Honestly I'm (pleasantly) surprised so many people like these covers... I mean...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...x-Mystorya.PNG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...miHamasaki.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../5d/Hcover.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-Memoriala.PNG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...vel_cdonly.jpg

...

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/starm...u/ayucolor.png

:tipsy

omg.. MY STORY was perfection. the H single was like her best summer single cover art after &

this recent pretty cover has nothing on those masterpieces back then

Memorial Address and Secret aren't the best cover examples lol

I would say so, it looks like they processed a instagram filter on the covers lol.

any big covers available??

Only this from ayu's twitter
http://i59.tinypic.com/js2g4w.jpg

Sometimes I wish she release a simple monochrome cover with just AYUMI HAMASAKI - TITLEALBUM written on it.
Just to see people reactions.

She done worst covers though, she looks pretty and classy. Thank goodness she's looking mature for once. Ayu never had supercreative covers, except for RAINBOW, her album covers always looks like magazines ones :shrug.

And seriously, are people complaining about how lazy it looks? I knew Ayu fans were spoiled but that's too much.

ahh thats big enough! Thank you! :D

the more i see the covers, the more I feel there are rather different than usual haha..somehow

it looks nicer in bigger version...

nothing will ever beat this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ainbow_012.jpg

that bigger cover from Ayu's twitter. the crop of the pic is just bad as well lol

^I hate her expression on that cover... She looks like she is constipated...

Wow they're all gorgeous! Now I know which one to pre-order <3

the expression isn't the best for sure but i still love the whole thing.

FUCKING AMAZING

I LOVE them!

I'm glad it's not tacky covers with colors everywhere, because, you know, the title is "Colours"...

Too bad the Blu-ray one is by far the worst one. The font placement is terrible.
Love the CD only cover the most (and the Milena stuff ones).

I'm usually bored by "magazine" type covers, but I don't know why, those ones are refreshing! Maybe because she hasn't done something like this in a while.

The CD and Milena's are the most appealing, by far. Something bothers me a great deal about the font placement in the CD+Blu-ray. But overall, I like their simplicity and the color scheme is nice. I'm inching closer to actually pre-ordering an Ayu album! Something which I haven't done since Love Songs.

I actually really really like the covers.

I see avex has now given her the budget of BENI/Otsuka Ai/other nobodies.

Sad, but I can't help but picture Namie lounging on a giant futon somewhere, sipping champagne and laughing at this mess.

the best concept cover of ayu was A BALLADS. (also RAINBOW, but well, this cover is classic) From album covers I adore GUILTY and FIVE one. There are too many singles covers I like, but I always was fan of INSPIRE and Bold&Delicious/Pride one.

but well remember there was (miss)understood cover :D and Sunrise/Sunset ~LOVE is all~ horror :D

Colours cover is not thaaaat baaaad. Better than Love songs and LOVE again ones.

nice covers although I expected more COLOURS

why did the CO blocking her eyes in CD+Blu-ray >.>

the only bad thing about this covers is design. They cropped the photos pretty bad, they ruined the bluray version... the typo would be good if they would stay in CD only style.

She looks amazing <3

I completely agree with all you guys. These covers are lacking concept and they're too much westernized. Also, the differences between those Milena candles... eyes and mouth?! LMFAO -__-' Yeah, CD is the least worst choice for buying...

RAINBOW > all her covers

love love love them!!!! She looks glamzilla and fits all the music in it we heard so far

I don't really like Rainbow covers at all. Her face seems like she's going to sneeze pretty soon.
And I never understand that sprinkles of water. Imo the love of it can be explained by something called nostalgic feeling, this is something that acts in this forum frequently :laugh

And really, I'm not the one that wants to bring fire or something, but are we really going to discuss the quality of the covers and "high budget" of Namie's covers? None of her cover singles catch up my interest since "Break It!".
WTH is "Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!" / "Go Round" / "TSUKI". Her magazine shoots are a thousand better than her covers...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Seems like the most hated is the one that Ayu loves the most. hahaha
I want them all in full resolution :heart

My Story, Memorial Address and H are not better than these, in my opinion. Especially My Story, I've always disliked that one. :no I think the text placement/color is weak, but the overall look of them isn't that bad. I do wish it were textless though.

^ then the people would complain that they are too simple and look like A BEST III covers or cover for ayu-mi-x lol.

fucking font....

