Toshinobu Kubota -- Be Wannabe

I've always thought R&B as a nighttime genre, but Toshinobu Kubota's（久保田利伸） "Be Wannabe" has struck me as being the first morning R&B tune. And it's some fine OJ, too. Everyone in the recording just sounds like they're having a ball in the studio (someone yelling "Where is the toilet?"in Japanese while some other guy is muttering "What is this dreck?") before Kubota joins in with his fun musical strut. It's a percolating tune, but there are some good spots where he shows off how he can soar in his vocals.

I picked up Kubota's 4th album, "BONGA WANGA" within several days of its release in July 1990 where I discovered "Be Wannabe". The track automatically imprinted itself onto my brain and has never really let go after all these years. Written and composed by the singer, it was also released as a single a few months later which peaked at No. 16 on the Oricon weeklies. As for the album, it became Kubota's first one to hit No. 1 on the charts and would later become the 8th-ranked album of the year.