Akiko Kobayashi -- City of Angels

http://www.amazon.co.jp/GOLDEN%E2%98%86BEST-%E5%B0%8F%E6%9E%97%E6%98%8E%E5%AD%90-Single-Collection~%E6%81%8B%E3%81%AB%E3%81%8A%E3%81%A1%E3%81%A6~/dp/B0052PN75S/ref=pd_cp_15_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MQE8WY77H71SBN7D8WS

(excerpt only...yes, I realize that

the above is a link to one of her BEST compilations

but it's the only source for some of the tracks from "City of Angels")

Having been an Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）ever since her huge debut hit, "Fall In Love" in 1985, I think I joined a lot of fans marveling at how similar she sounded to the late wonderful Karen Carpenter. So, of course, the inevitable "What If?" question was asked. Namely, what if Kobayashi and the other half of The Carpenters, Richard, teamed up? Her staff must have mulled this a good long while before suggesting to Akiko:

Staff: Why don't you ask him?
Akiko: Uhhh....you know this is Richard Carpenter.
Staff: What have you got to lose?
Akiko: Well.....Ohhhhhhh-kay.

Of course, the above exchange is pure conjecture. I can't imagine what the real conversation was like, but the result was that Kobayashi sent over a demo tape to Carpenter, and he enjoyed what he heard and was intrigued by the similarities between her voice and that of his sister. The "What If" was resolved in March 1988, when Kobayashi's 4th studio album, "City of Angels", was released. Carpenter handled the production and arrangement, and it shows. The entire production was done in the actual City of Angels.

The first track is "Rainbow, Rainbow", written and composed by Kobayashi, and when I first listened to it, I went "WOW!" With Carpenter back at his old station behind the keyboards and helping out on backing vocals, the song just sounded like a Carpenters tune circa 1980s. Kobayashi sounded even more like Karen than usual. I'm sure a lot of her fans were reaching for the Kleenex.

Kobayashi and Carpenter teamed up also on backing vocals for "Only the Angels Know", an urban contemporary entry composed and written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford respectively. I'm not sure if it was the Carpenter effect, but Kobayashi's vocals seemed to get somewhat deeper and richer from this album forward. In her earlier albums of "Fall In Love" and "Kokoro no Mama ni", the cadence was there but her voice seemed to be in a higher register than that of Karen's. Everything just seemed to click into place here. Below is also a wonderful version by Linda Clifford.

On this very Carpenteresque album, "Let's Fall in Love Forever" is probably the most reminiscent of The Carpenters' heyday. The musical ingredients are there: the flowing keyboards and strings, Richard and Akiko singing away, and the plaintive oboe. Randall Rumage took care of the music while Pamela Phillips Olard wrote the lyrics which were changed into Japanese by Reiko Yukawa（湯川れい子）.

It's very difficult for me to pick out which of Kobayashi's albums is my favourite...kinda like trying to choose my favourite child. Still, I think with "City of Angels", there was some wish fulfillment accomplished for the vast majority of her fans, including myself.

Akiko Kobayashi -- City of Angels