Friday, July 13, 2012

Asami Kado -- Fascination (ファッシネイション)


Asami Kado(門あさ美) had always had this Greta Garbo-like sense about her. From her looks of ennui to very few appearances in the ravenous Japanese media, the Nagoya-born singer-songwriter had a cloak of mystery that she was never really willing to shed.

Apparently, the media painted her music as an example of "fashion music"...music that was in the New Music genre that was especially polished and refined. Perhaps it was the J-equivalent of sophisticated pop here in North America. I think Ruiko Kurahashi(倉橋ルイ子) was probably the closest in style to her.

Her first single, "Fascination"was released in September 1979. The song was composed by Kado herself  (with lyrics by Fumiko Okada...岡田冨美子) and reminds me of Ami Ozaki's(尾崎亜美) early style....somewhat of a languid bossa nova feel. I would probably want to be on a lounge chair sucking back a lemonade as I hear this. I'm not sure whether her debut tune made it into the Top 100 but her first album which has the same title did get as high as No. 79 in 1980.


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