Anzen Chitai's(安全地帯)"Yakusoku" (Promise) was not an official single, nor was it a major song in the Hokkaido band's long discography. However, it made for a nice addition to their 1986 album, "V". As I mentioned in the article for that big album, Koji Tamaki(玉置浩二)and company probably wanted to spread their wings a bit more musically by trying out blues, jazz and in this case, good old-fashioned AOR.
"Yakusoku" was another collaboration between Tamaki and Goro Matsui(松井五郎), and right from those mellow horns that start things off, it's a Perrier-and-wrap-a-sweater-around-your-waist type of ballad. One commenter for the above YouTube video stated that this would be the perfect tune for a summer sunset, and I couldn't agree more. It's good unwinding music. Plus, those horns were arranged by Jerry Hey who's done so much with folks like Anri(杏里)and Yumi Matsutoya (松任谷由実)in the late 80s, so I couldn't help but think of those two when I listened to "Yakusoku". And as usual, Tamaki's vocals are as smooth as a glass of Bailey's Cream.
It may not be the Anzen Chitai sound that got the band its fame, but I still love it and it is one of the tunes I remember the most from the album!
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