Miki Imai -- Hohoemi no Hito（微笑みのひと）

 

With a title like "Hohoemi no Hito" (Smiling People), isn't it perfect for someone like songbird Miki Imai（今井美樹）to handle it? She is famous for that wide-as-the-Mississippi smile of hers, and she even got a shoutout in the training manual for the JET Programme for that smile since she was becoming quite famous in the late 1980s.

Mind you, "Hohoemi no Hito", her 21st single wouldn't come out until May 2002. Even though, I've gone on record to state that my favourite period for Imai's songs was the latter half of the 80s and a bit into the early 90s, this particular single is something that I would invest in, although most likely I would purchase the album that it appears in, her BEST compilation "Ivory III" from June 2004.

Written, composed and arranged by her husband and "Kill Bill" theme song creator Tomoyasu Hotei（布袋寅泰）, "Hohoemi no Hito" is leagues away from "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" in terms of tone. Something more in the light & mellow vein of music, I guess it can be considered to be an updated version of sunshine pop with a touch of bossa nova and some of Hotei's guitar work with longtime Imai collaborator Tsuyoshi Kon（今剛）also helping out on the guitar solo. Plus, something as light and silky like "Hohoemi no Hito" will also have its need for those horns including the flugelhorn.

The single reached as high as No. 25 on Oricon while "Ivory III" peaked at No. 2. I think that during these uncertain times, a song about smiles will not cure things but perhaps it can give some solace and support.