Feel (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on July 10, 2013, in both physical and digital formats, and it is her first studio release through Dimension Point, a sub-division of Amuro's label Avex Trax. Feel, like its predecessor Uncontrolled (2012), features a diverse range of producers and songwriters from outside of Japan, including collaborations with Zedd, Dsign Music, Anthony Maniscalco, and Steven Lee.
Inspired to make upbeat music for the summer season, Feel focuses on electronic dance and electro house music. It is also her second musical effort to predominantly include the English language, and lyrically explores themes of love, pleasure, and empowerment. Upon release, Feel received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics. Most reviews praised the album's sound and Amuro's incorporation of electronic dance music. However, some criticised the album's lack of originality and Amuro's English delivery.
The album was a commercial success in Japan, reaching number one on both the Oricon Albums Chart and the Billboard Hot Albums chart. It was also certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) and sold over 400,000 units in Japan. It also appeared on the record charts in South Korea and Taiwan. Amuro embarked on her Feel Tour 2013, travelling throughout Japan and other parts of Asia. The following year, a live DVD and Blu-Ray were released.
Five singles were released to promote Feel: "Big Boys Cry", "Beautiful", "Contrail", "Hands on Me", and "Heaven"; although "Beautiful" did not appear on the album. The first two songs were released as a double A-side single and underperformed in Amuro's home country. "Contrail," "Hands on Me," and "Heaven" were digitally released and charted on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Each song was also featured in commercials that debuted in Japan.
Background and production
In June 2012, Namie Amuro released her first bilingual studio album, Uncontrolled, to commemorate her 20th career anniversary.[1] It marked a shift in Amuro's sound and production standards, primarily working with songwriters and producers outside of Japan, and it also marked Amuro's transition from urban to electronic dance music.[1] The album received mixed-to-positive reviews upon its release, but it was a commercial success in her home country.[2][3] Amuro embarked on her 5 Domes Tour throughout Japan to promote the album, which later received a live DVD and Blu-Ray release.[4]
Throughout 2012, publications in Japan reported that Amuro had intended to part ways with her label Avex Trax and management company Vision Factory after a 17-year partnership. However, Avex decided to create Dimension Point, a label for Amuro to release her future music. Furthermore, the establishment of the label allowed Amuro to take control of her music and professional ventures on future releases.[5]
Amuro confirmed work on a new album in January 2013.[6] The recording sessions were held at Avex Studios, Prime Sound Studios and LAB Recordings in Tokyo, Japan, with the final material mixed by D.O.I. at Daiminion Recordings, and mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound Studios in New York City.[7] In an interview with ViVi magazine, she described the overall appeal as "very summery," despite the fact that she had only recorded half of the album at the time.[6] Furthermore, Amuro later addressed the album's overall appeal, saying, “I don't know how people will view it, but I don't want them to think too hard about it. Everyone has their own interpretations of music. I want the album to be one they turn on over and over to improve their mood."[8]
Sound and content
"There are so many different kinds of music all around the world, so I thought about what gave me good vibes, gradually listening and choosing “music” that fit the mood, situation, etc. at the time. I think music is something that can communicate those things even without words there to explain. I hope everyone can take something different away from this album.”[9]
—Amuro discussing her musical exploration of Feel.
