Next Level [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Jacket A] Customer Reviews

OK, so I'll be the first one to admit that I was NOT excited about this album AT ALL. And the first couple listens were NOT spectacular, but perhaps I was being biased. Coz once i listened to again, IT WAS FRICKIN' AMAZING!!!! Altogether, I find it reminiscent of her RAINBOW album, and I liked it. After listening to it and analyzing the tracks, I find that each one has SOMETHING interesting and unique about it, and after a while I was really able to appreciate it :) good purchase <3

I pre-ordered this, and unfortunately I regret it. For while the singles for this album were all great songs (GREEN and Rule in particular), the album-exclusive tracks overall lacked punch and didn't grab my attention. It's a good normal j-pop album, but Ayu's worst album yet. Perhaps if there were only one or two interlude tracks, and the songs were recorded to reflect the quality of the singles, then this album would have been AMAZING. Hopefully her next album will floor me. The live disc is the disc I am very pleased with. This particular live featured many songs that fans the world over wanted her to perform live, and she performed them, and performed them WELL. What a truly amazing performance it was. The DVD was, of course, lovely, and the videos are truly Ayu: enjoyable and not what is usually expected. NEXT LEVEL album: 3.5/5 LIVE CD: 5/5 DVD: 4.5/5

While the singles on the album are great, most of the album tracks themselves cant match. rollin' is one of the good songs on here. The opening interlude is nice and aside from disco-munication, the rest of the interludes on the album suck. The Live CD is awesome and every track delivers. The DVD is great too. The Sparkle PV alone is reason enough to at least get the cd+dvd version.

Aside from the DVD which includes the music videos and therefore exactly the same content as the regular +DVD edition, this limited version comes with a 2nd CD which includes the live versions of a total of 14 tracks recorded at the 'Premium Countdown Live 2008 - 2009'. I highly recommened this edition to any Ayu fan, this live CD is the first ever released and therefore a real treasure for any collection.

I prefer the Ayu who works on with her voice, not the electronic Ayu, to be honnest. Here, we have a lot of musical arrangments, and songs where the voice is not the most important. Days and Green, which I did really like, look like UFO in this very electronic-styled album. Actually, it is really energetic. I like Sparkles, Rollin', Identity. You want to dance and to bounce, even if the song's words are not so full of hope and dreams. But these are fashionable songs, and they will be forgotten fast. Sad. She's done far better. The song entitled "curtain call" is the next to be the last during her lives. I do truly think that she should take care of herself, take care of her voice ( obviously such an album is meant for her not to push too hard on her voice, and maybe she cannot go as high as before, because she just never let her voice rest). Then, she would be able to come back with a true, original, devastating album. She needs to recreate herself a little bit, in my opinion.

I have become Ayu fan since her single talkin' 2 myself. So NEXT LEVEL is actually my 2nd Ayumi Hamasaki album. It is completely different GUILTY! And now I understand why she is called Empress of Japanese music, because all her works are different, she's never disappointed and the main thing that is ALL HER WORKS ARE SUPERB HIGH QUALITY! Also she's one of the few mainstream artist who are not afraid of experimenting with new styles and that is great! GUILTY was rock album, while NEXT LEVEL uses more Electro sounds. However even rock LOVERS will find here song called Rule, which is real rock song that RoXXX!! Album is A MUST BUY for any Asian Music fan, do not even think, just buy it! Damn, it is not just somebody it is Ayumi Hamasaki Empress of J-Music! Do not hesitate! Go and grab it already!

When I first heard the singles from this album I was very excited but when I got the album I was dissapointed but after a few listens the album grew on me! Now I think the album is amazing. If you are a fan of Ayu or a fan j-pop then I recommend buying this album.

This 10th album from Ayu is a pretty treasure. All the songs are good and sweet. The second CD with live versions is also absolutely good and the DVD with the PVs is beautiful !!

A great 10th album from Ayu! A departure of her heavy rock tunes, we now have dance songs, full of attitude! Some of my favourites are identity, LOVE n' HATE, and Rollin'. Though there are four interludes, they are very awesome, and I listen to them as much as the full songs. The PV's are very well produced, and very fun to watch. Overall an excellent album from Ayu!

Exellent album. Rule, SPARKLE are a Great songs. Curtain call is so beautiful. This album is very electro but I love because is a new style for Ayu. PV's are very good.And the bonus CD is very amazing.

