Rainbow (Ayumi Hamasaki album)
| Rainbow | ||||
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| Studio album by Ayumi Hamasaki | ||||
| Released | December 18, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 71:42 | |||
| Label | Avex Trax | |||
| Producer | Max Matsuura | |||
| Ayumi Hamasaki chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rainbow | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Geocities.co.jp |   |
Rainbow (stylized as RINBOW) is the fifth studio album by Japanese recording artist Ayumi Hamasaki, released on 18 December 2002 by Avex Trax. Production of Rainbow had commenced after the release of Hamasaki's fourth studio album I Am... that January; All lyrics were written by Hamasaki, and Japanese producer Max Matsuura returned to produce the album. The album was Hamasaki's first to feature conversational English lyrics, where in her previous works she had only used single words.
Channelling pop and trip hop music, Rainbow focuses on lighter themes that were established on her previous album. Some songs focus on loneliness, sadness and relationships, while the rest talk about happiness, having fun and nostalgia. Critics' opinions of the album were generally favourable; the composition and lyrical content were commended. However, some critics dismissed Hamasaki's vocals and Matsuura's production. Upon its release, the album entered the Oricon Albums Chart at number one with first week sales of over one million units, becoming her fifth album to reach the top spot, her fourth to debut there, and her fourth to sell over one million copies in its debut week. Rainbow is the eighty-ninth highest selling Japanese album of all time.
Hamasaki promoted the album by releasing three singles: "Free & Easy", "H", and "Voyage". All three reached number one, with Free & Easy becoming the first of a record breaking twenty-five consecutive number one singles, a streak that did not break until 2013, when her single "Feel the Love/Merry-Go-Round" stalled at number five. All of the singles except "H" were accompanied by a short music video. Hamasaki performed several tracks from the album in several television appearances in 2002 and 2003, and has performed some of the album's songs on several concert tours and countdown live shows.
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