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I’m probably not the most objective, unbiased person to review Koda Kumi’s new album, considering that my girlfriend is a huge fan of her music and is the person who introduced me to it in the first place. (And, if it wasn’t for her, I doubt I’d even be listening to the record right now.) That said, I think my aesthetic judgment is solid enough to override those concerns… and after listening to Kingdom three times in a row, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is easily her best album yet.

As much as I enjoyed Black Cherry, its greatest strength was also its greatest weakness—the stylistic diversity made the album somewhat incohesive. That can’t be said about Kingdom—these songs are all very much of a piece, and the new tracks fit perfectly with the previously released singles to form a cohesive whole. Even “LAST ANGEL”, which I found disappointing on its initial release due to the unnecessary involvement of TOHOSHINKI, sounds better in this context (though I still would’ve preferred a solo version).

Of the new songs, the standout is easily "Amai Wana" (甘い罠)—with its slinky, seductive Arabic elements and beautiful vocal arrangement, this could easily have been a single in its own right. My other favorite is “MORE”, a soulful ballad with strong gospel influences in the backing vocals. There are also a lot of dance and synth-pop elements throughout the album—this is especially evident in “Wonderland”, which apparently has not been well-received by fans but sounds just fine to me.

And the songs that were already singles sound better than ever—especially “BUT” and “Aishou” (愛証), possibly the best songs she’s ever released. But picking a favorite track overall is extremely difficult—this is a highly consistent album in every respect, from the songwriting to her vocals and the production and arrangements. I expect I’ll end up listening to it many, many more times—it’s a fantastic record, and one of the best of this still-young year so far.