Ruiko Kurahashi -- Morning Shadow

This is one of my go-to albums when I just want to relax or just take my time waking up. "Morning Shadow" is Ruiko Kurahashi's（倉橋ルイ子）2nd album, released in December 1981. It's a concept album of sorts in that when it was originally released as an LP, Side A was titled "Rui's Café" representing daytime while Side B was "Rui's Pub" for the evening. The above video has the first two tracks: "Prologue" which is a soft jazzy instrumental with someone whistling backstage while "Morning" has that titular feel of "The sun's up...let's wake up and enjoy!" A number of Kurahashi's songs have always made themselves at home in a small street side café while folks are having that Continental Breakfast with coffee.

"Last Order" is most definitely a B-side track. The bossa nova here especially reminds me a lot of those 60s Astrud Gilberto/Antonio Carlos Jobim collaborations, and there's even a bit of Greta Garbo in the song as well whenever Kurahashi wails "Leave me alone!" If it weren't for the obvious non-Japanese flavour, I would probably say that this was a Mood Kayo.

The final track on the album is  "Winter Rose". Aside from the seasonal allusions in the title, it doesn't particularly reference the Holidays, but I have often played this one before December 25 along with the other J-Xmas favourites. Kurahashi sings it lovingly like a country/gospel ballad, and I could imagine this being a nighttime tune since I've always envisioned this being played in a winter lodge after the sun has gone down.

The other notable tracks are "Hello Again", a Side-A song that is indeed the cover of Neil Diamond's hit from his movie "The Jazz Singer" in 1980. And then there is "December 24", which is the designated Xmas song of the album; that I'll be posting with the rest of the J-Xmas tunes at the appropriate time in a few months (geez....can't believe that it's already approaching that time of year).