译All Music评安室奈美惠1997年原创专辑《Concentration 20》（20岁专心长大）3.5星

原文链接：https://www.allmusic.com/album/concentration-20-mw0000914606

作者：Ted Mills

翻译：Nomanlandever

Producing a follow-up to Amuro's Sweet 19 Blues was a daunting task, but producer/svengali Tetsuya Komuro was on a roll in a period that the Japanese music press dubbed "Komuro-jidai" ("The Komuro Era"). From the lush, flashback funk of that album, Komuro changed tactics, moving his arrangements closer to the techno-industrial pop of his group globe. The album has "mature effort" written all over it, but it feels forced. Amuro's voice is still limited by her range, but Komuro brings it closer in the mix, and begins to have her sing higher than she can manage (something he began to do with singer Keiko of globe). It's not the album it could have been: only "No Communication," "A Walk in the Park," and "How to Be a Girl" stand up as fully formed pop songs, though they are terrific ones. The latter is especially strange, a stop-start drum'n'bass-esque verse is surrounded by electric drones before diving into its rockin' chorus. The big hit here was the ballad "Can You Celebrate," a perfect soundtrack for any high school slow dance, grandiose, with swirling strings -- though ruined here by Komuro insisting on singing backup (which he does execrably).

制作安室奈美惠《Sweet 19 Blues》的后续作品无疑是个艰难棘手的任务，但制作人小室哲哉在那个被日本媒体冠以“小室时代”的时期却势如破竹地做出这张杰作。小室哲哉一改前作华丽，怀旧的放克风格，更改策略，使编曲更贴近他globe组合的工业技术舞曲。这张专辑的歌词都有写到“成长历程”，但感觉有些牵强。安室奈美惠的歌唱依旧受限于音域，但小室哲哉的混音更贴合她的声线，并指导安室奈美惠唱出她不能掌控的高音（有时他与globe组合成员Keiko一起指导）。这张专辑并未做出应有的高度：只有"No Communication," "A Walk in the Park,"和"How to Be a Girl"可以作为流行作品站得住脚，不过他们也是极好的作品。"How to Be a Girl"尤其古怪，时停时续的drum'n'bass式的唱段被持续的低鸣电声笼罩，随后才过渡到副歌部分。专辑里的大热单曲是"Can You Celebrate"，一首可成为任何校园慢舞，华丽场景，弦乐飘荡的完美主题曲——尽管小室哲哉坚决亲自参与伴唱这一行为毁掉了整首歌曲（他做的很糟糕）。

（注：drum'n'bass（Drum & Bass）是以鼓和低音为基本结构要素的电子舞曲。）