Pleasant Display of Colours

I enjoyed Stephanie's first album on a very light level. It didn't settle as a really engaging or particularly substantial listen; just easy and accessible pop, with an exceptional vocal talent. Stephanie has a great voice and stunning range and control, but I don't always care for the material she's given. I can say pretty much the same thing for her second attempt, Colours of my Voice.

This time around, Stephanie wasn't given so many pieces to show off her range, and relies a bit more on a rounded vocal experience, as well as some better material. She duets quite comfortably with Roma Tanaka on Changin', and has a pleasant contrast with fellow vocalists in Pride~A Part of Me~ feat. SRM.

There's no shortage of upbeat pop numbers with FUTURE, and Kindan no Knockout having a fairly hard feel, while Together is much sweeter, and KISSES has a bit of a power groove to it. Forever has a weird dance thing going on that Stephanie performs really well! Kizuna brings up the rear as a mid-tempo piece which is an effective callback to the opening track, Kotoba Nanka Iranai Hodo ni, which is wonderful, and a bit dark. Although, it could've easily been a completely typical pop song, they managed to make it quite memorable.

Of course we get a couple of diva-style ballads in a song for you, Pride, and Changin', so there is plenty for pop-queen lovers to enjoy without it bogging down the sound of the rest of the album. The disc finishes on a chipper note with the peppy and catchy Daisuki na Minna e feat. fans. I'm not exactly sure where the fans are, but it's an unpretentious end to a pretty decent album. It makes the whole thing feel like Stephanie just wanted us to have fun and enjoy the album whatever way we want. With the variety of material, it's easy to pick and choose what you want to listen to, but it also works wonderfully as a whole. This album has seen a lot more play for me than her first effort.