Musically, Feel is predominately inspired by electronic dance music and electro house.[10][11] Prior to its release, Amuro said the album would "convey the energy and feeling of summer," later confirming that it would feature various dance numbers.[6] Furthermore, she re-iterated her sentiments with Mina magazine, saying, "The album is very summery and high energy, and you can just enjoy it without having to think too much."[12]Billboard Japan noted the diversity of the album's sound, citing "aggressive tracks and simple ballads".[13] Japanese magazine CD Journal echoed similar opinions, but noted the record being influenced by electronic dance music and electro house.[10] Writing for The Japan Times, contributor Patrick St. Michel noted the albums influenced on Westernized production standards, citing electronic dance music and electropop as major musical notes. Additionally, he compared the sound to Japanese musicians Kumi Koda and Ayumi Hamasaki, whom, according to St. Michel, also experimented with this sound previously.[11]
Feel opens with the track "Alive", an electronic dance number that includes a bass drop during its chorus and instrumentation of heavy basslines and electric guitar riffs.[10][11] The songs producer, Anthony Maniscalco, sampled the composition and placed it into his own song titled "Magnet", under his stage name Hook n Sling.[7] The second song "Rainbow" is also inspired by electro house music, and was compared to the song "I Love It" by Swedish musical act Icona Pop.[10][11] "Can You Feel This Love?" is the third track on the album, and was produced by Ryuichiro Yamaki, a collaborator whom Amuro had previously worked with during her time with Japanese group Suite Chic.[10] "Big Boys Cry", the fourth song on the album, is a rhythmic-sounding number that was produced by Swedish music team Dsign Music.[10] The fifth track on the album is "Hands on Me", an club-oriented electro house number with elements of complextro sounds and heavy drum beats.[10] Produced by German-Russian producer Zedd, the albums sixth track "Heaven" is another electro house-driven song that lyrically touches on themes of love.[10]
"Poison" is the seventh track on Feel, and is a club-inspired number that was described as "sexy" and "dangerous".[10][11] "La La La", the albums eighth track, is a confident electro house track.[10] The albums ninth track, "Supernatural Love", is inspired by both electropop and dancehall sounds, alongside elements of K-pop and Korean contemporary dance music.[10] "Let Me Let You Go" is the only ballad that appears on the record, and is a simple-piano driven song that showcases Amuro's vocal deliveries.[10][11] "Contrail", the eleventh song that appears on the album, is mid-tempo dance number that includes instrumentation of synthesizers, keyboards and a drum machine.[14] The album closes with the song "Stardust in My Eyes", which features various string arrangements over an electro house and drum and bass composition.[10]
Release and formats
"This album requires the use of your senses to enjoy, so the design covering various parts of the face ties into that. The ways people obtained information in the past was very limited, but we currently live in an era of information overload. In such an age, it becomes especially important to decide what is right for yourself. So I hope people can be truly free to choose the way they want to enjoy music."[8]
—Amuro talking about the photoshoot for Feel.
Feel was released on July 10, 2013. It is her eleventh musical effort, and her second studio album to incorporate the English language. Additionally, it is Amuro's first release with Dimension Point, a sub-division of her label Avex Trax, and her final record working with her management company Rising Production (formerly Vision Factory).[7] The album features 12 tracks totaling more than 42 minutes in length. Two other formats, the DVD and Blu-Ray version, included seven music videos; "Alive", "Big Boys Cry", "Hands on Me", "Heaven", "Let Me Let You Go", "Contrail", and an unreleased English version of the album track "Can You Feel This Love?".[7]
All three versions of Feel were released on various physical formats. First-pressings of the album were distributed as a digipack, which included the album booklet and details exclusive to Amuro's fanclub.[7] Retail outlets in Japan issued either a large poster or stickers to the first-press editions of the album, whilst a T-shirt with the album art was released through Amuro's fanclub.[15] After the roll-out of the first-pressings, the album was distributed with a jewelcase packaging.[7] The album artwork and photoshoot was photographed by Takaki Kumada, which featured black and white close-up shots of Amuro's face, while the art direction and the album's booklet was designed by Masaru Yoshikawa from AEI.[7] All three cover arts of the album are loosely inspired by the depiction of the three wise monkeys; it shows Amuro covering her ears, eyes, and mouth.[7]
Five singles were released to promote Feel. "Big Boys Cry" and "Beautiful" were released the album's lead singles on March 6, 2013, through Dimension Point, both distributed as a double A-side format.[18] Despite its commercial release, "Beautiful" did not appear on the track list for Feel. The songs underperformed in Amuro's native Japan, reaching number four on the Oricon Singles Chart, and ultimately became Amuro's lowest-selling physical single in her career.[19][20] A music video for each song appeared on the DVD formats of the single.[18] The albums second single, "Contrail", was released on May 19, 2013, through Dimension Point. It was distributed through digital outlets, making it ineligible to chart on Oricon in Japan.[21] However, it did peak at number eight on Japan Hot 100 chart, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for digital sales of 250,000 units.[22][23]