I got my copy yesterday and first off, I need to say I was amazed at how fast it arrived - shipped from Japan on Monday and got it the net day! That's a new record for Air Mail. I was a bit disappointed with Guilty, so my expectations for this album were high - and it truly was worth the wait, for what an album it is! This is an excellent release for her grand 10th full album. The tracklist is nicely balanced even though the main focus is on dance/disco type songs and it's full of good, catchy melodies. There are only two songs that weren't that memorable and even those are listen-worthy and will surely grow on me over time. My only complaint is that again, like on Guilty, there are few too many instrumentals. But it's an extremely enjoyable release. My favorites are GREEN, Rule, Next Level, identity and LOVE 'n' HATE. As for the DVD, all the PVs are very enjoyable and of the usual Ayu quality - pleasant to watch and very fitting for the songs. And the Live CD was surprisingly good! I'm not one who normally enjoys live CDs but Ayu's vocals were so good that I could enjoy it even though it was just audio and you couldn't see the outifts or performances. I was so glad to hear her permorming many older songs, many of which she hasn't performed live in yars. I just wish they'll also release a DVD for this concert as well, I know I'd buy it.

This is a great album, great songs, fabulous singing by Ms. Hamasaki and excellent playing. The songs from the opening Bridge to the Sky to the closing Curtain Call is excellent sequenced and gives the album a coherence which given the different musical styles involved is an amazing feat in itself. The song NEXT LEVEL is one of the best power ballads I've heard,EnergizE really does that with it's infectious beat which makes you want to dance, rollin' is a great club song with a electro beat, identity is a great rock song, Curtain Call is a wonderful ballad with Ms. Hamasaki's best singing on the album but for me the standout track is LOVE 'n' HATE which has a truly unique sound. The live CD from COUNTDOWN LIVE 2008 - 2009 is very good in capturing the live sound it sounds like a good audience tape from a GRATEFUL DEAD concert in that it doesn't seem to be any kind of post production. This gives it a true live feel it actully sounds like you're there. The song selection (I belive) reflects that it was a 10th anniversary show as many songs are greeted by the audience with huge roars. A stunning performance and a great recording.

Celebrating Ayu's 10th anniversary as a singer (most known as Queen of J-Music) , we can expect amazing songs from this album, so our waiting for the release worth every second. Ayu RULES!

Well I certainly do. I only became aqainted with Ayu's music after buying her GUILTY (CD+DVD) album which I love! I now own 12 of her albums and listen to all of them often, although I have to say that I think her LOVEppears album is one of her best. It's quite old now but I can listen to it endlessly. "Next Level" - I recently preordered the Encore Press USB stick version (what a great collectible), but I've also preordered the First Press 2CD+DVD version as I always feel that I need a physical copy that I can play in my cd player/dvd player. They're pretty expensive but I'm positive that they'll be worth it. Please support Ayu and buy her new album 'Next Level'.

Can't wait for my copy to arrive! This has much more that i thought. 10 new songs!! But WTF, all the son titles is really.. Disco-likely xD And the cover too! So amazing ^^ Pink case and PCDL; YAY! I hope there will be added a poster : /

After the long wait, Ayu is finally releasing her grand 10th album! I've been much anticipating this release and seeing how good her singles have been of late, this is sure to become another excellent release. I'm very much looking forward to the special case and the Countdown Live concert. Go, go, Ayu!

I'm so excited for the new album! After one of the longest waits for an Ayu album ever, we finally will get some new tracks and PVs after she spent her 10th anniversary doing so many tours but limited recording. March is definitely "Ayu month" with so many cool things coming out, but how can fans keep up sometimes? xD Ayu has stated that she's still working on the album even now, doing some PV shooting so close to the release - I'm sure she's thought long and hard about this album if it's still being completed so the final product is sure to be great!

Wow! I'm lost for words. I've been restlessly waiting for a new album from Ayu, and NEXT LEVEL is making me excited. Rule/Sparkle both sound different, so I'm expecting a very diverse album. The covers will no doubt be very pretty, like Rule/Sparkle. My only complaint is that I want the USB version as well, but it's already sold out :( As usual, I really hope this album sells well, but also that her single, Rule/Sparkle isn't forgotten about. Ganbatte kudasai Ayu-San!!