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Play (Namie Amuro album)

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Play
Studio album by
Namie Amuro
ReleasedJune 27, 2007
Recorded
  • On Air Azabu Studios (Tokyo)
  • Prime Sound Studios (Tokyo)
  • Giant Swing Studios (Tokyo)
  • Tamstar Studios (Tokyo)
Genre
Length50:45
LabelAvex Trax
Producer
Namie Amuro chronology
Queen of Hip-Pop
(2005) 		Play
(2007) 		Best Fiction
(2008)
Alternative cover
CD/DVD cover
Singles from Play
  1. "White Light/Violet Sauce"
    Released: November 16, 2005
  2. "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick/Ningyo"
    Released: May 17, 2006
  3. "Baby Don't Cry"
    Released: January 24, 2007
  4. "Funky Town"
    Released: April 4, 2007

Play is the eighth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on June 27, 2007, by Avex Trax and was made available in both physical and digital formats. Following the success of her previous album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005), Amuro enlisted long-time collaborators Nao'ymt and T. Kura to produce the album. Play, like its predecessor, is an urban contemporary record with elements of pop music, rock and dance-pop. Lyrically, the record explores themes of love, frustration, and relationships.

Play received positive reviews from music critics; the album was praised for its production standard and sound, while its dance-oriented content and overall energy received minor criticism. Play was a commercial success in Japan, debuting at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and ranking in the top 20 of the year's album sales in the country. The album was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for exceeding 500,000 unit shipments.

Play spawned four singles: the double A-side "White Light/Violet Sauce," "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick/Ningyo," "Baby Don't Cry," and "Funky Town." Various tracks from the album were also promoted in commercial campaigns throughout Japan. Amuro promoted Play by embarking on her Play Tour 2007, which included dates in Japan and Taiwan; a live DVD and Blu-ray were released to chronicle the concert tour.

Background and production

[edit]

Following a period of declining sales, Japanese singer Namie Amuro released her seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop in summer 2005.[1] Queen of Hip-Pop received positive feedback from music critics for introducing a more mature and transatlantic sound in contrast to her previous efforts, alongside Amuro's adaption to the R&B and Hip-Hop trend that became popular in Japan at the time.[2] Commercially, it was a success in her home country, reaching number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and being certified double platinum for exceeding 500,000 unit shipments.[3][4] Work on her follow-up began after she finished her Space of Hip-Pop concert tour throughout Japan.[5]

Amuro and her label, Avex Trax, enlisted previous collaborators Nao'ymt and T. Kura to assist with the album. They were credited as the only main producers on the record, alongside Amuro, while additional collaborator Michico helped co-write many songs and produce Amuro's vocals on the album.[6] The majority of the album's songwriting was overseen by Nao'ymt and Michico, with assistance from the L.L. Brothers and Angie Irons on two separate songs.[6] Between 2005 and 2007, the album was recorded in various studios in Tokyo, Japan, and was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City.[6]

Composition

[edit]

Like its predecessor, Play is a R&B-influenced record with elements of pop music, rock, dance-pop, and hip-hop.[7][8] According to AllMusic's Adam Greenberg, the album "was a windfall of basic R&B-flavored dance pop."[7] "The fundamental difference between her previous albums and Play was Amuro's significant shift from being primarily a ballad singer to taking on more ambitious dance-pop," he added about Amuro's sonic transition.[7] According to a CDJournal review, each track on the album was inspired by hip-hop.[8]

The album begins with "Hide & Seek," a bouncy R&B number that includes synthesizers and marching band percussion.[7][8] "Full Moon" is a dark, atmospheric number that features finger snapping and ambient sounds.[8] "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" is an uptempo urban song that has been compared to the works of American singer Jennifer Lopez, while "It's All About You" is a rock-influenced track that lyrically touches on relationship frustrations.[7][8]

"Funky Town" is a "groovy" J-pop number featuring Amuro's "smooth" vocal deliveries, whereas "Step With It" is an uptempo R&B song co-written and arranged by the L.L. Brothers.[9][8] "Hello," an uptempo R&B number, is another track on the album that discusses relationship issues, using telecommunications as a metaphor to express their feelings.[8] "Should I Love Him?" is the album's sole ballad, and it addresses the fear of love in a relationship.[8] "Top Secret" and "Violet Sauce (Spicy)" both return to the uptempo sound that was featured throughout the first half of the album, but are followed by the midtempo pop number, "Baby Don't Cry."[7] The album's closer, "Pink Key," is influenced by pop music and finishes the albums overall uptempo rhythm.[7]

Release and formats

[edit]

