Guilty (Ayumi Hamasaki Album)
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''Guilty'' (capitalized as ''GUILTY'') is the ninth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by Japanese recording artist
Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
. It was released on January 1, 2008 by Avex Trax. ''Guilty'' marks Hamasaki's ninth consecutive album to be fully produced by Japanese producer and manager
Max Matsuura , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...
, while she contributes to the album as the lead vocalist, background vocalist, and songwriter to all songs. Recorded in
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
with minor phrases in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, ''Guilty'' is a
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
album with numerous musical elements such as
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
, heavy metal,
synthrock Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrum ...
, and
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...
melodies. ''Guilty'' was recorded in Japan and the
United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, making it Hamasaki's third album recorded in the US. Additional production and mastering was handled in both Japan and the US. Five different formats were released to promote the album; a standalone CD, a CD and DVD bundle, a photo book package, a limited edition Playbutton, and a digital release worldwide. Three different artworks were issued for the album's cover sleeve; the CD format has a long-shot of Hamasaki in a leopard-print dress, the CD and DVD format had a close-up of Hamasaki's face, and the photo book package has Hamasaki sitting in a director's seat with a yellow dress on. Upon the album's release, it was met with mixed to favourable reviews from music critics. Critics complimented the album's darker elements and commended Hamasaki's authentic deliveries through her lyrics and emotions. However, some criticized the album's overpowering arrangements and Hamasaki's vocal performances, alongside the album's pigeon-holed genres and lack of music diversity. Commercially, ''Guilty'' was a success. It became Hamasaki's first studio album to miss the top spot on Japan's
Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...
. Despite this, ''Guilty'' sold over 568,000 units by the end of the 2008. It was certified double platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...
(RIAJ) for shipments of 500,000 units. Three singles were released from ''Guilty''. Its lead and only a-side single "
Glitter/Fated "Glitter"/"Fated" is the forty-first single by Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki, released on July 18, 2007. "Glitter"/"Fated" was Hamasaki's first single of 2007 and first single in over a year, since the release of " Blue Bird" in June 2006. ...
"" was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the Japanese
Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...
and was certified gold by RIAJ. The album's second single, "
Talkin' 2 Myself "Talkin' 2 Myself" is J-Pop singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki's 42nd single, which was released on September 19, 2007. The single contains two rock tracks, one acoustic orchestra remix of her previously released " Fated", and the instrumentals of ...
", was a commercial success; it peaked at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart and was certified gold by RIAJ. The album's only digital single, " Together When..." could not chart on the Oricon Singles Chart because it was marketed digitally; it managed to sell over 3.3 million sales, Hamasaki's best selling single to date. Several other album tracks charted on competent charts in Japan. Hamasaki promoted the album on her 2008 10th Anniversary Asia Tour.


