翻譯：Nomanlandever

原文鏈接：https://www.allmusic.com/album/best-fiction-mw0001678051

text by Adam Greenberg

Still rumbling despite the usual turnover in idol singers, Namie Amuro returned to the J-pop scene in 2007 after some time spent in relative obscurity (her first turns at success had been over ten years prior, and her output had very slowly tapered off over the years). Rather than taking on the basic manufactured pop sound common to the J-pop world, Amuro spends more of her energy in a dance format, using pounding beats and sexualized lyrics to create a different sound from the light and innocent pop saturating the market, acting as something of a Japanese?Madonna?in a sense. With Best Fiction, her third greatest-hits compilation, her output from 2002 to 2008 is covered in full detail. The album opens with one of two originals, "Do Me More," starting out with an energetic bang of dance before moving to a largely English ballad, "Wishing on the Same Star," which allows Amuro to showcase her actual vocal ability with a basic R&B ballad that calls for some emotion along the way. "Alarm," from 2004, lets her work amidst some?Timbaland-style electronic and percussion grooves, and "Want Me, Want Me" introduces a thick bhangra beat that Amuro uses with surprising fluidity as she slinks around the overly sexualized lyrics. There's some standard fare along the way as well -- items that are sure to hit the charts but leave less lasting impressions. Before the end, though, Amuro explores some older samples with bass-heavy tracks and bits of?the Supremes,?Aretha Franklin, and?Irene Cara's "What a Feeling." There's a lot of range covered here, and all of it performed quite well. Not bad stamina for a onetime idol singer.

偶像行業(yè)日新月異的業(yè)態(tài)中，安室奈美惠依舊堅(jiān)守著，在經(jīng)歷一段相對(duì)低谷的時(shí)期后，于2007年再次打入J-Pop主流市場(chǎng)（她的第一輪巔峰期是在十多年前，多年來她的音樂產(chǎn)量一直在緩慢下降）。安室奈美惠并未制作平平無奇的J-Pop流水線音樂，反而更注重舞曲方面，采用碰撞的節(jié)拍和性感的歌詞創(chuàng)造出一種不同于市場(chǎng)上輕快和純真的流行音樂，在一定程度上她是日本的Madonna?！禕est Fiction》，她的第三張精選專輯，收錄了所有她于2002年至2008年發(fā)行的單曲。精選專輯以兩首新曲里的”Do Me More“開場(chǎng)，激情澎湃的爆炸舞曲后再切入一首以英語演唱為主的"Wishing on the Same Star,"，這首彰顯出安室奈美惠唱將實(shí)力的簡(jiǎn)單R&B抒情曲講述著尋求情感伴侶的故事。2004年的”Alarm“使她的作品庫(kù)多了首Timbaland風(fēng)的電子音樂和打擊樂歌曲。"Want Me, Want Me" 使用了一種濃厚的邦格拉節(jié)奏，這在安室奈美惠狂拽說唱的過度性感的歌詞中顯得格外流暢。精選也收錄了一些平庸之作——一些可以成為排行榜熱單，但不能給人留下足夠深刻印象的作品。在專輯收尾前，安室奈美惠開始探索經(jīng)典重貝斯歌曲的采樣魅力，以一首Supremes組合, Aretha Franklin和Irene Cara風(fēng)范十足的 "What a Feeling." 作為專輯壓軸曲目。這張精選專輯曲風(fēng)覆蓋萬千，所有歌曲都被演繹的很棒。對(duì)于一位昔日偶像來說，還算長(zhǎng)紅。