Seri Ishikawa -- Asayake ga Kieru Mae ni （朝焼けが消える前に）

As I mentioned in one of the other articles on Seri Ishikawa（石川セリ）, I had bought her BEST album and although I found some of her 80s stuff something that may grow on me over time, there were a few of her earlier hits that I considered quite appealing immediately.

One such track is "Asayake ga Kieru Mae ni" (Before The Morning Sun Fades). I was surprised that it was never an official single. It was actually the 2nd track on her 2nd album, "Tokidoki Watashi wa"（ときどき私は...Sometimes, I...） (January 1976), but I think it would have made for a fine single release. Written and composed by Yumi Arai（荒井由実）, it just has that New Music/City Pop feeling infused into it but it also sounds a bit French for some reason. Yuming back then was creating songs that incorporated American pop elements such as the West Coast sound, but I remember one other tune, "Good Luck and Goodbye" from "The 14th Moon" that also has that European nuance.

I think, just like that cool breeze which sometimes accompanies that morning sun, "Asayake ga Kieru Mae ni" had that refreshing sense. I would be rather interested if I could track down some other Yuming-penned works for other singers during that time period.