But i love the photoshoot!

Simple and fresh, my favourite is the CD+Blu-ray version.

FUCK. YES!!!! FIIIINNNNAAAALLLLLYYYYYY

The CD/DVD cover looks like the unphotoshopped covers for ayumix 6 gold and silver.

Gosh, I'm pretty disappointed with the CD+Blu-ray. I want that version but the font on her face.... yikes. Every other cover is perfect :'( I might end up getting the CD+DVD.

I love them!
They're not spectacular or anything, but they're really, really good! I'm actually impressed, because, OMG, the titles look so nice, they didn't use Times New Roman, I'm all sort of thankful.
They're interesting, she looks very sofisticated and adult. They're so neat, great job!

I love these! I think the purple color works great, and I don't mind the font on her face. I think it looks cool.

NICE I LIKE IT!!!

The larger image of Blu-ray version is much better than the smaller one, so I think when you see the real thing, it is going to be even more amazing! Love it~

Yep, because a random photo with a rider hat and a b/w portrait are the quintessential of creativity.

Ok.

I was said that on facebook, personally, the work on the cover leaves much to be desired.

But I agree that she has given us some covers that are out of the line began in the 15th anniversary releases. Anyway the most important thing for me is.............Big case and not thin case please :grumpy

Lmao.

beautiful, classy and fierce. And most important I like the songs even if dance music is not my thing. I don't know what the complaining is all about ...
GO AYU!

Honestly... Namie was NEVER know for her creativity... be it music, covers or PVs... Her management team is brilliant - but that's it.

Don't get me wrong, I like Namie and I'm always curious for her new releases, but this whole Koda/Namie is so much more creative, they put more thoughts on it etc. etc. is just nonsense. Koda/Namie are fun and entertaining performers with fun and entertaining music and from time to time with a beautiful ballad - but their artistic level isn't anything near of Ayu or Utada (I don't even really like Utada, but it's not hard to admit that she's a true artist).

blasphemy.

I totally agree with you! I like Namie and especially Ku but they're completely different from Ayu. She is a complete artist with full control of her career with all the bad and the good things that may come. I don't get the same idea from Kuu and Namie: a lot of team work behind them (this is not a bad thing either, just different)

Wow, they're all GORGEOUS!! I'm getting the CD only version, but I can't even decide which one is my favorite.

The covers are pretty generic-popstar covers. Saying that, I'm happy with the one I'm getting (Blu-ray)!

her twitter header looks like the pics were snapped simultaneously, like a quick snapshot.

I just saw the covers on facebook and really think they're great. I didn't know she has darker hair now so that was a pleasant surprise.:love

I really hope that the text on the cover comes metalized.

Yeah, but.. why pixelated? Why ayu WHY?

Awesome! So far this album gets an A+, her best since Love Songs.

Welcome to the new chapter: aYUMI CoLOURS HAMASaKI, XD.
I like the CD+DVD.

I kind of like how the text on her eyes and how the "ayumi colors hamasaki" are messing up with peoples head hahahah We can see how people deal with desconstruction

So it's not "Colours", but "CoLOURS"? .-.

Actually Namie has been much more creative the past few years. Kuu has always had strong themes with each album and tour, too. Ayu just rehashes and hasn't done anything inspirational since her 50th single.

^Video wise she was definitely at the peak of her creativity with her endorsement with Vidal Sasoon. God I miss those days...

honestly, I hate the covers...they're actually worse than FIVE and they actually were pretty decent

The cover remind me with 4 cover album by beyonce, I decide to buy cd+dvd. Finally

I simply don't get people complaining about these being generic and uninspired. The majority of her albums' and singles' covers are random closeups of her face in slightly different angles/positions/expressions, and a big part of them during the past years in very similar pastel colors. Since when did those start to have so much meaning to make people complain about these new ones like she suddenly decided to go for the generic approach?

For me these covers are not at all much different than the usual covers we usually get from her, with the difference that these are not in pastel...


And Colours covers are still light years better than the (miss)understood CD only cover, now THAT thing is her worst IMO.

THIS!

That's also a perfect example of an amazing album with shitty covers (well, the CD+DVD version is good, but the CD only is too bad to be true...)

Gosh, I'm so mad that after 50 singles and so many albums, ayu has stuff that seems rehashed.