Background and development

In July 2007, it was confirmed by Ayumi Hamasaki and her record label Avex Trax that she would release a then-untitled upcoming studio album that would include fifteen tracks and a bonus DVD. Hamasaki and Avex Trax enlisted long-term collaborator, Japanese businessman and producer
Max Matsuura , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese record producer and businessman. He is the founder of Avex Group, one of the largest music labels. He is known mainly for discovering and developing new artists into stars (most notably Ayumi Hamas ...
, to produce the album; this marks Hamasaki's ninth consecutive studio album to be fully produced by Matsuura. Hamasaki begun recording the album at Avex Studios and Prime Sound Studios in Japan around end-2006 with Hiroshi Sato, Koji Morimoto, Satoshi Kumasaka, Yasuo Matsumoto, Yoshinori Kumamoto, and Yuichi Nagayama. Hamasaki traveled to
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to record the rest of the album at Record Plant Recording Studios with Bradley Cook, Steve Churchyard, and Troy Halverson; This marks Hamasaki's third album to have been recorded in Los Angeles; her previous albums ''
(Miss)Understood ''(Miss)understood'' (stylized in all lowercase) is the seventh studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki, released January 1, 2006 by Avex Trax. Hamasaki acted as the album's sole lyricist, as she had on all of her preceding alb ...
'' and ''
Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...
'' (2006) were both recorded in Los Angeles as well. The material from ''Guilty'' was produced and recorded over a year and five months, Hamasaki's longest spanning projects since recording her studio '' My Story'' with two years. Hamasaki and Avex enlisted previous composers and arrangers for the album, such as CMJK, Tetsuya Yukumi, Yuta Nakano, and Kazuhiro Hara; these composers and arrangers started working with Hamasaki back on her 2002 album ''
Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' and 2004 ''My Story''. Several instruments from the album were directed by American musicians and arrangers; tracks such as "Talkin' 2 Myself", "Decision", "Together When...", and "Untitled (For Her)" were directed by American musicians. Hamasaki said about the album's title; "I have carefully done a lot of soul searching regarding the issue of "feeling guilty, but still life has to go on" whenever I was composing or performing. No matter how people feel sinful, since we are alive and kicking, then we should continue living on the best we could whether we are sad or happy." A month before the album's release, Hamasaki announced that an inoperable condition, possibly
tinnitus Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...
or
Ménière's disease Ménière's disease (MD) is a disease of the inner ear that is characterized by potentially severe and incapacitating episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Typically, only one ear is affected initial ...
, had caused complete deafness in her left ear. She disclosed that she had been diagnosed with the condition in 2006 and that the problem dated back to 2000. Despite the setback, Hamasaki stated that she wished to continue singing, and that she would "not give up" on her fans and that "as a professional", she wanted to "deliver the best performance for everyone". (Archived version)


Composition and songs

''Guilty'' is a
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
album with numerous musical elements such as
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, heavy metal,
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
, and
pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cur ...
melodies. In an interview with Japanese magazine ''S Cawaii'', Hamasaki said about the production of the album; "I think this is a nice album 'Guilty'' The word "nice" does have a lot of meaning, or it is full of thoughts. Although I tend to praise previous albums like ''My Story'', ''(Miss)Understood'' and ''Secret'', these albums harbour sense of accomplishments that were different to each release-ment..." Hamasaki also stated about the lyrical and emotional content; "I didn't get the same feeling this time around f emotional content There's nothing emotional about this album, it was just finished in a breath. But when I examined the songs' lyrics from my album, I was astonished that they somehow are telling a story. "How could it be?" I asked." Hamasaki revealed that after completing the album, she started to cry a lot about it; "If there's anything special about this album, then maybe it's about I cried when I first listened to ''Guilty''. Basically I do not listen to my own songs. I always calm down whenever I finished recording, and judge my songs as a third party, or thinking about some parts of the song such as "This part of this song maybe wasn't that easy to sing". This time it isn't both of these perception, because I couldn't stop crying during the song and I would always do something else in the middle of the song..." According to
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
editor Adam Greenberg, he said of the album's music; "On ''Guilty'', she updates her sound to fit a modern version of J-pop, infused heavily with rock and with darker, more gothic elements... She stretches across her range admirably to capture the darker, deeper tones of the rock..." A staff reviewer from ''CD Journal'' noted darker music elements of rock and gothic rock music. A staff reviewer from Channel Ai labelled it a cross over between the rock sounds of ''My Story'' and the darker elements of her 2000 studio album ''
Duty A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; fro, deu, did, past participle of ''devoir''; la, debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may ...
''; "Overall most tracks move towards a heavily rock and orchestral direction with a few pop tracks included." Bradley Stern from MuuMuse noted rock elements from ''Secret'', which Stern declared "did nothing for me"; he stated that it "seems to be following the same path, except I have a feeling there's more sincerity packed into the bunch this time round." The album includes four interludes; "Mirror", a rock song that was extended into Hamasaki's 2008 single "
Mirrorcle World "Mirrorcle World" is the forty-third physical single and forty-fourth single overall by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. The title track is an extended version of the song "Mirror," a two-minute introductory track on Hamasaki's ninth studio album, ...
" for her greatest hits album '' A Complete: All Singles''. "Marionette (Prelude)" is a "dark" interlude track that opens the album track with the same name, using sound effects from a
music box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'') ...
and grand piano. The third interlude is "The Judgement Day", which is an
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
song with elements of
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
. The final interlude is the "Rebirth", which is a "mystical" ethereal track with no lead or background vocals. Upbeat
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
and electronic dance music is noted in tracks "Glitter" and "My All". Two pop ballad melodies are present on the album; "Together When..." and "Untitled (For Her)". The former track has been noted by critics as her most "emotional" and vulnerable songs to date, while the latter track was a dedication towards a friend she lost in 2007. The remaining songs are all composed as rock songs; "(Don't) Leave Me Alone" features elements of electronic music, "Talkin' 2 Myself" features elements of heavy metal, and the title track was compared to the work of
Junkie XL Tom Holkenborg (born 8 December 1967), also known by his stage name Junkie XL or occasionally JXL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer. Originally known for his trance productions, he has moved to producing e ...
by Stern.


