安室奈美恵 – LOVE ENHANCED♥ single collection
Artist: 安室奈美恵 (Namie Amuro)
Album: LOVE ENHANCED♥ single collection
Release Date: 03.13.2002
I couldn’t possibly let Plastic Candy’s J-Urban week go by without reviewing a single Namie Amuro release! As I’ve written before, Namie has had a significance influence in Japanese urban culture not only through her music, which has constantly been molding the genre, but also because of her style.
Namie has been a huge name in the Japanese music industry for a long time now, and she keeps bringing it! LOVE ENHANCED♥ single collection is a classic of hers not only because it’s a singles compilation, but also because it’s entirely composed of self-covers, having the songs remixed with different instrumentals or different vocals, but she brought it! Even if the songs weren’t exactly J-Urban originally, they received a delicious coating of it that made me fall in love with this album at first listen!
The compilation kicks off with Say The Word, which went through a new arrangement treatment. I really like the song, it’s a very enjoyable pop/R&B number with a lot of J-Urban flavor that makes it a very pleasant listen. The chorus is very strong, Namie sounds amazing throughout the entire piece and it’s a very pleasant listen!
RESPECT the POWER OF LOVE got itself a new mix and I gotta say, I love it! It starts very sweet and melodic until the chorus kicks in and completely call your attention because it’s quite striking. I love Namie’s voice here and the instrumentals are really playful and enjoyable. Though the chorus is quite pop, the song has a very relaxing J-Urban that always seem to be reaching the climax that is the chorus. Definitely one to look out for, I love it!
NEVER END, in turn, got some new vocals. I really like the smoothness of this song, it’s not agitated like the previous ones and the chorus is very delicate but still calls your attention. I love midtempos like this, that sound quite unpromising and then take you away in their delicious instrumentation and vocals. This song is one that may become overlooked, but indulging in its delicious J-Urban simplicity is very relaxing!
LOVE2000 got a new mix just like RESPECT the POWER OF LOVE. I’m not sure how I feel about this one, though. Namie’s soft voice sounds off against the aggressive instrumentals and it almost feels like it’s suffocating her. It would definitely be a more enjoyable song if the instrumentals were softened a bit more in order to blend in with Namie’s beautifully strong voice, but I guess these instrumentals have a lot of power to them. It definitely stands out within the album for its unusual intensity.
PLEASE SMILE AGAIN makes it sound like you just stepped out of Japan and went into some European medieval court, but thankfully it doesn’t take too long for synth to kick in and make the song more cohesive with the album. This song also went through a new mix treatment and I have to say it’s not one of my favorites. I don’t understand much of it, it feels a bit all over the place and the strength of the instrumentals doesn’t help much.
think of me is so amazingly sad and sweet at the same time. There’s something about Namie’s youthful somewhat innocent-sounding voice and the slowness in which she’s using it against the R&B ballad instrumentals that works magic! I love this one because 2/3 into the song Namie really lets go and delivers it! Her vocals are flawless here and the emotion conveyed by them are nothing sort on perfection. Very sweet and heartfelt new vocal mix.
SOMETHING ‘BOUT THE KISS sounds very pleasant, though it’s not a big highlight of the album for me. This one also got a brand new vocal treatment but the song itself isn’t interesting enough, it’s definitely sweet and enjoyable, but nothing too involving, I guess it’s because despite the lovely vocals and instrumentals, the melody is very continuous and it becomes monotonous.
lovin’ it is one of my favorites on the album! It’s very J-Urban and I really don’t mind VERBAL, he’s one of the only rappers I’m actually able to enjoy in a song. This is a mellow song with a strong beat, some very interesting vocals and backing vocals as well as an interesting melody. I really enjoy the emotion and strength Namie invests in her voice. This one is definitely catchy but very refreshing and lovely too!
I HAVE NEVER SEEN is exactly my type of midtempo, and naturally, my favorite! This instrumental is now absolute J-Urban heaven: it’s slow, smooth, and simply breathtakingly gorgeous. The instrumentals contrast perfectly with Namie’s soft voice and it’s sung in such a relaxing way that really takes me away. The original was already amazing, but this version with new arrangements blows my mind! Definitely a song to look out for!
HimAWAri is another lovely track that got new vocals. The piano keys that initiate the song are quite striking and beautiful and Namie’s voice just gets better throughout the song. Overall this is a very pleasant song that flows perfectly and sounds like a little bit of a more upbeat version of the original I HAVE NEVER SEEN. Definitely very sweet and one of my favorites!
no more tears sounds very J-Urban from the start and I really like it for that, I’m guessing it’s from the new mix treatment it when through (since I haven’t heard the original). I really like the chorus because it sounds very playful and enjoyable despite the sober and mature sound of the rest of the song. A very soft, whimsical song very refreshing to listen to!
I will ends the album on a very gorgeous note. It’s the only song in the album that consists of an orchestra gracing its instrumentals and it sounds absolute breathtaking! A beautiful way to end such a wonderful record, because it sounds extremely grand and Namie keeps nailing the notes with a lot of emotion, it’s very very gorgeous and quite hard to describe, you have to listen to it!
LOVE ENHANCED♥ single collection is a fantastic greatest hits compilation that adds a fresh new twist to Namie classics and truly enhances their perfection!
Final Score:
100 / A+
安室奈美恵 – I will
I hope you all enjoyed Plastic Candy’s J-Urban week special! I know I did and I had so much fun writing up all the posts and looking into Japanese culture even further! I learned a lot and cleared out many of my own doubts about some fashion movements, so I hope I was able to write up interesting and informative pieces! Thank you for sticking with me and I hope you had fun! ♥
aww you didn’t the Queen of the J-Urban trend, Double
anyway great review,I love Amuro older urban feel,which has morphed into more mainstream sounding music which is fine but I like her older songs such as these ones
There are so many amazing J-Urban singers to review and so little time :’( hahaha but I never listened to DOUBLE other than her collab with Koda Kumi. Maybe I should check her out :3
Thank you! I love Namie’s older songs too! :D I love her nowadays too, but her songs from the past are so mind-blowingly precious! The more I look back in her work the more I love her!
I’m feeling less shy about commenting. Without a doubt, Namie is definitely the Queen of J-Urban Pop (I digress…she’s the Queen of J-Pop). I even know some Japanese man who admires her. While this isn’t my favorite Amuro album (it’s PLAY), there are great songs on here such as “RESPECT the POWER OF LOVE” and definitely “no more tears”.
I was thinking of some J-Urban music outside of what’s already well-known…have you ever checked out Nao’ymt’s work? He believed he composed some of Amuro’s songs (ex. White Light) and he certainly fits the bill. Most of it is really smooth and R&B-sounding, but you might like it.
http://www.crayonbeats.com/2011/01/soundcheck-naoymt/
Oh, and Miryo from Brown Eyed Girls is releasing an album next month. Very excited. She definitely isn’t the typical “idol” rapper and her ability is great as Yoon Mi-rae (Tasha).
Wow it truly is a fantastic song :o I’m absolutely in love with its smoothness and how it incorporated traditional elements to a really delicious J-Urban sound! *I love the kitsune that graces the cover too! haha* I loove “White Light” by Namie so I’ll definitely be looking more into this! :D Thank you so much for the recommendation, and it makes me really happy you’re not as shy about commenting!
Ooooh I’m so excited for Miryo’s debut! It’s going to be the mini of the year, no doubt in my mind about it :’) She’s pure fierceness and talent for days!