Play was released on June 27, 2007, her seventh studio album overall.[6] The album contains 12 songs totalling over 50 minutes in length. Five music videos were included on a DVD format: "Hide & Seek," "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick," "Funky Town," "Hello" "Baby Don't Cry." In addition, a special movie video featuring Amuro was created in collaboration with the anime series The World of Golden Eggs.[6] Play was released in various Asian countries in July 2007, with Avex Trax releasing it in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia, and S.M. Entertainment releasing it in South Korea.[10]

To commemorate Amuro's 20th career anniversary, the album was reissued in two formats in Japan in 2012: a standard CD with the original content but at a lower retail price, and a Playbutton format.[11] Shoji Uchida shot the album artwork and photoshoot; the CD artwork depicts Amuro in a blue policewoman uniform holding a whip, while the bonus DVD artwork depicts Amuro in a black and white policewoman uniform holding the same whip.[6] The art direction and the album's booklet was designed by Hidekazu Sato and Katsuhiro Shimizu, with creative direction handled by Sato.[6]

Promotion

[edit]

Singles and other songs

[edit]
Amuro's song "Violet Sauce" was included in Robert Rodriguez's (pictured) 2005 film Sin City.

Four singles were released to promote Play. The double A-side single "White Light" was released as the album's lead single on November 16, 2005, through Avex Trax.[12] Despite its commercial release, "White Light" did not appear on the track list for Play, and was later added to Amuro's greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008).[13] The single peaked at number seven on the Oricon Singles Chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for exceeding 100,000 unit shipments.[14][15] The albums second A-side singles, "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick/Ningyo," was released on May 17, 2006, through Avex Trax.[16] The latter track, like its predecessor, was not included on the Play track list. The single peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart, and was certified gold in Japan.[17][18]

"Baby Don't Cry" was released as the albums third single by Avex Trax on January 24, 2007.[19] Commercially, the song peaked at number three on the Oricon Singles Chart, and number 26 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[20] In Japan, the song received three certifications: gold for physical sales, triple platinum for exceeding 750,000 digital downloads, and million for exceeding one million ringtone downloads.[21][22][23] "Funky Town" was released as the fourth and final single by Avex Trax on April 4, 2007.[24] Physical and digital formats also included the B-side song "Darling," which did not appear on Play. "Funky Town" peaked at number three on the Oricon Singles Chart, and received three certifications in Japan; gold for physical sales, gold for exceeding over 100,000 digital downloads, and double platinum for exceeding over 500,000 ringtone downloads.[25][26][27][28] "Hide & Seek" was not retailed as a single in Japan, but was certified in two categories: double platinum for exceeding 500,000 ringtone sales, and gold for selling over 100,000 digital downloads.[29]

Several songs from the album were used in commercials and advertisements promoted in Japan. "Hide & Seek," "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" and "Hello" were used in commercials for the Japanese ringtone websites Mu-Mo and Iromelo Mix DX, while "Funky Town" and "Pink Key" were used as jingles in Japan to promote Lipton products.[8] "Top Secret" was used as the theme song for the second season of Prison Break in Japan, while "Baby Don't Cry" is featuring as the ending theme song for the Fuji Television series, Himitsu no Hanazono.[8] Additionally, the single release of "Violet Sauce" was featured as the theme song for the Japanese release of the 2005 American neo-noir crime anthology film Sin City.[8] The movie's director, Robert Rodriguez, was impressed by the song and asked to be a part of it; he can be heard saying "Welcome to Sin City" towards the end of the song.[30]

Play Tour 2007

[edit]
Namie Amuro Play Tour 2007
Tour by Namie Amuro
Associated albumPlay
Start dateAugust 18, 2007
End dateFebruary 14, 2008
Legs3
No. of shows66
Namie Amuro concert chronology

Amuro embarked on her Play Tour 2007 concert tour to promote the album. The tour began on August 18, 2007, at Ichihara Civic Hall in the Chiba Prefecture, and was originally scheduled to end on December 25, 2007, at the Okinawa Convention Theatre in Amuro's hometown of the Okinawa Prefecture. The tour was extended by 12 dates, beginning its second leg at Nagoya Century Hall in Nagoya and concluding on February 27, 2007, at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama. In addition, Amuro added an international date in Taipei, Taiwan at the Taipei Arena on February 12 and 14, 2008. This ultimately became Amuro's longest spanning concert tour of her career.[31][32]

The setlist included songs from Amuro's musical career, including every track from "Play." On February 27, 2008, Avex Trax released a live DVD in Japan, and a Blu-ray was released two years later on December 15, 2010.[33] Both physical formats were re-released on September 16, 2012, as part of Amuro's 20th career anniversary, with the original content but at a lower retail price.[33] Commercially, the DVD release was a success in Japan, peaking at number two on the Oricon DVD Chart, and lasted 65 weeks in total.[34] The live release was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for exceeding 100,000 unit shipments.[35]