Release and packaging

''Guilty'' was released in five different formats on
New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
in 2008 by Avex Trax. The stand-alone CD features the fourteen tracks in a
jewel case Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...
, with first press editions including an
obi #REDIRECT Obi {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous title ...
and a bonus poster. The CD and DVD format features the fourteen tracks, and a bonus DVD with the music videos to "Glitter", "Fated" (which is recognized as the short film ''Distance Love''), "Decision", "Talkin' 2 Myself", "Together When...", "Marionette", and "(Don't) Leave Me Alone". The DVD also included the making videos for each music video, and the making of Hamasaki's short film. A bonus packaging of the CD and DVD format came with a cardboard sleeve. The fourth format is the digital release. ''Guilty'' is one of the first Avex Trax albums to be released on digital retail stores worldwide on March 12 that same year; her previous and future studios were then released worldwide. The final format was a limited edition Playbutton, which was only distributed in Japan. All five cover sleeves for ''GUILTY'' were photographed by photographer and designer Hijika. The standalone CD artwork has Hamasaki in a leopard print dress, standing in a
canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
with Hamasaki's name and the album title superimposed on her. This marks Hamasaki's first ever cover sleeve to be photographed and directed outside of Japan. The CD and music video DVD format has a close-up of Hamasaki's face, with Hamasaki's name and the album title superimposed on her. The Playbutton box uses the CD and DVD cover, while the Playbutton device has a gold "G" symbol over an orange background. The digital release uses the standalone CD format. The booklet and photo shoot were designed by Hirotomi Suzumoto and Shinichi Hara. The "sexy" and "cute" leopard print elements were first developed on ''Duty'' where she wears a cat-suit, and a
mobile device A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...
advertisement in 2000. First pressing issues for both the standalone CD format and the CD and DVD format included a 30–page photo album of Hamasaki in Los Angeles.


