Release Date: 2010.07.28
Let’s all be frank, right here, right now. “PAST < FUTURE” was an epic comeback studio album, fresh in the best possible way, and honestly the best J-Diva album of 2009. Disagree all you want, it was all kinds of epic. So naturally, old and new fans alike (including myself) were anticipating the next great release from Namie Amuro. Apparently she likes touring too much to work on music 24/7, and I suppose this was an obligatory single release. But “Break It / Get Myself Back” is a return to original sin, so to speak.
Why? Well, “Break It” sounds somewhat like a demo from her last album. At first I hated it, but I grew to like it quite a bit. It’s not exactly killer single material that I’d 
look for in Amuro, considering her last single was the best thing she’s ever done, but it gets the job done. It focuses more on a pop approach, slightly abandoning the “future” flavor she used before in favor of a marching band-esque bass beat and Indian guitar riffs. It could be just me, but Amuro’s voice is this song’s biggest downfall. She has a “pretty” voice, so she doesn’t necessarily fit the hot club stomper composition unless she sings in a lower tone or if her voice is digitally touched up. It’s pretty anthemic though. “Break break break it all, show show show your soul!“
While “Break It” misses it’s target by a hair, “Get Myself Back” is on the right path for Amuro. True to the song’s title, Amuro is very reminiscent of her eras before the success of her compilation, “BEST FICTION“, taking on both an R&B and ballad hybrid style. It’s uplifting style is a vast improvement from her previous ballads, and there’s even a synth beat underneath the piano, making this a better version of “MY LOVE“.
Not quite as amazing as I expected, but hey – it gets the job done, and it’s better than her avex peers as of late anyway. Noticing both the more organic sounds in this single and the eeriely hidden message-like titles, I’m suspecting Namie’s next studio album will be a return to her “Hip-Pop” days. But we’ll see.
★★★★☆☆
While I do prefer Break It to Get Myself Back(even if the former has the worst verses ever), I feel that Get Myself Back was the better produced track and of bigger importance in her ballad selection than Break It is to her “pop/hip-pop” stuff.
I could not get into Break It. The key Namie was singing in was SO WRONG. Get Myself Back was just decent. I don’t normally do ballads, but it grew on me. I was slightly disappointed by the single because I was still riding the epic wave of PAST < FUTURE.