Takao Kisugi -- Sugao no Ashita e （素顔の明日へ）

Takao Kisugi -- Etranger

My impression of Takao Kisugi（来生たかお） has usually been that of the quintessential crooner....something along the lines of a Japanese Perry Como or a Michael Buble in ballad mode. When he sings, he's as comfy as a well-worn pair of slippers or that cup of cocoa on a snowy evening. And the songs he has written for singers like Akina Nakamori（中森明菜） and Hiroko Yakushimaru（薬師丸ひろ子） also reflect that languidness. For someone like myself who has enjoyed the relaxing feel of AOR, Kisugi is one of the guys I would recommend.

His ballads, though, can be divided into two. There are the really creamy ones such as his original version of his big hit, "Goodbye Day", and there are the slightly more uptempo tunes like "Yume no Tochuu"（夢の途中）. "Sugao no Ashite e" (Towards An Honest Tomorrow) is rather unique. I first heard this pretty epic ballad on "Sounds of Japan" way back when, and the arrangement reminded me of some of the lush pop ballads from the 1970s that I've enjoyed in an inspirational way. So, Simon & Garfunkel and early Billy Joel come to mind among others.

Written by his sister, Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）, and composed by Takao, "Sugao no Ashita e" is the final track on his 13th album, "Etranger"which came out in November 1987. According to J-Wiki, he had wanted to create something along the lines of a Billy Joel ballad, and since hearing the song again, I went "Ahhhh....I see". I could hear echoes of "New York State of Mind" in there, and the same image came into my mind when I heard both tunes: that of me/Joel/Kisugi looking off into the sunset and into a hopeful future, perhaps after overcoming some sort of tribulation. Maybe I can even envisage a bit of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". In any case, it's quite the way to end a Kisugi album.

Just from this song and "Goodbye Day", I decided to get "Etranger". Still glad I did. The album peaked at No. 26 on the Oricon weeklies as a CD and No. 36 as an LP.