Yumi Murata -- Ranhansha（乱反射）

 

My first article (relatively recently in March 2019) on City Pop/J-R&B singer Yumi Murata（村田有美）was for "Krishna"（クリシュナ）released in 1980. Impression-wise, I thought that here was another singer who's been criminally under the radar with her voice and surrounding arrangements.

Since then, I've come up with at least a couple of more articles on her, but this one covers one of her earliest numbers. "Ranhansha" (Diffuse Reflection...yes, I know; it sounds better in Japanese) is actually the B-side to what I think is her debut single "Mr. Romance"（Mr.ロマンス）from 1979. From what I've heard so far of Murata, there's been that line straddled between City Pop and straight-on American R&B but with "Ranhansha", I think it's solidly within the former with that bass and keyboard work (dang fine sax, too). I just imagine Tokyo instead of Tokyo and Los Angeles.

"Ranhansha" was composed by Katsuo Ono（大野克夫）, a fellow who knows a bit about the funky side of kayo kyoku as seen in his creation of the theme song for the iconic TV cop series "Taiyo ni Hoero"（太陽にほえろ）. The lyrics were provided by Yu Aku（阿久悠）which surprised me a little since I'd always known him for writing more for the aidoru and more traditional kayo genres, but then again, he did write a song for New Wave/rock band Sheena & The Rokkets as you can see in the Creator article for the man.

Not sure how it ever did on Oricon, but "Ranhansha" also made it onto Murata's debut album "Yumi Murata First" also from 1979.