Kenjiro Sakiya -- Natsu no Gogo（夏の午后）

Well, considering that we'll be going into over-40-degree Humidex weather in the next few days, I think that I ought to bring in something blatantly summery.

"Natsu no Gogo" (Summer Afternoon) by singer-songwriter Kenjiro Sakiya（﨑谷健次郎）had me thinking for the duration that the song was playing. I was wondering if I should categorize it as a City Pop or an AOR or a straight ahead pop song, but in the end, my gut told me the pretty effervescent melody and arrangement by Sakiya and Yuji Toriyama（鳥山雄司）could be all three.

Rinko Yuuki（有木林子）was responsible for the lyrics about a man making some observations of his table mate at what I'm assuming is a restaurant with a patio. On a summer afternoon, people would probably want to be outside (although admittedly considering the heat and humidity in Tokyo, perhaps air-conditioned comfort takes priority), but getting back to what the words are all about, I'm wondering whether the pair share a cordial friendship with the male half hoping for something a bit more romantic or whether they are now an ex-couple and the guy is silently thinking whether a second chance is possible.

Despite the uncertainty of the story, I like "Natsu no Gogo" for the light and mellow funky beat overlaid with those sparkling keyboards, and then there is that lovely brief horn solo near the end. Although both artists wouldn't hit the hit status for a few years yet, the song sounds like a combination of Noriyuki Makihara（槇原敬之）vocals and Sing Like Talking sounds. "Natsu no Gogo" is a track on Sakiya's 2nd album "Realism" from March 1988 which peaked at No. 12 on Oricon.