Tatsushi Umegaki -- Kizetsu suru hodo Nayamashii（気絶するほど悩ましい）

 

Admittedly, I still don't have a huge grasp of singer-songwriter Tatsushi Umegaki（梅垣達志）and the songs which he has provided other singers and himself, but if I were asked to give an impression of him, I'd say that he was a mellow-voiced soft rocker of the 1970s, perhaps along the lines of Michael Franks or The Little River Band. Mind you, I'm going primarily with the title track of his 1977 album "Catalog".

(41:38)

So, there was some surprise when I realized that there was another track from "Catalog", "Kizetsu suru hodo Nayamashii" (Seductive Enough to Swoon), which took another tack. This particular song, which was composed by Umegaki and written by legendary lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠）, isn't particularly lengthy at only three and a half minutes, but it does contrast with the title track in its urban and titular seductiveness. It does feel very downtown with the Latin percussion although there are points when the melody and arrangement take us into a slightly prog rock stratosphere, but only for a bit. The tenor saxophone solo then reminds us that we're here to enjoy a night in Tokyo.

"Kizetsu suru hodo Nayamashii" and "Catalog" the song have reminded me that perhaps I should pick up the pace once more and see if I can track down Umegaki's album for purchase. Speaking about the singer, perhaps it's the melodic environment, but the way that he sings this particular track reminds me of Tatsuhiko Yamamoto（山本達彦）, another City Pop crooner.