Ever since Noelle Tham introduced Ryuko
Mizuta (水田竜子) to this blog through her cover of
Miyuki Utsumi’s “Yopparacchatta” (酔っぱらっちゃった),
I became a somewhat distant fan, following her singles releases and even
listening to her back catalogue in the attempt of knowing her better. Now,
thanks to some nice shopping points I had accumulated on CDJapan, I decided to buy
one of her yearly best selections and finally have “Yopparacchatta”, among
other great songs from her catalogue I discovered, in my collection. The bad
thing is, since I’ve bought the CD very recently, and it didn’t leave the
warehouses yet, it’ll certainly take some time until it finally arrives in
Brazil.
From
what I’ve heard so far, Ryuko’s work can be separated into two categories: the
first, with a more Kayo Kyoku flavor, covers her first years; and the second,
in which her true enka tunes shines, is something she’s been into since the
mid-00s. Personally, I enjoy the first category a lot more, but some of her
enka tunes have gradually grown on me, which is the case of “Uwasa no Minato”,
a single released back in February 2015.
When
I started searching for Ryuko’s live performances on YouTube, the one song that
constantly appeared to me was “Uwasa no Minato”, and that’s probably because it
was one of her newest songs at the time. So, after watching a lot of different
live performances of it, I ended liking it a lot more than other similar songs
she’d released in the past. I don’t know, maybe the melodic shifts were
interesting enough to my ears, or it was simply the result of repeatedly
listening. It also helps that, besides the usual heavy singing, “Uwasa no
Minato” isn’t overdramatic as some other songs in the genre.
Aside
from the music… oh, boy, I do love Ryuko Mizuta’s figure. If her singing talent
wasn’t enough, she’s so classy and sexy that I can watch her sing even the most
boring enka songs and still be fascinated.
Lyrics
were written by Mitsuo Ikeda (池田充男), while music was composed by Hideo Mizumori (水森英夫). As
for the arrangement, Toshiaki Maeda (前田俊明) was the responsible.
Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71W8Fdd5MTL._SL1261_.jpg
Hi, Marcos.
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to listen to some of the old kayo especially when we're all approaching the end of the year. I'm not sure what it is...could be the Japanese love for New Year's.
And so it goes for Mizuta's "Uwasa no Minato". For me, it's the gentle melody paired with the spiky brass and the mellow accordion. It sounds all so old-fashioned and traditional just like having the usual Japanese New Year's meal. Thanks for this one and all the best for the New Year!
Hi J-Canuck.
DeleteLike I said, she started releasing those more old-fashioned enka songsmafter the mid-00s. She did release enka before, but they were lighter. Nowadays, though, she's really deep into the more traditional sound.
A couple of days ago, when I asked a friend to write me an opinion about Ryuko Mizuta and "Uwasa no Minato", he was surprised to know I was listening to this kind of stuff, and complemented that it's the type of enka song we only hear once per year, at Kouhaku.
All the best for you and your family as well. I hope 2018 turns out to be a great year for all of us.
Hi, Marcos.
DeleteYeah, I guess aside from the Kohaku, the only televised source of enka that we can get here is just what we see on TV Japan through the weekly "Uta Kon" and "Nodo Jiman" broadcasts. Of course, YouTube helps out there a bit, too.
Will probably have to put up one enka tune tonight or tomorrow to finish off 2017!