"Hands on Me" was released as the albums fourth single by Dimension Point through digital outlets on July 3, 2013. Commercially, the song peaked at number 19 on the Japan Hot 100 chart.[22] An accompanying visual was shot in Los Angeles, California, featuring the singer on a rooftop dancing to the song, and attending a pool party; cameo appearances of American girl group TLC were featured.[24] Seven days later, on July 10, the same day as the release of Feel, album track "Heaven" was released as the albums fifth and final digital single, distributed by Dimension Point. The song peaked at number 26 on the Japan Hot 100 chart.[22] A music video featured Amuro in a neon-lit rooms, surrounding by party aesthetics and back-up dancers.[25] Although not released as a single, "La La La" charted at number 53 on the Japan Hot 100 chart.[26]
Several songs included on the album were included in various commercials and advertisements promoted in Japan. "Big Boys Cry", "Beautiful", and "La La La" were used as commercial tracks for the skincare brand Kose Esprique; a visual commercial was filmed and included Amuro.[27][10] "Contrail" was used as the theme track to the 2013 television series Flying Public Relations Office, which was broadcast by Japanese network Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS).[28] "Can You Feel This Love?" was used as the theme song to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Fuji Television series Mezamashi TV.[29] Tracks and promotional footage of the album were used in MTV's "Artist of the Month" segment in July 2013.[30]
Amuro announced her Feel tour in early mid 2013. The dates were confirmed via a flyer given out with the purchases of Feel, enclosed in the album's booklet.[7] A total of 44 shows in over 20 different cities were scheduled in Japan, spanning from August 16 at the Yokosuka Arts Theatre, Kanagawa Prefecture, and finishing on December 23 at the Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka.[31] A special website was hosted by Avex Trax during the concert tour, showing a live report and special photos from specific concert dates.[32] An Asian leg was originally added to the concert tour, having Amuro travel to Singapore for a live show with promotion handled by Midas Promotions; this would have been the singer's second visit to the country. However, in April 2013, a tour promoter cancelled the show and cited "local promoter issues". However, Midas Promotions uploaded a press release, believing poor ticket sales and expensive rates to be the primary issue.[33]
A live album and DVD/Blu-Ray were recorded at the Saitama Super Arena on December 1. A total of 28 songs were added on the track list, including a bonus track of "Contrail", which was recorded at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium to commemorate her 500th live performance.[34][35] Titled Namie Amuro Feel Tour 2003, the formats were a success in Japan; it reached the top spot on the Oricon DVD chart, and number two on the Blu-Ray Chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 100,000 copies.[36][37][38]
Feel received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics. A review from Billboard Japan noted the albums diverse set of genres and sounds, describing the record as "cutting-edge."[13] Similarly, a review from CDJournal also complimented the albums set of sounds. Although the review was ambivalent towards a few "simple songs" on the record, Feel was praised for its "ambitious" production and for Amuro's vocal deliveires.[10]Blerds Online held a ranking of all of Amuro's studio albums, and listed Feel at number five, highlighting its "cohesive sound" and labelled it as "unique". The review highlighted "Rainbow", "La La La", and "Stardust In My Eyes" as the album standouts.[40]
Contributing for The Japan Times, Patrick St. Michel wrote a mixed review. He opined that Feel was a "calculated stab at Western sensibilities", noting the overwhelming use of the English language and collaborations with producers outside of Japan as factors.[11] Although he highlighted "Alive", "Rainbow", "Big Boys Cry" and "La La La" as standouts, he felt the production standards lacked "ambition".[11] Overall, he summarised the album by saying, "Had Amuro and her team focused on perfecting this sound, Feel would match up to any Western electro-pop album from 2013. Unfortunately it doesn't, and the inconsistency makes for a frustrating listen."[11]
Commercially, Feel was a success. In Japan, Feel debuted at the top of the daily and weekly Oricon Albums Chart, opening with sales of 247,689 copies in its first-six days.[41] It became Amuro's eleventh album to top both charts on Oricon, and also became the highest first-week sales for a solo female artist that year, beating Nanda Collection (2013) by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.[42]Feel spent six weeks inside the top ten on the weekly chart, and lasted 45 weeks in total.[43] By the end of 2013, the album was the sixth-best selling record in the country, having sold 382,684 copies. Additionally, Amuro became the highest-selling solo artist in terms of pure album sales that year.[44] Moreover, the album opened at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot Album Sales chart.[45]Feel was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 250,000 units.[46]
Elsewhere, Feel charted in other territories in Asia. In South Korean, the album debuted and peaked number 25 on the South Korean Gaon Albums Chart, her highest entry in the region, and also appeared on the Overseas chart at number five.[47][48] In Taiwan, Feel peaked at number six on the G-Music standard chart and number one on the East Asian chart for a sole week.[49][50]
^5 Major Domes Tour 2012: 20th Anniversary Best (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2012. AVBD-92026.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abCitations regarding the physical formats of "Big Boys Cry/Beautiful":
Big Boys Cry/Beautiful (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Dimension Point. 2013. AVCD-30889.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Big Boys Cry/Beautiful (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Dimension Point. 2013. AVCD-30890.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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