Namie Amuro Play Tour 2007 DVD/Blu-ray track list[33]
  1. "Hide & Seek"
  2. "Full Moon"
  3. "It's All About You"
  4. "Butterfly"
  5. "Darling"
  6. "Come"
  7. "Luvotomy"
  8. "Should I Love Him?"
  9. "Girl Talk"
  10. "Funky Town"
  11. "Hello"
  12. "Ningyo"
  13. "Baby Don't Cry"
  14. "Step With It"
  15. "Chase the Chance"
  16. "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick"
  17. "Want Me, Want Me"
  18. "Violet Sauce (Spicy)"
  19. "Top Secret"
  20. "Pink Key"
  21. "Can You Celebrate?"
  22. "Sweet 19 Blues"
  23. "Say the word" (Breez House mix)

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
CD Journal(neutral)[8]

Play received positive reviews from music critics. Adam Greenberg from AllMusic awarded the album three-and-a-half stars. Greenberg praised the album's inclusion of R&B sounds and ballads, as well as Amuro's presence on tracks like "Baby Don't Cry," "Hello" and "Hide & Seek."[7] He was critical of the album's dance-oriented content and faltering energy, citing songs such as "It's All About You," "Funky Town," "Top Secret," and "Violet Sauce" as examples.[7] Labelling the effort as "ambitious," he concluded, "The dance tunes don't always hit as squarely as Amuro might hope, but it's a good effort and worth the time of her fans."[7] An mini-review from CD Journal described most of the content on the album as "danceable."[8]

Commercially, Play was a success. In Japan, Play debuted at the top of the daily and weekly Oricon Albums Chart, opening with sales of 250,619 copies, Amuro's highest first week sales since Genius 2000 (2000).[36][37] Additionally, it became Amuro's first studio album to reach number one since Genius 2000, and her fourth overall.[38] Play spent a second consecutive week atop the chart, selling 90,506 copies.[39] In all, it stayed on the charts for 59 weeks.[40] By the end of 2007, the album was named the 15th best-selling record in the country of the fiscal year, having sold 514,560 copies.[41] The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 500,000 units.[42] According to Oricon Style, Play is Amuro's ninth best-selling album overall.[43]

Track listing

[edit]
CD
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Hide & Seek"Nao'ymtNao'ymtNao'ymt4:36
2."Full Moon"Nao'ymtNao'ymtNao'ymt3:57
3."Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick"MichicoT.Kura, MichicoT.Kura3:46
4."It's All Bbout You"MichicoT.Kura, MichicoT.Kura4:12
5."Funky Town"MichicoT.Kura, Michico, L.L. BrothersT.Kura3:48
6."Step With It"Michico, L.L. BrothersT.Kura, Michico, L.L. BrothersT.Kura3:47
7."Hello"Angie Irons, MichicoAngie Irons, T.KuraT.Kura3:42
8."Should I Love Him?"MichicoT.Kura, MichicoT.Kura4:25
9."Top Secret"Nao'ymtNao'ymtNao'ymt4:30
10."Violet Sauce (Spicy)"Nao'ymtNao'ymtNao'ymt4:01
11."Baby Don't Cry"Nao'ymtNao'ymtNao'ymt5:21
12."Pink Key"Nao'ymtNao'ymtNao'ymt4:40
DVD
No.TitleDirector(s)Length
1."Hide & Seek" (Music video)Kensuke Kawamura4:36
2."Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" (Music video)Shinji Muto3:49
3."Funky Town" (Music video)Masaaki Uchino3:44
4."Hello" (Music video)Kensuke Kawamura3:40
5."Baby Don't Cry" (Music video)Shinji Muto5:26
DVD: Special Movie
No.TitleLength
6."Amuro Namie x The World of Golden Eggs Special Collaboration Movie" (Gushi-Ken Band feat. Namie Amuro)7:18

Personnel

[edit]

Personnel details were sourced from Play's liner notes booklet.[6]

Visuals and imagery

  • Hidekazu Sato - Creative Direction, Art Direction
  • Katsuhiro Shimizu - Art Direction
  • Katsuhiro Shimizu - Design
  • Shoji Uchida - Photography
  • Noriko Goto - Stylist

Performers and musicians

  • Namie Amuro - vocals, background vocals
  • Hiromi - additional vocals
  • Nao'ymt - additional vocals, multiple instruments
  • Michico - additional vocals
  • Sam Salter - additional vocals
  • T.Kura - multiple instruments
  • Orito - additional vocals
  • Tiger - additional vocals
  • LL Brothers - additional vocals
  • Warner - additional vocals
  • Jun - additional vocals
  • Ring - additional vocals
  • Tomoyasu Takeuchi - guitars

