Yoko Kuzuya -- MIDNIGHT DRIVIN' -KUZUYA YOKO MUSIC GREETINGS 1999〜2021-

 

My previous article on urban contemporary singer-songwriter Yoko Kuzuya（葛谷葉子）was on one of her two new songs, written and composed by her for the first time in a long while, "Midnight Drivin'", and I just found it such a nice slice of urban groove that I had to get the rest of the album that came with it. "MIDNIGHT DRIVIN' -KUZUYA YOKO MUSIC GREETINGS 1999〜2021-" is her September 2021 BEST compilation, produced a decade following her departure from the music scene. Let me show you the playlist.

01: midnight drivin'(new song)

02: Honey (new song)

03: TRUE LIES

04: my book

05: Natural

06: Hitori (ヒトリ)

07: All Night

08: Shinin' Day

09: Sayonara Ieta nara (さよなら言えたなら)

10: Sweet Rhythm

11: replay on ~Sugiteyuku Toki no Naka de, Michiteyuki Hikari no Tsubu de~ (~過ぎてゆく時の中で、満ちてゆく光の粒で~)

12: Koi (恋)

13: Side Seat (サイドシート)

14: Saigo no Yoru (最後の夜)

Along with the title track, I've got the links above to some of the other Kuzuya songs that I've already covered, so let's take a look at some of the other material that I haven't. The other new song is Track 2, "Honey", which has a hint of those dance beats and some 70s soul feeling blended into the 21st-century arrangements.

The penultimate track on "MIDNIGHT DRIVIN'" is "Side Seat" which was actually Kuzuya's 3rd single in June 2000 following "TRUE LIES" and "Koi". Adorned with some good ol' disco horns and strings, the singer goes into a woman's love of being in the titular position, presumably next to her boyfriend in some sort of conveyance while on a major highway. I always love a good wacka-wacka guitar.

Kuzuya's 4th single "Shinin' Day" was released just a couple of months following "Side Seat" and it's a nice R&B shuffle down the road about a couple simply enjoying each other's company. The arrangement was handled by Maestro-T and it is reminiscent of some of the uptempo material that Misia or Momoe Shimano（嶋野百恵）was providing at the time.

"replay on ~Sugiteyuku Toki no Naka de, Michiteyuki Hikari no Tsubu de~" whose Japanese title translates as "With The Particles of Light Filling Up in the Passing Time" was her 5th single released in December 2000. This one is much more in the languid pop vein with a Latin guitar added. Even Kuzuya's vocals seem a little higher and floatier and this time she reminded me some more of pop singer Miki Imai（今井美樹）. The song was also used for a Kao cosmetic commercial.

The final track on "MIDNIGHT DRIVIN'" is her March 2001 6th single "Saigo no Yoru" (Final Night), and it's a poignant slow jam about a couple having one last dinner or drink together before breaking up for good. They're trying to put on a good face about it but it's oh-so-hard. It's not exactly the happiest song but what lightens things up are those strings. 

One more song that I'll put up here wasn't a single but a track from Kuzuya's 2nd album "MUSIC GREETINGS VOLUME TWO" from May 2001. "Hitori" (Alone) kinda straddles that line between pop and R&B, and it's another laidback ballad about someone missing their significant other in a currently cold side of the bed while they are off on some sort of business trip, perhaps. Nice touch with the harmonica.

I will have to tackle the remaining tracks on this BEST album individually over the next number of months, but it's good to finally get to know Kuzuya better through "MIDNIGHT DRIVIN'". This is the type of album to hear when trying to cool down after a tough day at the office.