Critical reception

''Guilty'' received mixed to favourable reviews from most music critics. A staff reviewer from '' CD Journal'' commended the album's music consistency and praised Hamasaki's "emotional" lyrics and "powerful" vocals. The editor selected the album's singles as the main highlights. Adam Greenberg from
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
awarded the album two-and-a-half stars out of five. Despite praising Hamasaki's move into rock music, he felt she over-performed an "unnecessary melodrama" and felt it was "a fairly staged, theatrical sound." He criticized Hamasaki's vocals in specific songs, feeling she was "flat in fairly standardized songs" and "a great singer trying hopelessly to keep up with dark rock ballads that are horribly mismatched to her temperament and her delivery style." He concluded, "Hamasaki's got plenty of good work in her catalog, ''Guilty'' is unlikely to stand with the best portions of it, even for her numerous fans." Despite praising "Together When...", the title track, and highlhy commending other album tracks, Bradley Stern from MuuMuse graded the album a B minus. He stated "I feel she's allowing herself to be pigeonholded into a very specific genre, rather than the eclectic selection she has offered in the past". He criticized the producers and composers for lacking a musical diversity. Alexey Eremenko from AllMusic highlighted "Together When..." as one of Hamasaki's best songs to date. The reception of the album was noted by Greenberg and Channel Ai staff; the latter stated "''Guilty'' was not that well received among some fans due to the fact that most of the musical styles were used before in previous albums." Despite this, Hamasaki considered that ''Guilty'', alongside her 1999 album ''
Loveppears ''Loveppears'' (stylized as ''LOVEppears'') is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released in Japan, Hong Kong and China on November 10, 1999 through Avex Trax and the China Record Corporation, and distrib ...
'' ''Duty'' as her "
magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
".


Commercial performances

''Guilty'' debuted at number one on the Japanese Daily
Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...
, staying there for an entire week. However, due to
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
's annual fifty-one-week rule, the album charted in the second week of January and not the first. As a result, ''Guilty'' debuted at number two on the Japanese Weekly Oricon Albums Chart, with an estimate 432,000 sold units in its first two week of sales. This became Hamasaki's first studio album to miss the top spot in Japan, and remained this position until her 2012 album ''
Party Queen ''Party Queen'' is the thirteenth full-length studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki. The album was released digitally on March 14, 2012 and physically on March 21, 2012 through Avex Trax. Primarily a pop album, ''Party Queen'' ...
''. It did however become Hamasaki's ninth consecutive studio album to debut atop the daily chart. It also became the fifth highest selling album by a female artist for first week sales of 2010. It stayed at number two for two consecutive weeks, shifting an extra 72,027 units by its third week in Japan. It stayed in the top 10 for three weeks, and the top 300 with 16 weeks overall. ''Guilty'' entered the Billboard Top Albums Sales Chart at number three, her first album to chart on the Billboard charts since its establishment the same year. It slipped to number five in its second charting week, and stayed in the top ten for two weeks. It lasted eight weeks in the top 100 chart, with a final charting position at 80. ''Guilty'' was certified double platinum in February 2008 by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pr ...
(RIAJ) for shipments of 500,000 units. This is Hamasaki's final album to shift over 500,000 physical units. At the end of 2008, ''Guilty'' sold over 568,288 units in Japan; this ranked the sixth best selling album by a female artist, just behind entries from Japanese singers
Ayaka , known simply as Ayaka, is a female Japanese singer, songwriter and record producer formerly signed to Warner Music Japan. Born in Osaka, she moved to Tokyo to pursue a singing career. She married actor Hiro Mizushima on February 22, 2009. B ...
,
Kumi Koda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, "Real Emotion ...
,
Mariya Takeuchi is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Regarded as an influential figure in the city pop genre, she is one of the best-selling music artists in Japan, having sold over 16 million records, and has received several accolades. Her husband is Tatsu ...
,
Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...
, and
Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...
. Hamasaki's compilation ''A Complete: All Singles'' was also ranked that same year, placed third behind Utada and Amuro's entries. ''Guilty'' took the top spot on the Taiwanese East Asian Albums Chart, and two on the overall Taiwanese Albums Chart. To date, ''Guilty'' has claimed sales over 750,000 units in Japan.


