In March 2010, it was confirmed by Hamasaki and her record label Avex Trax that she would release a then-upcoming studio album titled Rock 'n' Roll Circus.

[1] Hamasaki briefly moved to London, United Kingdom, to record the remaining material of the album with Dom Morley and Phill Brown.

[4] The material from Rock 'n' Roll Circus was produced and recorded over a year and one month, one of Hamasaki's longer spanning projects to date.

[1] Hamasaki was interviewed in the May 2010 issue of Japan's magazine Bea's Up, and stated about her experiences in the UK; "The reason why I chose to do the recording in London this time was because I wanted to make an album in a closed-off environment, sort of like a place where sunlight doesn't reach.

"[9] According to AllMusic editor Alexey Eremenko, "Rock'n'Roll Circus is pretty versatile: there are a couple of pop/rock tracks, a Middle Eastern techno tune, a playful plastic pop song, even a jungle interlude, and, of course, a slew of epic, string-drenched ballads that no J-pop singer seems to be able to resist performing".

[10] Greg from Selective Hearing stated that the album's material showed more "restraint" than her previous music; "There is a deliberate pacing that entices the listener to stick around.

[13] Each song from Rock 'n' Roll Circus was written by Hamasaki, including the Japanese, English, and interlude tracks.

[10] Rock music is present throughout the tracks, "Microphone", "Count Down", "Last Links", "Lady Dynamite", "Sunrise (Love Is All)", and "Red Line (TA)".

Rock 'n' Roll Circus first format, the stand-alone CD, features the fifteen tracks in a jewel case, with first press editions including an obi and a bonus poster.

[24] A limited edition box set format features the fifteen tracks, and a bonus DVD including the same music videos.

The box set includes goods: a mug, a bag, red tea, and a limited edition photo album.

[26] Twelve limited copies of Rock 'n' Roll Circus feature the hand-written lyrics to each song, and an autograph sheet from Hamasaki.

[1] The standalone CD artwork has Hamasaki holding the door to a red telephone box in Covent Garden, London, with the album title and her name superimposed on the booth.

[24] In order to promote Rock 'n' Roll Circus, Hamasaki conducted several commercial endorsement opportunities and expanded several other ventures.

Hamasaki opened two special websites to document her preparation for the Rock 'n' Roll Circus concert tour, and additional promotional activity.

[31] Hamasaki also received exclusive deals to promote Rock 'n' Roll Circus through mobile phones, including the Japanese services SNS and Utapiku.

[34][35] Hamasaki renewed her contract with British cosmetics line Rimmel as an ode to her image from the album; she was part of several campaigns through 2010.

[38] Hamasaki appeared again at the annual 2010 A-nation concert tour in Japan on February 29, 2010, only; she performed "Microphone", the only song selected from the Rock 'n' Roll Circus album.

[39] "Sunrise (Love Is All)" and its accompanying music video was released on Avex Trax's A-Nation '10 Various Artists compilation album.

[43] Album tracks apart from "Sunset", "Last Links", Montage", "Sunrise", "Meaning of Love", and "Red Line (For TA)" were included on the set list for the tour.

[54][55] The accompanying music videos for both singles were shot at a sightseeing tower in Chiba Prefecture; it features Hamasaki and back-up dancers performing the song in front of an audience.

However, he felt that "Last Links", "Lady Dynamite", "Sexy Little Things", "The Meaning Of Love", and "Red Line -for TA-" were the album's, "standard cookie cutter fillers".

Eremenko was positive towards the album's "meticulously arranged music, and multiple stylistic layers ensure that the record does not wear thin after the first few listens".

However, he furthered stated, "but although Rock'n'Roll Circus is a testament to veritable professional skills of Hamasaki and her producers and songwriters, its emotional power is questionable, to put it mildly."

Although he commended Hamasaki's transition to rock music and her song writing, he said he became "worried" about the production and found it regressive in comparison to Next Level.

[75] Phil Freeman from the online blog and magazine publication The Wire short listed Rock 'n' Roll Circus as one of the best albums of 2010.

[27] Rock 'n' Roll Circus debuted at number one on the Japanese Daily Oricon Albums Chart, staying there for an entire week.

[82][83] Rock 'n' Roll Circus was certified Platinum in April 2010 by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 250,000 units.

[85] At the end of 2010 Rock 'n' Roll Circus sold 318,454 units in Japan; this ranked the seventh best-selling album by a female artist, just behind entries from Japanese singers Kana Nishino, Namie Amuro, Kaela Kimura, Kumi Koda, and Hikaru Utada, and American singer Lady Gaga.

[87] Avex Finance Holdings Inc. released an online press statement, showing that Rock 'n' Roll Circus was recognized as a reason for their increase of sales and revenue for the first quarter of 2010.