Keiko Utsumi -- lover

 

When I first wrote about singer-songwriter Keiko Utsumi（宇都美慶子）, it was for her 1992 "Chiisana Touhikou"（小さな逃避行）, a "bubbly pop treat" as I described it.

About six years later, Utsumi came out with her January 1998 6th album "Dear...Anata e" （Dear…あなたへ...Dear You） and on it is "lover". Written and composed by the singer herself, the start of "lover" didn't hit me immediately but by the end of the first chorus, I started thinking that this could work for me, especially when the disco strings and bass became more noticeable. The funky arrangement made me realize that Utsumi whipped this one up just when J-R&B was really starting to wake up with folks like Misia and bird.

I just noticed from her J-Wiki file that Utsumi had come up with her most recent 11th album, "Garden", in April this year.