Is America ready for Puffy? The pop duo's record label, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), apparently thinks so. Sony Music Imports released Puffy's most recent album, "Spike," in the U.S. on May 1, in the hope that Americans will go gaga over Ami and Yumi in the same way Japanese and other Asians have.
Sony has decided to market the duo as "Puffy AmiYumi" in the U.S. -- hardly the most euphonious appellation. So why the name change? Well, it seems that big-name producer Sean "Puffy" Combs had first dibs, in a very real and legally binding sense. I hear that one proposed alternative was "Puffy Japan" -- pretty lame. Why not just "Ami & Yumi"? Or why not hold a contest to come up with a new name? This could have at least drummed up some publicity.
On the plus side, the U.S. release of "Spike" includes a great English-language version (Puffy's English debut) of the track "Sumire," retitled "Love So Pure." Longtime Puffy collaborator Andy Sturmer of American band Jellyfish wrote the song's lyrics and music, and he and the girls have come up with a winner: a great, radio-friendly tune, with brilliant retro-style productions and catchy hooks.