Technical and production

  • Producers - Nao'ymt, T.Kura, Namie Amuro
  • Vocal Producers - Michico, Angie Irons
  • Mixing - D.O.I., T.Kura, Yoshiaki Onishi

Charts

[edit]

Certification and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[46] 2× Platinum 542,725[45]

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format Label
Japan[6] June 27, 2007
  • CD
  • DVD
  • Digital download
 Avex Trax
Worldwide[47][a] Digital download
Hong Kong[10] July 2007
  • CD
  • DVD
 Avex Trax
Indonesia[10]
Taiwan[10]
South Korea[10] S.M. Entertainment
Japan[11] June 27, 2012
Avex Trax

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Play was released as a digital format on June 27, 2007. After Amuro's retirement in 2017, Dimension Point published all of her music on streaming services in mid-2019, including Play.[48] However, in November 2023, Play, alongside the rest of Amuro's music releases, were removed from physical retailers, digital outlets, and streaming services due to unexplained reasons.[49]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Queen of Hip-Pop (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2005. AVCD-17692.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ "Namie Amuro biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "Queen of Hip-Pop - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  4. ^ "ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2005年12月" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Archived from the original on September 8, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Space Of Hip-Pop: Namie Amuro Tour 2005 (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2005. AVBD-91403.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Citations regarding the physical formats of Play:
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Greenberg, Adam. "Namie Amuro - Play". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Namie Amuro - Play" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Namie Amuro - Funky Town" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e Citations regarding the international formats of Play:
  11. ^ a b Citations regarding the reissued formats of Play:
  12. ^ White Light/Violet Sauce (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2005. AVCD-30889.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Best Fiction (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2008. AVCD-23651.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "White Light/Violet Sauce - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  15. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2005年11月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (November 2005)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. December 10, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  16. ^ Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick/Ningyo (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2006. AVCD-31010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick/Ningyo - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  18. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2006年5月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (May 2006)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. June 10, 2006. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  19. ^ Baby Don't Cry (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2007. AVCD-31176.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Baby Don't Cry - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  21. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2007年2月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (February 2007)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. March 10, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  22. ^ レコード協会調べ 3月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: March Digital Music Download Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. April 20, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  23. ^ レコード協会調べ 5月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: May Digital Music Download Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. June 20, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  24. ^ White Light/Violet Sauce (liner notes). Namie Amuro. Avex Trax. 2007. AVCD-31216.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ "Funky Town - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  26. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2007年4月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (April 2007)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. May 10, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  27. ^ レコード協会調べ 7月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: July Digital Music Download Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  28. ^ レコード協会調べ 3月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: March Digital Music Download Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. April 20, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  29. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2014年6月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (June 2014)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  30. ^ "シン・シティ映画サントラ配信中!【OnGen：国内最大級の音楽ダウンロードサイト】" (in Japanese). Ongen. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  31. ^ 安室奈美恵が大胆なコスプレに挑戦!?. Natalie (in Japanese). June 5, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  32. ^ "安室奈美恵、過去最長のロングツアーがDVD化" (in Japanese). Natalie. December 20, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2008.
  33. ^ a b c Citations regarding the physical formats of Play Tour 2007:
  34. ^ "Namie Amuro Play Tour 2007 - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  35. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2008年3月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (March 2008)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. April 10, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  36. ^ Oricon Style Staff (July 9, 2007). "Oricon Albums Chart – Chart Week July 9, 2007". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  37. ^ "安室奈美恵、7年5ヵ月ぶりに首位返り咲き" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  38. ^ "Products - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  39. ^ Oricon Style Staff (July 16, 2007). "Oricon Albums Chart – Chart Week July 16, 2007". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Play - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  41. ^ a b "Special article: Oricon ranking of the year 2007" (in Japanese). Oricon. December 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  42. ^ "ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2007年7月" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  43. ^ 安室奈美恵のアルバム売上TOP20作品 [Namie Amuro's Top 20 Albums Sales]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  44. ^ "2007 7月売上ランキング" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  45. ^ "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  46. ^ "Japanese album certifications – 安室 奈美恵 – Play" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 13, 2023. Select 2007年7月 on the drop-down menu
  47. ^ "Play by Namie Amuro". iTunes Store. June 27, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  48. ^ "Namie Amuro's discography is coming to Apple Music". Arama Japan. June 15, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  49. ^ "Fans panic as huge pop star Namie Amuro completely disappears". News.com.au. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
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