Yasuhiro Abe -- Kimi （君）

Virtually all of my entries on singer-songwriter Yasuhiro Abe（安部恭弘）have been during the 1980s. According to his article on J-Wiki, he stopped releasing singles in 1993 and there was a 7-year gap between albums from 1995 to 2002. However, he came back with a new album "4 New Comers" and then the next year, out came "Heaven Roses".

I found one track on the album simply titled "Kimi" (You) and despite its 21st-century entry, the ballad had that mix of new and nostalgic. For that latter adjective, I started thinking about some of the Latin-tinged kayo that had been released back in the 1970s with the best representative being Keiko Maruyama's（丸山圭子）"Douzo Kono Mama"（どうぞこのまま）from 1976. With lyrics by Saeko Nishio（西尾佐栄子）and music by Abe, I realized that the singer may have taken some time off but he could still give out some fine croon. And in the unlikely case that Abe actually reads this article, this is not to give offense about the song which I do like (especially that sax) but I automatically mused about having dinner in an especially nice restaurant as I listened to it. A fine glass of wine I would order to this and I don't really drink. If any more of his tracks on "Heaven Roses" are on this level, then I could be persuaded to part with my cash for the album.