Michiko Takada -- chocolate

Chocolate is no longer one of my major food groups in my diet...as surprising as that may sound to those who know me quite well. I don't indulge anywhere near as I used to as a kid and I think I eat a chocolate bar perhaps twice a year. And something as rich as the chocolate cheesecake as pictured above is very much a rarity in my oral cavity; to be honest, I think I now prefer Japanese cheesecake from Uncle Tetsu's.

https://music.apple.com/jp/album/night-buzz/859091287

(excerpt only)

Still, the odd craving is always welcome, usually around the Holidays. So I can understand singer-songwriter Michiko Takada's（高田みち子）feelings when she came up with the smooth and velvety "chocolate" from her 2004 album "Night buzz". Actually, I encountered the song in one of the "Light Mellow" discs that I own.

"chocolate" has got some nice groove to it with a hint of Latin in there. Melodically, I guess it can be compared to actual chocolate laced with a touch of chili, although the overall ear feel in this case is very mellow. The lyrics are the usual ones about finally overcoming a bitter end to a past romantic liaison, but still remembering the old flame's face and voice as some lovely chocolate. That last part about the chocolate comparison is what makes things interesting.

Not a whole lot of information about Takada in her J-Wiki profile. She graduated from the Tokyo College of Music after which she did a whole variety of work such as teaching in a technical college, participating as a session musician and taking part in chorus and studio work. After providing a demo tape as an audition in 1999, she released her first two albums in 2002, "MICHIKO SONGS" and "Cocktail". As of this writing, 5 albums have come out. I also found out from the liner notes in the "Light Mellow" CD that she provided the flute solo in "chocolate".