Ballada (album)

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Ballada
A woman in a tartan dress and a black hat looks to her right.
CD/DVD and digital download editions' cover
Compilation album by Namie Amuro
Released June 4, 2014 (2014-06-04)
(see release history)
Recorded 1996–2014
Genre Pop, R&B
Length 1:16:21
Language Japanese, English
Label Dimension Point
Namie Amuro chronology
Feel
(2013)Feel2013		 Ballada
(2014)		 Genic
(2015)Genic2015
Singles from Ballada
  1. "Tsuki"
    Released: January 29, 2014

Ballada is a compilation album by Japanese entertainer Namie Amuro, released on June 4, 2014. It compiles pop ballads released during her time with the Avex Trax label (1995 onwards), including additional re-recordings of selected tracks.[1]

Background

In 2013, Amuro released her 10th original album Feel, following this with a series of digital singles, "Neonlight Lipstick" and "Ballerina". In January 2014, Amuro released "Tsuki", a ballad single written for the film Dakishimetai: Shinjitsu no Monogatari. In April 2014, Amuro collaborated with R&B singer Ken Hirai on the single "Grotesque".[2]

Writing and production

File:MTV VMAJ 2014 Tetsuya Komuro.jpg
Producer Tetsuya Komuro wrote many of Amuro's early ballads, including "Sweet 19 Blues" and "Can You Celebrate?".

The tracklist was created based on a poll on Amuro's website, which was taken from February 26 until March 31, 2014.[3] Out of the 38 ballads listed, the 15 most popular ones became the basis of Ballada's tracklist.[1][4]

"Sweet 19 Blues" and "Can You Celebrate?" were re-recorded with new vocals, with "Can You Celebrate?" also featuring violinist Taro Hakase.[5][6]

Promotion and release

Of the top 15 songs on the poll, two had not received music videos. Amuro created videos for these for inclusion on Ballada's DVD/Blu-ray disc: "Himawari" and "Four Seasons". Both videos were directed by YKBX.[7][8] New videos were shot for "Sweet 19 Blues" and "Can You Celebrate?" for Ballada, directed by Kanji Suto and Kensuke Kawamura respectively.[9][10] "Sweet 19 Blues" featured a mix of footage of the original 1996 video, along with new scenes shot at a recreated set.[6] On the day of release, a video featuring a medley of the songs from Ballada was uploaded to YouTube.[11]

From August, Amuro performed a 37 date tour, Namie Amuro Live Style 2014, which was held in thirteen cities across Japan over four months.[12][13]

Critical reception

CDJournal praised Amuro's "subtle vocal techniques" and "rich emotional expression" displayed in the ballad collection.[14] Kanako Hayakawa of EMTG felt that no matter which era of Amuro's music the songs were from, her ballads showcased the strength of women, where fragile parts of herself were sung with boldly real vocals. She felt that her ballads had similar lyrical matters to her up-tempo songs, such as the joy of feeling loved or someone starting again after a loss. Hayakawa felt that many of the songs on the compilation were not strictly ballads, such as the mid-tempo R&B "Sweet 19 Blues", the 1990s UK club jazz "Dreaming I Was Dreaming", and the slow R&B "White Light". Hayakawa praised the album's re-recorded tracks, noting the "divine beauty" of the Taro Hakase pairing and the dignity in her voice.[15]

Track listing

No. Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "Sweet 19 Blues (New Vocal)"   Tetsuya Komuro T. Komuro 5:33
2. "Can You Celebrate? (New Vocal)" (featuring Taro Hakase) T. Komuro T. Komuro 6:16
3. "Dreaming I Was Dreaming"   Marc Panther, T. Komuro Cozy Kubo 4:43
4. "Never End"   T. Komuro T. Komuro 5:15
5. "Himawari" (Sunflower) T. Komuro T. Komuro 4:46
6. "Think of Me"   Dallas Austin, Junko Kudo D. Austin 4:28
7. "I Will"   Namie Amuro Hiroaki Hayama 5:34
8. "Wishing on the Same Star"   Diane Warren, Kenko-P D. Warren 4:25
9. "Four Seasons"   Jusme Monk 3:50
10. "All for You"   Natsumi Watanabe Ryoki Matsumoto 5:58
11. "White Light"   Nao'ymt Nao'ymt 5:17
12. "The Meaning of Us"   Momo "Mocha" N. Momo "Mocha" N., U-Key Zone 4:26
13. "Love Story"   Tiger T-SK, Kim Tesung, Liv Nero, Mim Nervo 4:44
14. "Let Me Let You Go"   Shelly Peiken, JD Walker S. Peiken, JD Walker 4:03
15. "Tsuki" (Moon) Tiger Zetton, Fastlane, Lisa Desmond 3:36
16. "Contrail (Ballada Ver.)" (Bonus track) Nao'ymt Nao'ymt 3:19
Total length:
 1:16:21

Charts

Charts (2014) Peak
position
Japan Oricon daily albums[16] 1
Japan Oricon weekly albums[17] 1
Japan Oricon monthly albums[18] 1
Japan Oricon yearly albums[19] 4
Taiwan G-Music weekly releases[20] 6
Taiwan G-Music East Asian weekly releases[21] 1

Sales and certifications

Chart Amount
Oricon physical sales[22] 437,000
RIAJ physical shipping certification[23] 2× Platinum (500,000+)

Release history

Region Date Format Distributing Label Catalogue codes
Japan June 4, 2014 (2014-06-04)[1] CD, CD/DVD, CD/Blu-ray, digital download Dimension Point AVCN-99010/B, AVCN-99011/B, AVCN-99012
South Korea June 5, 2014 (2014-06-05)[24] Digital download SM Entertainment
Hong Kong June 17, 2014 (2014-06-17)[25][26] CD, CD/DVD Sony Music 88843093622, 88843093832
Japan June 21, 2014 (2014-06-21)[27] Rental CD Dimension Point AVCN-99012

References

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