Yukino Ichikawa -- Nagori Uta（なごり歌）

 

Enka singer Yukino Ichikawa（市川由紀乃）has been on the Kohaku Utagassen twice in the 2010s but unfortunately will not be showing up on tomorrow's 71st edition.

However, I have to say that I've been enjoying her 31st single from April 2020, "Nagori Uta", which could mean "Parting Song" or "Traces of a Song" (probably the former). I think it's just the way that the song flows with those strings and the oboe. I mean, I realize that strings and oboe (or is it a soprano sax?) have often accompanied an enka tune but the arrangement here just does it for me and I'll leave it at that.

Composed by Kohei Miyuki（幸耕平）, who has been a go-to composer for the group Junretsu（純烈）, and written by veteran Ou Yoshida（吉田旺）, who provided the lyrics to the wonderful "Kassai"（喝采）by Naomi Chiaki（ちあきなおみ）all the way back in 1972, Ichikawa sings about a woman who has fallen for the charms of a certain song and the person who sings it knowing that the latter is most likely unattainable. Maybe the singer is an old friend from college.

In any case, this was another pretty good hit for Ichikawa as it peaked at No. 11 on Oricon.