Hero [CD+DVD]

Namie's newest single is her BEST yet. She starts off with the title song, a powerful ballad which begins with her ringing out twice in succession "I'll be your heeerrro". This song is just so powerfully beautiful with both its lyrics & sound heightened even further by Namie's great vocals feeding even more life through it like some goddess calling out from Mount Olympus. The MV for this song only feeds the song even further with an Olympics theme done perfectly with some amazing scenes & imagery you just have got to see. For the b-side, the single turns poppy fun. It has a very retro feel to this track that reminds me of the kinda thing I might've heard on my mom's oldies stations, but without sounding all too dated. The MV for it is mostly shot on a double-deck bus with Namie throwing a party with her fellow girls. It's just fun, fresh & amazingly addictive. Lastly is the packaging, which is beautiful. The Olympics symbol & text on the cover are made of that shiny reflective stuff in the golden color you see on the image here, which just makes it stand out even further. Inside are the disks, which once again are pure shining golden beautiful. The back side of the case features the track list in white with the gold Olympics symbol outline above it. The image behind this is a continued shot from the front where we see the remaining part of Namie's back and hair drifting behind her with the ribbons. Take out the inner slip and it's blue til you flip it open and find the lyrics inside. Hero's are in green while SMWYG's are in yellow with a white background featuring yet another large image of Namie hold the ribbons with her hair flowing back behind her, though she has a different look on her face. Also the poster (FP only) is just lovely. It's probably one of the best ones I've ever seen of her. Needless to say, I got it framed and hung it on my bedroom wall. This single is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! NOBODY who appreciates great music should miss out on this release.