If you're a fan of Utada Hikaru already, you don't need a review of the album, you just need to get it. You won't regret it.

If you're new to her music, Utada is one of, if not the most successful singer of all time in Japan. Her Japanese music and lyrics have a great appeal to them... so how about the English side?

Exodus, her previous English album, is along the same lines as this one in terms of it's pop appeal, but the maturity levels have gone way up. She's not just playing cute anymore and dancing around the themes, she takes them to the levels where they belong.

Each song on this album is very distinct - you can clearly imagine the scenarios in her songs, or in the cases of her more club/dance focused songs the beat is invigorating and sticks with you even after they're done playing.

As a long time fan of her Japanese music, the songs on their first listen will probably seem like more of a turn off. But the amazing thing about her music is that it only takes one listen before you realize you've got the songs repeating in your head.

All I had to do was see Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI live on the CBS early show and I was hooked and bought it on iTunes in addition to buying a CD copy here on Amazon. Leaving the playlist running, Apple and Cinnamon came on next, followed by Taking My Money Back, and I would go back and play them over and over. Come Back to Me and This One (Crying Like a Child) are more like her J-Pop, so those were easy to listen to. Dirty Desire is surprisingly explicit for her, but it's very catchy, as is Poppin', and On And On is just a fun song. Me Muero and Automatic are probably my least favorites, but they actually do grow on me the more I listen to them. And Simple and Clean and Sanctuary are great bonus tracks to the album for the Kingdom Hearts fans.

While it may be minor, one of the things I appreciate about this album are the photos, like the cover one. Some people might be thinking it's boring, confusing, or that she's over-dressed, but this is actually her appeal for me. Utada doesn't dress like a street walker or try to win the audience by acting like trash as most of America's pop artists do - she knows she's better than that, and that's a truly great image to have as an artist.

Like I said before, if you're a fan of her other music, this album might take adjusting to, but it's still the Utada we know and love. And if you're new to her, give it a listen and see how fast you get sucked in before you even realize it.

Utada has grown through the years as an artist this is some of her best work yet!. That's great she worked with difrent producers on this album so thwe U.S. can get a taste of How big she is in Japan!. Great album! you have to go and pic this one up if you don't already have it!

I have bought this CD on December 20th, 2010, and what I can say about having the CD, well, at first, I only wanted to buy it for the Kingdom Hearts songs. When I first previewed the CD, I didn't like it at all. But, the day I ordered the CD, I had previewed it again. I hate admitting it, but the CD itself grew onto me, and I loved most of the songs on it. The only song I don't really like all that much is "Poppin'", which sounds stupid. But other than that, all of the other songs are great, and I would recommend this CD to anyone, and to everyone! If you want the Kingdom Hearts songs, don't buy this album digitally. You'll need to buy the actual CD in order to get the Kingdom Hearts songs. My favorite songs on this album (besides the KH songs), are "Come Back To Me", "Apple and Cinnamon", "Taking My Money Back", "This One (Crying Like a Child)", and "On and On". My Ultimate favorite song from the album is "Sanctuary (Ending)". It's one of the best songs that Utada Hikaru has ever made! If you're a Utada Hikaru fan, "This Is The One" for you!! : D

Utada's This Is The One is so much better than Exudos. The songs are more memorable and I'm guessing she maybe had some type of English vocal training or... sumthing (?) to help her with this album. Her voice is more mature and grown up, not just a girl trying to sing. I'm sorry but Exudos only had like 3 good songs and her voice DOES sound different on this album. 'This Is The One' really is the one for Utada's American signature.

My favorite songs on here are::: Me Muero. On & On. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, FYI. Come Back To ME. This One (Crying Like A Child). Automatic Part II.

I think this album is underrated b/c she doesnt look like Briney Spears or your typical American pop chick; Plus, not every song has her panting her little heart out while singing about 'getting it on' with some in almost every track.

I'm sure Britney Spears' newest albums all wished they sounded as good as Utada's This Is The One...

If you like to play video games, especially video games like "Kingdom Hearts", then you may know of Utada Hikaru.

