Amuro Namie – WILD / Dr.

Wild / Dr. is Amuro Namie’s 33rd single and it was released on March 18th, 2009. It reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 102,413 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. WILD
2. Dr.
3. WILD (Instrumental)
4. Dr. (Instrumental)

Namie takes a very heavy electronic sound for her first a-side with WILD. I was very surprised by the slur of electronic elements in the song, not only by the slick synth and thumping beats but by Namie’s vocoded vocals, the which are also layered in certain parts of the song. It may almost get a bit messy but the song manages to keep it together. The chorus is very constant in this song, which is fine by me as it’s insanely infectious. If we may be blunt about it, this song is maybe the fiercest Japanese release in the year.

The second a-side however is easily the enigma of the single. Dr. is absolutely bizarre in terms of musical direction compared to Namie’s earlier work. It consists of a constant beat, low pitched synth and an absolutely mesmerizing chorus. The flow between the poppy verses to the march like chorus is a bit sloppy and then there’s the ethereal/slow bits after each chorus. The vocals this time are free of vocoder and luckily they sound totally fine with me although her high notes aren’t the best.

Overall, WILD / Dr. was a superb single. I’m really anxious to see what direction she takes for her next album. If it’s anything like WILD was, than I’m sure I’ll be enjoying it. What I would like to see from her is a ballad however, it’s be interesting to see how it would fit in with this single on the album.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

WILD

Amuro Namie – 60s 70s 80s

60s 70s 80s was Amruo Namie’s 33rd single. It was released March 12, 2008. It sold 114,719 copies in it it’s first week, 291,272 overall and reached #1 on the charts. Each song represents a certain time period starting with the 1960’s, then 1970’s, and finally 1980’s.

Tracklist

1. NEW LOOK

2. ROCK STEADY

3. WHAT A FEELING

4. NEW LOOK (Instrumental)

5. ROCK STEADY (Instrumental)

6. WHAT A FEELING (Instrumental)

Honestly, I was a little biased when I first listened to this single. The idea of of each song including a sample of a well known American song really threw me off. My only Namie listen before this single was her “PLAY” album(which I REALLY enjoyed, btw) so I really didn’t want to listen to anything that I thought would sound bad from her but I took a chance and gave each song a second listen.

The first track, NEW LOOK, representing the 60’s does indeed have a very 60’s sounding style. It starts with some cute keyboards and lots of background vocals, along with an opening intro by Namie and the first chorus. The verses are cute and catchy, they even include Namie singing internet sayings like “LOL” and “OMG”. This is a pretty good, fresh Namie song but it was also my least favorite in this single.

Things quickly look better with ROCK STEADY. This song represents the 80’s and does an excellent job doing it. The beginning begins with a muffled “Rock Steady” vocal followed by the first verse, which is extremely catchy. The hook from the verses to the chorus is great, actually, everything about this song is great. Honestly, I didn’t like this song as much before but it quickly captured me and is about equal to WHAT A FEELING. A highly recommended track.

Last but not least is WHAT A FEELING, representing the 90’s. This song is very synth and beat heavy, making it different from the last two songs. I just absolutely love everything from this song, it’s heavy intro, Namie’s trademark vocals, the incredibly catcy verses and the strong chorus. If your going to listen to any song from this single, this one should be it.

Having been my first official Amuro Namie single, 60s 70s 80s most definitely impressed me. I’m glad I had decided to listen to it as it’s one of the best singles this year so far. I highly recommend it if your wanting to get into Namie’s music.

♠Single Rating♠

Amuro Namie – BEST FICTION “New Tracks”

BEST FICTION was Amuro Namie’s 3rd best-of album. It was released July 30, 2008, sold 681,187 copies in it’s first week(the highest first week album sales so far for 2008) and reached #1 on the charts.

Tracklist

1. Do Me More

17. Sexy Girl

Do Me More starts with some fantasy sounding sounds and than with Namie counting to three in French(in a very sexy way, may I add). There’s lots of strong synth and beats in the background which make the song so special. The verses are particularly catchy and the chorus isn’t actually as strong as I was expecting it to be, but than I had my wish fulfilled as it dragged on a little more. Namie’s vocals change to match the chorus perfectly. A nice addition to her discography.

♥Track Rating♥

Sexy Girl immediately begins with some VERY strong synth and beats, along with the chorus. It’s a hot dance track and a lot more mature than the last, which Namie shows that off through the lyrics. The chorus is nicely put together and flows well into the next verse, even though the vocals were a tad bit scream-y. There’s also a lot of English throughout the song. It’s a great song that perfectly matches her more recent style of music.

♦Track Rating♦