Even though, you know, I thought party queen was a nice effort at a different concept. Especially for covers.
/sarcasm aside

Some of ayus past covers are really basic and not the best, but people will keep spamming rainbow til the end of days.

And then talking about namie. Would everyone prefer a cover like Uncontrolled for this album? And I think if ayu had done the feel concept, it would have been considered uncreative and boring and an edgy black and white rip off of some shoot she did forever ago. Or her last ayu-mi-x release. Something.

I'm curious to see what the rest of the cover outfit looks like.

^Same here.

I'm not really impressed or blown away by the covers but i quite like their simplicity and class. I think I just miss the "more" creative Ayu when it comes to album covers etc. But, anyway who am I to judge this early. There must be some reason why Ayu decided to use these photos. Let's just wait for interviews about this or someone tweet her non stop . LOL

I love the CD only nonetheless.

Oo, they look good! Though the odd aYUMI HAMASaKI thing going on...

What basic covers? I can't think of any, tbh. They're all lovely. No way to say is kinda basic but at least she's wearing a fur coat for the winter theme. <.<;;;

Am I the only one who likes the (miss)understood covers? I get the raw, messy, imperfect nature of them.

Oh god, hell no! That has to be one of Namie's worst covers, she looks terminally ill if not worse. And regarding FEEL, what made the covers interesting was the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" concept. As stand alone pictures they weren't anything to write home about, just nice to look at.

I'm surprised by the reactions on here, and then not really lol. I'm one of the people who keep on mocking the pastel, instagram-esque covers so i'm really happy with these, yet so many people seem to dislike them. I personally don't see what's wrong with them, she looks amazing, editorial and the typography is actually creative FOR ONCE. And guys, can we just celebrate the fact that she's not duck-lipping in any of the pics? HALLELUJAH

this one is good

http://jpopcdcovers.files.wordpress....erstood_01.jpg


but this one is just... :irked

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...erstood_CD.jpg

^ don't. bring it back. please. Lmaooo

well, even worse than (miss)understood: A SUMMER BEST

http://y.yai.bz/Assets/10/130/l_p0022013010.jpg



with pictures such as...

http://www.nautiljon.com/images/actu...entes_1979.jpg

http://img.yaplog.jp/img/17/pc/r/i/s...t/22/22507.png

^ I don't know, she looks kind of hot in that last one...

^

I still don't get the hate lol... I like that awkward smile. The unpolished look shows it was done on purpose and not just a bad choice of photo.

And in A SUMMER BEST she looks hot! Omg

I meant that the last two were great choice for the cover. the one that end up being the actual cover (the first one) is a joke. How can you chose that over the las 2 pictures?

I don't know, but for a while I thought ayu let her worst enemy choose the covers.

^ Oh! Sorry, for some reason the top picture didn't show up the first time.



Btw.... just saw the Lelio PV and it has pretty much sold the CD+Bluray version for me even though the cover is atrocious! I don't understand why people dislike the PV, it's one of my favorite ayu PVs of all time. Need it in HD!!!!

I agree with rainbow. I love the cover where she's covering her mouth, but I dislike the smiling one. It's too wide. Her smile looks forced, it's just a bit too much. Tone it down a bit, bring the lips in a bit, open the eyes more, and show less teeth. You're not advertising toothpaste.

I have a problem with the armpits.

10 tracks on the album 5 editions. Makes sense.

Want good covers? Buy the damn candle edition you'll never use.

Yeps, she had strong themes since Black Cherry.

Notice how the C on the CD+Blu-ray is going around Ayu's eye? Ayu confirmed Illuminati.

(miss)understood covers was a joke? the covers are 2 photos of the PV shooting of Pride D:

WOWOWOWOw I'M ACTUALLY IMPRESSED i love every single one

Honestly Ayu's album covers have has a flawless track record of being awful:
My Story
mu
Secret
Next level
RnRC
Love songs
A Summer Best

They have all had a tendency to look either awkward, uninspired, or tackily styled.

This one (Colours) is honestly my favourite one since Guilty (though nowhere near as good as the A Ballads one). At least it's tastefully executed. The typography doesn't bother me as much cos at least it isn't that ONE font in italics that she's been abusing.

like the rainbow cover because it has a clever concept (the booklet on the other hand is a mess) photo manipulation and not an *actual* rainbow on it. i can see that people put proper effort in this, its not just a fashion shoot

that being said, despite liking the rainbow cover, her face always looked stoned to me :tipsy
s cross eyed ;)

well, good for ayu, at least many seem to like the new covers.