Promotion

In the month of December in 2007, Hamasaki performed live on Japanese TV shows ten times for promotions, mainly with the song "Together When" (its main promotional track). Hamasaki was also featured on the cover of eight different Japanese magazines during the promoting of ''Guilty'', such as ''Sweet'', ''Voce'', ''Bea's Up'', '' Vivi'', ''
Popteen ''Popteen'' is a monthly teenage fashion magazine published by the ''Kadokawa Haruki Corporation'' in Japan. The first issue was published on 1 October 1980 by ''Kadokawa Shoten''. Later issues were published by ''Asuka Shinsha'' who bought the ...
'', ''
Cawaii! ''Cawaii!'' is a fashion magazine published in Taiwan, People's Republic of China, Thailand, and previously in Japan. History and profile Launched as a monthly gal fashion magazine targeted at women in their teens in Japan in March 1996, ''Cawa ...
'', ''S Cawaii'', and ''Tokyo Headline''. As of late December in Shibuya, Tokyo, there have been many promotional pictures posted around Shibuya. "Glitter" was used as the theme song to Music.Jp and the Japanese Gold Kiwi advert, while "Fated" was used as the theme song to Avex Trax's Myu-Umo and the Japanese television series ''Ghost Story''. "Talkin' 2 Myself" was used as the theme song to
Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Osaka P ...
Lumix FX33 advertisements and Myu-Umo, while "Decision" was used as the theme song to Music.Jp. Other album tracks were used as theme songs for different commercials; "(Don't) Leave Me Alone" and "Together When..." was used for Music.Jp and Myu-Umo advertisements.


Singles

"
Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...
" and " Fated" were released as the album's lead and only a-side single on July 18, 2007. The songs received positive reviews from most music critics, who praised the composition and production of each song. Minor criticism was towards both the song's production, according to Stern. It also achieved success in her native Japan, peaking at number one on the Japanese
Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...
and lasted for eleven weeks. The physical format was certified gold by RIAJ for shipments of 100,000 units in Japan; "Glitter" was certified double platinum and platinum for digital and ringtone sales, shifting over 750,000 units in Japan, while "Fated" was certified gold by RIAJ for sales of 100,000 units in Japan. The accompanying music videos for both singles was shot in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
for eight days; it was for Hamasaki's
short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
''Distance Love'', and features Hong Kong actor
Shawn Yue Shawn Yue Man-lok (born 13 November 1981) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. A former model, he has starred in many films, such as ''Jiang Hu'', ''Infernal Affairs II'', the ''Love in the Buff'' film series, ''Mad World'' and '' The Brink'', and ha ...
as her lover; the short film depicts Hamasaki as herself, on a tour of Hong Kong, with Yue as her bodyguard, whom Hamasaki later falls in love with. In the later half of Distance Love, Yue is injured while riding his motorcycle, leaving behind a ring, which Hamasaki later finds. "
Talkin' 2 Myself "Talkin' 2 Myself" is J-Pop singer-songwriter Ayumi Hamasaki's 42nd single, which was released on September 19, 2007. The single contains two rock tracks, one acoustic orchestra remix of her previously released " Fated", and the instrumentals of ...
" was released as the album's first solo and second overall single on September 19, 2007. The song received favourable reviews from most music critics, who praised the song's aggressive and powerful rock elements and Hamasaki's vocals. It achieved success in Japan, debuting atop the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and lasted for nine weeks. The song was certified gold by RIAJ for shipments and digital sales of 100,000 units, shifting 200,000 units in Japan. An accompanying music video was shot for the singles; it features Hamasaki dancing and singing the song in a destroyed cityscape and junk yard. " Together When..." was released as the album's first digital and third and final overall single on December 5, 2007. This is Hamasaki's first digital single, and is Avex Trax's first single to released only as a digital single. The single failed to chart on Japan's Oricon Singles Chart due to their policy of restricting digital sales and releases. However, the single was certified triple platinum and platinum by RIAJ for ringtone and cellphone sales, shifting over one million units in Japan. This is Hamasaki's second digital release after "Jewel" to be certified one million in Japan. With over 3.3 million sales worldwide, "Together When..." is Hamasaki's best selling single.


