^But the booklet isn't an independent piece, it's a visual support for the music, and IMO it works perfectly this way... The booklet represents the Party Queen, the girl she sings about on the first 3 tracks, and you see it and think "oh, party, fun!" until you actually listen to the album... IMO this way they make an 1+1=3 effect, as the visuals and the music change your perception of each other... Having the booklet deal with the same themes on the same level, even on a different light, would make it redundant instead of making it a whole package IMO.
About her fandom wanting a mature album, I'm not so sure... Most of the time by "mature" they mean "over-dramatic generic single". Actually, people are always complaining she should release her winter and summer singles, that are by far her most generic and safest releases to date.
IMO her music aged well... Rock'n'Roll Circus being the "not full adult, not totally teenager album" and Love songs onwards being pretty much grown up subjects...
Tracks like Microphone, Don't Look Back, Count Down and Last Links deal with adult subjects... Being either her relationship to her art, her hearing loss, the current moment of her career.
Love songs have her most realistic love song to date IMO (November), her take on mariage is surprisingly fresh and mature (Virgin Road), she discusses her love/sex life on a quite open way (Last Angel), as is her reflections on her life decisions (crossroad) and the way she confronts the love/hate relationship artists have with their work (Love song/Do it again). Sweet Season video is basically the Party Queen concept.
And even if I'm not a big fan of the album, the relationship analysis Love Again makes is REALLY interesting and mature on the way she didn't try not making fun of it on the way the album ends with a song that throws it back to the begining, making it an endless circle of being blind in love, fucking up the relationship, recovering just to fall blindly in love again... In a way, it's the conclusion of the "Love triology" started on Love songs on her search for love and then going through her personal problems with it during Party Queen (that is on a way an album vastily about love).
I don't know... I'm just pretty satisfied with her career... I don't think she is in any kind of bubble or anything, most of the time I just feel like her fans are annoyed because she actually isn't on a bubble and moved over from her teen angst/bubblegum moments.
---
About Shiina, I used her as an example because I wanted succesful people, not someone who can't be seen as a popstar because they fail at it (on the same way I used Celine because she makes a ton of money every year performing) I never said she was selling bad, just that she isn't aiming the mainstream... She does have a mainstream recognization, as she was once comparable to Ayu or Hikki, but it has been a while since she seemed to give a fuck about doing radio friendly music or acting all idol. She wouldn't and won't be competing with the AKB48's, Perfume's, Namie's and Koda's as she doesn't even have the same public. Ayu or Hikki on the other way... She is more Bjork than Madonna.
