[MUSIC REVIEW] Amuro Namie - “Baby Don’t Cry” (CD+DVD Version)

Around this same time a decade ago, I wrote a review for Amuro Namie’s “CAN YOU CELEBRATE?”.

For being an avid listener of Amuro in the 90’s, it’s very cool that ten years later and Amuro Namie still has me dancing in my seat with her 32nd CD single “Baby Don’t Cry”.

I have to admit that it’s always interesting to hear and see what will come from Amuro Namie with each release.

For this mid-tempo CD single, Amuro Namie reunites with producer Nao’ymt and the song is used for the ending theme for the KTV drama “Himitsu no Hanazono”

I just love how the song starts off with the bass thumping and features a catchy chorus.

This CD single is probably the first in many years from Amuro that I’ve listened to multiple times. I like it!

The coupling song is “Nobody” also written and produced by Nao’ymt.

The song was actually supposed to be used as the coupling song for her CD single “White Light” (AVCD-30889, released on November 16, 2005).

To round up the CD single, the other two tracks are the instrumental tracks for the two songs.

The accompanying DVD is quite a fresh look at an Amuro music video.

No dancing, just great imagery of Amuro Namie walking in the city and the park.

Sounds boring but it’s actually quite a beautiful music video to watch.

Going back to the old school days, I could remember when Amuro Namie broke CD sales records.

Well, in a fitting fashion that over a decade later, she continues to break another record.

Since 1995, Amuro has debuted on the Oricon Top 10 Weekly Charts and with “Baby Don’t Cry” debuting at #3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart has put her ahead of notable names such as Kudo Shizuka, Koizumi Kyoko and Nakayama Miho.

And perhaps Amuro Namie is warming up to music listeners again with this CD single which has sold over a 100,000 copies, her first since 2001.

For Amuro fans, on February 21st her new live DVD “namie amuro BEST tour “Live Style 2006” (AVBD-91466) was released.

The DVD features a total of 26 tracks from classics such as “Body Feels Exit” to her last CD single “CAN’T SLEEP, CAN’T EAT, I’m SICK”.

If anything, I just find Amuro Namie an artist and even though other female Avex artists have been in the spotlight ahead of her in the past few years, she still shows resilience.

There are not too many female R&B artists from Japan that have started out in their young teens and continue to be hit makers in their 30’s and continue to stay within that top 10.

Amuro Namie is the real deal and looking at her today, she still has to looks, still can shake and still can perform better than many female artists from Japan.

From her days as a SUPER MONKEY in the early 90’s to present time, I’m still enjoying her music.

— DENNIS A. AMITH

Catalog #: AVCD-31175 (CD+DVD), AVCD-31176 (CD only) | Dur. 20:11
Release date: January 24, 2007

For audio samples of this CD single, visit mu-mo 

1. Baby Don’t Cry
2. Nobody
3. Baby Don’t Cry (TV-MIX)
4. Nobody (TV-MIX)

DVD:
Duration: 5 minutes, 4:3, Region 2
1. Baby Don’t Cry

NOTES:

The CD+DVD and CD version have two different covers. The CD+DVD version features Amuro’s eyes closed, the latter with her eyes open. But the lyrics booklet inside the CD+DVD features the cover on the regular CD version.