Other charted songs

After the album's release, "Decision", "(Don't) Leave Me Alone", "My All", "Guilty", "Untitled (For Her)", and "Mirror" charted at: 35, 29, 36, 54, 84, and 93 on the RIAJ Monthly Ringtone Chart respectively. "Decision" and "(Don't) Leave Me Alone" received music videos each. The video to "Decision" features Hamasaki performing and singing the song in an inside arena with a back-up band. The video to "(Don't) Leave Me Alone"" features Hamasaki inside a blue
maze A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...
singing the song. As the song progresses, several back up dancers come together for the song's chorus.


Concert tours and other releases

Hamasaki conducted several live performances to promote the material from ''Guilty''. Hamasaki performed both "Glitter" and "Fated" on the annual 2007 A-nation concert tour in Japan. Her performance attracted positive reviews from many music critics; Jasy from Jame World stated "However, the performance of pop princess Hamasaki Ayumi was anticipated with the most impatience. She is featured on the DVD with three tracks! There is the loud and sexy 1 LOVE, in which Ayumi and her dancers twist and contort in cages, on chairs or at poles; for her captivating love ballad fated and the soft pop song glitter, she interacts with the crowd. Then, while showing the fireworks that fill the night sky, the credits roll." The live DVD was released, featuring the three performances. Additional merchandise was on sale worldwide for the performance. Hamasaki promoted the album on her 2008 10th Anniversary Asia Tour. Hamasaki announced the concert in February 2008, with several concert tours in Asian territories confirmed. The concert tour was recorded in
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, and the DVD release was confirmed. Album tracks "Rebirth", "The Judgement Day", "Talkin' 2 Myself", "(Don't) Leave Me Alone", "Decision", "Marionette" and its interlude, and "My All" were included on the tour's set list. The DVD reached number two on the Oricon DVD Chart, with over 52,622 in its first week. It stayed in the top ten for five weeks, and lasted 20 weeks overall. By the end of 2009, the live DVD sold over 76,235 units in Japan. To promote the material from ''Guilty'' and enhanced Hamasaki's worldwide releases, tracks were remixed and produced for Hamasaki's ''Ayu-Mi-x''
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...
series; "Talkin' 2 Myself" and "Glitter" were remixed by Swedish DJ StoneBridge and British production team Soul Central for her remix album '' Ayu-mi-x 6: Gold'' (2008). "Together When...", "Fated", and "Decision" were remixed by Co-Fusion, Japanese musician
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, and Force of Nature for her remix album '' Ayu-mi-x 6: Silver'' (2008). It was released worldwide as a digital album; the decision to release both ''Guilty'' and the remix albums worldwide, with remix collaborations from Western DJs
The Young Punx The Young Punx are an English electronic dance music group whose eclectic and energetic style encompasses French house, breakbeat and drum and bass, mashed up with elements as diverse as 1980s pop music, pop, rock music, rock, disco and jazz. ...
,
Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...
,
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and Armand Van Helden, has been interpreted as her first step into the global market. The reception for both remix albums and the ''Guilty'' content received positive reviews from most music critics. The silver edition and its content was later recognized as one of Hamasaki's best albums, according to Allmusic.


Track listing


All formats

* Standard CD – Consists of fourteen original tracks on one disc. * First pressing standard CD – Consists of fourteen original tracks on one disc. First press issues include bonus poster, the photo album, and an
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strip. * CD and DVD – Consists of fourteen original tracks on one disc. Consists of six music videos, and seven behind the scenes videos. * First pressing CD and DVD – Consists of fourteen original tracks on one disc. Consists of six music videos, and seven behind the scenes videos. First press issues include bonus poster, the photo album, and an obi strip. * Playbutton – Published through a limited edition Play button device; consists of fourteen original tracks.


Charts and sales


Charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Notes and references


Notes


References


External links


Ayumi Hamasaki's official discography.

''Guilty''
– Hamasaki's official website.
''Distance Love'' short film
– Hamasaki's official blog site. {{Authority control 2008 albums Ayumi Hamasaki albums Japanese-language albums Avex Group albums