Now going by only her family name, Utada is best known in the States for the opening song, "Sanctuary", (or "Passion" in the Japanese version), of the Playstation 2 video game, "Kingdom Hearts 2". However, she is a very well-established pop singer in Japan and has come out with numerous albums over the years. Her newest album, "This is the One", was released on the record label, Island Def Jam. The hip hop influence of the label can be most notably seen in the single and opening track, "Come Back to Me".

Below is a brief description and numerical rating of the tracks on this CD. Fair warning, though, if you like her as a J-Pop singer, sometimes her lyrics don't translate as fluidly in English as they may in Japanese. She tends to use downright kooky lyrics that sometimes don't make the most sense. She does have a beautiful, clear voice, though, so it's easy to ignore when sometimes the words don't flow properly, but if you're a purist, the lyrics could possibly get on your nerves, or maybe even just make you laugh, which is probably not the sentiment that Utada wants to express.

Track 1: Come Back to Me-(6)-a song about wanting someone you once loved back in your life, there are definitely some hip hop overtones on this track which proves the new direction Utada is going with her music.

Track 2: Me Muero-(5)-a light beat supports this song in a style almost reminiscent of Sade or even some light reggae, Utada laments about a lost love over quirky lyrics such as "should I go Winona Ryder and do some crazy thing?" and "I lie on my bed and flip through TV channels, eating Godiva."

Track 3: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence-FYI-(6)-this song samples and pays tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", which can be found on the Pure Moods Volume III CD. Sweet oriental beats form the background for this bouncy track about being there for the one you love.

Track 4: Apple and Cinnamon-(9)-one of the strongest tracks on the CD, Utada sings about how her and her former love used to have so much chemistry and fit together perfectly, like Apple and Cinnamon, but now they have broken up and she's not quite sure how to understand how they went from everyone envying their relationship to simply falling out of love with each other. It must have just been too good to last.

Track 5: Taking My Money Back-(6)-another hip-hop laced track reminiscent of Aaliyah's style, Utada is not taking anymore of her boyfriend's crap. He used her for her money and she put up with it for a little while because the sex was so good, but now she's leaving him and taking her money back with her.

Track 6: This One (Crying Like a Child)-(5)-a down-tempo song about wanting one more night together with a former flame, Utada continues to spout more quirky lyrics, such as "a hundred JPEG files filling up my hard drive" and "Honey, I got your ringtone on my Blackberry."

Track 7: Automatic Part II-(4)-a song about loving music and being proud of what she does, iin the end, it translates to being kind of silly, with such lyrics as "find out all about me on Myspace and my newsletter, I'll be glad to add you but I won't give you my number."

Track 8: Dirty Desire-(7)-a track about feeling lustful towards someone with a pretty good back-up beat and a bit more fluidity in her lyrics.

Track 9: Poppin'-(8)-a great beat that you can easily dance to or snap your fingers along with, this track is all about the powerful feeling of owning the night that women can feel when they walk into a club with their stiletto heels on and the moonlight shining down.

Track 10: On and On-(5)-the repetitive club-like chanting of the "on and on and on"'s can become a bit annoying in this song dedicated to making the night last. But, once again, those kooky lyrics seep in again with such lines as "Honeys, if you're gay, burn it up like a gay parade. Honeys, if you're straight,pump it up, take it all away."

Track 11: (Bonus Track) Simple and Clean-(7)-Utada did this song for the first Kingdom Hearts video game. This track is about loving someone but being too young yet to marry or go completely out of their way for them, so can't you just have the night together and not think about it too much afterwards?

Track 12: (Bonus Track) Sanctuary (Opening)-(10)-this is the opening track to the Kingdom Hearts 2 videogame. If you've played Kingdom Hearts 2, you've heard this song. If you haven't played the game, this would be a great introductory song to offer someone who has never heard Utada's music before, especially since everything here shines, her voice, the lyrics, the music--just a great song.

Track 13: (Bonus Track) Sanctuary (Closing)-(9)-a more breathy, "acoustic"-ish version of "Sanctuary", which played at the end of the Kingdom Hearts 2 game. If you'd prefer a ballad version of "Sanctuary", then this song is for you.