Album art + tracklisting: Namie Amuro - Feel

Namie Amuro may have failed us with the singles for upcoming album of hers, but boy did she come through with the album covers. The queen of Okinawa will release her 11th studio album Feel, which will release on July 10th, graced with what are some of her best album covers to date. Beautiful. Classic. Classier than your faves' album covers. This shit even has meaning, with Namie representing the proverbial mantra of 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' on each individual cover. Loving this shit. LOVING IT WITH ALL MY HEART!

The album track listing is still to be finalized with the addition of 2 tracks (which I pray to Yevon are not "Damage" and "Beautiful") and the order may change upon release, but thus far it's as follows...

1. Alive
2. Big boys cry
3. Can you feel this love
4. Contrail
5. Hands on me
6. Heaven
7. La La La
8. Let me let you go
9. Poison
10. Supernatural love

A teaser is also in circulation which features the album track "Alive", which sounds like Madonna's "Jump" meets Daft Punk, meets Kevin Rudolf's "Let it rock".It also gives us a glimpse of what how the scramble crossing in Shibuya will more than likely look when this album drops.

Having seen this teaser and hearing a clip of a new Namie song I actually like, I am now slightly interested in this album. I hope Namie turns this shit out for the album tracks, because ain't nobody got time for "Big boys cly", "Contlail", "Can you feel zis lubu".

Namie Amuro will also be embarking on a tour to support this album, which will visit venues around Japan from August to December. It will be exactly like her last 20th anniversary tour, except with a few new songs. Once you've seen one Namie Amuro tour, you've seen them all. She wears the exact same ruffled skirts, the same tired arse boots, and guaranteed there will be at least one section in the gig where she dances with pom-poms.

Also, something which is a bigger deal than news outlets and blogs are giving it credit for is that Feel will be the first release from Namie's very own record label Dimension point. The name is derived from where Namie throws other bitches wigs. Into another dimension. Ayu best have her home girl sew dem tracks down, because her scalp is now officially NOT safe. All Dimension point releases will be distributed by Avex who also own the label, but Namie will be the manager of it.

Namie had expressed a desire to nurture new talent, but I for one didn't think she would actually set-up a new label as a means to do this. This is great move and goes a way towards shifting societies perception of what women in Japan should have the option to be. Not only has Namie defied odds of having a successful career in the wake of a young pregnancy, a divorce, the loss of a parent and a swift career decline that many thought she would not recover from, but she will now be a handling her own business. LITERALLY. I just hope she does sign new and / or existing artists and really nurture them. It would be a shame for somebody of Namie's iconic stature to have a platform to put artists in di spotligh', but not ever do it.