Exodus (Hikaru Utada Album) - Reception

Reception

Exodus received generally favorable reviews from most music critics. Allmusic has highlighted the two first tracks from the album and "Exodus 04". The album received three stars out of five. Rob Carolan from Stylus Magazine gave it a positive review, stating "So there you have it. It’s not a pop masterpiece but it’s a decidedly good record. Few J-Pop artists ever attempt to make such a bold and risky record, but with Exodus, Utada has established herself as an individual who can proudly stand aside from the rest of the identikit J-Pop idols. Hopefully she'll keep on getting better, but even if she falls into the machine, she will always have Exodus, and that’s enough." Isaac McCalla from Dancemusic on About.com gave it a positive review, complimenting the albums process, calling some songs "radio-friendly" and then the rest more "chilled-out". He later concluded saying " Utada is definitely an up and comer; she's beautiful, writes good songs with intelligent lyrics, and has a keen electronic sensibility."

Elysa Gardner from USA Today gave it three stars out of five. She said "Utada Hikaru crafts slick, electronically fueled tracks that could, on their surface, pass as background music for nightclubs and loft parties. Luckily, this young singer/songwriter is more than a ghost in her own machine." She compared Utada to an early stage of Madonna saying she is "girlish yearning that transcends her vocal limitations and melts the cool sheen of her arrangements." Sputnikmusic gave the album 2.5 out of 5. The review praised Hikaru's vocals saying it is "very well done most of the time". However, he did say that overall, he felt that the album was a "letdown". He also said that the lyrics were not good as well. He did highlight "Kremlin Dusk", "Devil Inside" and "Hotel Lobby". JPop-Go gave the album a positive review saying "This is Utada's 'Exodus' from overly-polished, commercial pop; her two fingers up at the music industry. Existing fans with more eclectic tastes will be pleasantly surprised, while hardcore J-pop junkies might be disappointed at the changes."