test of an album like this is if you can put it on at a party and no one bursts out laughing or starts complaining.

Jojo: That's a great way to put it, boo!

Boo: Well, I've been off my game all night, so it stands to reason I hit one out of the park every now and again.

Jojo: Without your stalwart bulwark against my dislike of the lyrics, this might very quickly have degenerated into a rant where I was trying to apologize for liking the music.

Jojo: Hrms. I lean closer to 4.

Jojo: Would have easily been a 5 without the small lyrical snags and the final song.

Boo: I figure I can name 10 albums I heard int he last two weeks I like better = 3

Boo: You know R&B isn't really my thang anyway... though... Is this really R&B at all?

Jojo: It fumbles towards R&B at times.

Jojo: But it's a pop record.

Jojo: No R&B record could get away with "all along / I was searching for / my Lenore / in the words of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe / now I'm sober and / nevermore / will the raven come to bother me / at home"

Boo: It could be argued, no pop record could get away with it either. And Exodus may not get away with it.