Yeah so nice the image of rainbow is transformed creatively into something else.

But I think the booklet is quite nice too. Diverse yet at the same time quite cohesive

I'm gonna pop back in and disagree with the couple of people who don't like the cropping on these photos. For once, I actually think they cropped them perfectly, and that's usually one of my main complaints with her covers. Now, the FIVE CD+DVD cover, THAT is a terrible crop. :tipsy

https://31.media.tumblr.com/d9f7f1dd...q7q1rwjrx3.gif

I think you mean, flawless and fierce.

Nah, she is too busy buying J-Lo left overs and recording videos where she dances basic choreography in front of cars for the release of her next album...

And yet she still slays your faves.

and tbh when i first read your post i didn't read what you were quoting and thought you were talking about Ayu.

Well Ku and Namie may not be as creatively visionary as Ayu, Ayu herself has been anything but in recent years. That's what is frustrating. Ku and Namie come off as having things much more polished and in control, with nice concepts lightyears beyond recent Ayu releases.

In a nutshell, it seems like the balance between marketing, concept, quality of songs and PVs, creativity, and finalized product are all off balance. I'm the kind of person who appreciates the "if you're gonna do it, do it right/go all out." It seems Ayu used to have this mentality, but lately it seems she's releasing just for the sake of releasing. It seems like more of a "job" for her now than the well-rounded expression it used to be, through and through.

Nah the NL cover was pretty tacky and lame.

I definitely agree that Namie, for the past 5 years at least, have had work put out that was clearly well-conceptualised and slickly executed. You don't have to be "innovative" or "different" but it should appear that you know what you are doing and how best to do it within the limitations of your abilities. I don't think Ayu has nearly demonstrated that level of craft in the same time, and that's really what separates albums like Love songs (ugh) and RnRC from gems like Duty and Loveppears.

That said, I think Colours is a massive step in the right direction. Can't wait to see what's next for her.

Did you even listen to J-Lo's new album? It's absolute crap, ain't got nothing on FEEL.

And as good as the songs are, let's not act like Lelio and XOXO doesn't sound like Jen leftovers too.

Haha yeah, they do look pretty tacky. But they stand out in a good way imo, and she's serving some serious face!

and of course, the one im getting, not the greatest cover... oh well.
I love it though!
I wonder why ts aYUMI

Bad editing? Sorry but no one can beat Secret (CD + DVD) cover at that. I really like it tbh! I don't want another peach pastel themed album cover.

I love everything about the covers. They are absolutely gorgeous! :love

I totally love ayu's look, she looks so fierce! :heart I also think the shades of purple that are used in the covers is beautiful. :) The font for "Colours" looks pretty cool, as well. :D

If I had to choose just one favorite cover, I think it would totally be the CD only. So stunning. :heart

More I look at the covers, I highly believe that typographer intentionally put the font in an awful way on CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray.

If the CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray has better cover than CD+DVD+candle and CD+Blu-ray+candle, everyone will only buy CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray but not with candle. That will have $$$ loss.

That's a good point!

The typographer can make all the font and design the same in all five covers, but s/he did not do it and design CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray worse.

Anyway, in general I love the covers. I want to have armpit like that.

CD+DVD+Candle is my fave cover! Very lovely. :love

First thing came to my mind was..
typography is all over the place in graphic design perspective..
changing the size or placement or capitalization = /= interesting
I read it as YUMI HAMAS..KI well the only thing that saved the covers is really just ayu herself..
I was hoping we'd get a continuation covers from (XOXO/Terminal etc)

i dont know what people were expecting with the covers... like yes the name is Colours, but if you look at the music on this album its a lot more main stream, a lot more pop, and electro, so it wouldnt make sense to have some epic I am... style cover, which doesnt represent the music on the album, i find the cover suits it and ayu looks good on it and i am happyyyy.

remember me about BEAS UP NOVEMBER 2010
photo by Kazuyoshi Shimomura 'Shimo-kun'



http://i62.tinypic.com/2w2pvz7.png

looks like 'another cover' :D

There are bigger covers available at amazon.co.jp

500x500 =)