Style (Namie Amuro album)
Style is the sixth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, released on 10 December 2003 through Avex Trax. Her first studio album in nearly three years, Style follows her crossover into R&B and hip hop that began with the Suite Chic project in 2002.
| Style | ||||
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_cover_art.jpg.webp) The cover art includes their CD and regular cover edition replaced by old pressings. | ||||
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| Released | 10 December 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2001—2003 | |||
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| Length | 53:07 | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
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| Namie Amuro chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Style | ||||
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Although Amuro has always dabbled with R&B beats, this is her first studio album to predominantly feature the actual style; it was her first album not to be produced by Tetsuya Komuro since her Super Monkeys days, as well as her last collaboration with producer Dallas Austin, The album spawned four singles, "Wishing on the Same Star", "Shine More", "Put 'Em Up" and "So Crazy/Come".
Style debuted at number four on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart with first week sales of 221,874 copies, the lowest of Amuro's career. The album was later certified Platinum for shipments of over 250,000 copies by the RIAJ.[1]
Overview
The album represents a major shift in Amuro's musical direction, and would set the tone for all of the singer's subsequent releases. AllMusic described the album as "marginally more gritty", taking Amuro "closer in sound to her musical idol, Janet Jackson".[2] Although the album is focused on R&B and hip-hop, it still features some pop songs; Amuro explained that certain styles of songs were included for variety. First editions of the album included two bonus tracks, the Mad Bear remix of "So Crazy" and the movie version of "Wishing on the Same Star".
Several of the album's songs are covers: "Indy Lady" (a cover of "Independent Lady", originally by Toni Estes), "Come" (originally by Sophie Monk), "As Good As" (also recorded by WhatFor) and "Wishing on the Same Star" (originally by Keedy).
The song "Put 'Em Up", which was released as the second single preceding the album, is slightly edited from its original form; instead of fading out, the song comes to an abrupt end. "Lovebite" is a collaboration with Takuro of the Japanese rock band Glay. Takuro and Amuro had previously spoken about collaborating years ago and they finally had an opportunity with this album. "Four Seasons" was used as the theme song to the third InuYasha motion picture, Swords of an Honorable Ruler. The song "Come" has also been used as the 7th ending theme for InuYasha.
Style is Amuro's lowest ranking and selling album. Before its release, Amuro launched her largest tour at the time, Namie Amuro So Crazy Tour featuring Best Singles 2003-2004. Due to the nature of the tour, she only performed the singles from the album. Ultimately, many of the songs from the album have never been performed to a public audience, although she did perform them on an exclusive fan club tour in 2004 that was not open to the public.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Namie's Style" | T.Kura, Michico | T.Kura, Michico | T.Kura | 4:03 |
| 2. | "Indy Lady" (featuring Zeebra) | Teddy Riley Japanese lyrics Yuji Toriumi, Zeebra | Teddy Riley | Teddy Riley | 5:19 |
| 3. | "Put 'Em Up" | Dallas Austin, Jasper Cameron Japanese lyrics Michico | Dallas Austin | Dallas Austin | 4:03 |
| 4. | "So Crazy" | Full Force, Jennifer "JJ" Johnson Japanese lyrics Michico Rap Tiger | Full Force, Jennifer "JJ" Johnson | Cobra Endo | 4:34 |
| 5. | "Don't Lie to Me" | Jeff Lorber, Jeff Pescetto Japanese lyrics Yuji Toriumi | Jeff Lorber, Jeff Pescetto | Jeff Lorber, Jeff Pescetto | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Lovebite" | Takuro | Takuro | Akira | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Four Seasons" | Jusme | Monk | Monk | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Fish" (featuring Verbal & Arkitec) | Jusme, Verbal | Monk | Monk | 4:27 |
| 9. | "Gimme More" | Ivan Johnson, Sylvia Bennett Smith Japanese lyrics Namie Amuro | Ivan Johnson, Sylvia Bennett Smith | Cobra Endo | 3:24 |
| 10. | "As Good As" | Nicolas Molinder, Joakim Persson, Pelle Anckarberg Japanese lyrics Kenko-p | Nicolas Molinder, Joakim Persson, Pelle Anckarberg | Cobra Endo | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Shine More" | Scott Nickoley, Sandra Pires, Paul Taylor Japanese lyrics H.U.B. | Scott Nickoley, Sandra Pires, Paul Taylor | Cobra Endo | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Come" | Kask, Mansson, Cunnah Japanese lyrics Yuriko Mori | Kask, Mansson, Cunnah | Cobra Endo | 4:34 |
| 13. | "Wishing on the Same Star" | Diane Warren Japanese lyrics Kenko-p | Diane Warren | Masaki Iehara | 4:58 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "So Crazy" (Mad Bear Mix) | Full Force, Jennifer "JJ" Johnson Japanese lyrics Michico Rap Tiger | Full Force, Jennifer "JJ" Johnson | 4:26 |
| 15. | "Wishing on the Same Star" (Movie Version) | Diane Warren Japanese lyrics Kenko-p | Diane Warren | 3:12 |
Personnel
- Namie Amuro - vocals, background vocals
- Arkitec - vocals
- Verbal - vocals
- Zeebra - vocals
- Mr. Blistah - additional vocals
- Clench - additional vocals
- Coyass - additional vocals
- Kareb James - background vocals
- L.L. Brothers - background vocals
- Yuko Kawai - background vocals
- Michico - background vocals
- Dave Cleveland - electric guitar
- Cobra Endo - multiple instruments
- Ron Harris - multiple instruments
- Jeff Lorber - keyboard, guitar
- Monk - multiple instruments
- Murayama-Kishiyama Strings - strings (bonus track: Wishing On The Same Star [Movie Version])
- Jeff Pescetto - guitar
- Yasuharu Nakanishi - piano (bonus track: Wishing On The Same Star [Movie Version])
Production
- Producers - Full Force, Dallas Austin, T.Kura, Michico, Teddy Riley
- Arrangement - Akira, Dallas Austin, Cobra Endo, Masaki Iehara, T.Kura, Monk, Teddy Riley
- String Arrangement - Tatsuya Murayama
- Mixing - Rob Chiarelli, Kevin "KD" Davis, Junya Endo, T.Kura, Peter Mokran, Koji Morimoto, Yoshiaki Onishi, Teddy Riley, David Z.
- Vocal Direction - Akira, Mayumi Harada, Daisuke Imai, T.Kura, Michico, Kenji Sano
- Remixing - Mad Bear Sound System (bonus track: So Crazy[Mad Bear Mix])
- Photography - Kazunali Tajima
- Art Direction - Tyg
Charts
Album - Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak position | Sales total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 December 2003 | Oricon Daily Albums Chart | 3 | |
| Oricon Weekly Albums Chart | 4 | 221,874 | |
| Oricon Yearly Albums Chart | 67 |
Singles - Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 September 2002 | "Wishing on the Same Star" | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 2 |
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 2 | ||
| 5 March 2003 | "Shine More" | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 4 |
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 8 | ||
| 16 July 2003 | "Put 'Em Up" | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 7 |
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 7 | ||
| 14 October 2003 | "So Crazy/Come" | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 3 |
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 8 |
Total single sales: 290,118
Total album and single sales: 511,992
References
- ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2004年2月. RIAJ (in Japanese). 10 March 2004. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- "Namie Amuro - Biography - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
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