Blue Peppers -- Symphony (album)

 

Well, we Blue Peppers（ブルー・ペパーズ）fans had been waiting for this new album for the longest time since their last full album was "Retroactive" from 2017, but finally Naoki Fukuda（福田直木）and Kaoru Inoue（井上薫）released "Symphony" last December, and I was all game to acquire it which I did. I did get my appetizer from the album via "Acacia"（アカシア）, one of the tracks and that was enough for me to part with my yen happily.

I will need a few more listens to "Symphony" to get a good gauge on it, but from what I've heard so far, the general consensus is that this album hews a little closer to the American AOR of the late 70s and early 80s when compared to the neo-urban contemporary of "Retroactive". Case in point is the first track "I'll Be There" by Fukuda and Inoue which seems to hearken back to some rock-tinged West Coast AOR of those 1980s thanks to some twangy guitar and some nostalgic keyboard work. I also get some Sing Like Talking vibes from the singing by Fukuda, too.

Speaking of the keyboard work, I really am getting a hankering for the title track. "Symphony" was handled by composer Fukuda with both fellows responsible for the lyrics. Once again, the 80s are back in full along with a gorgeous sax solo by Ryoji Ihara（庵原良司）as Fukuda sings about being by a loving partner's side through thick and thin. 

"Owl's Manner" is an instrumental track with Inoue on keyboards (as he is for all of the tracks) and Fukuda on acoustic guitar, and it's a match made in Heaven for all those who love the city jazz and maybe even those folks who have their copy of the soundtrack for the Fuji-TV drama "Tokyo Love Story". As the year of that drama will indicate, there is more of a feeling of the 1990s here.

There is another guest appearance of a female singer-songwriter on a Blue Peppers track with Natsumi Kiyoura（清浦夏実）of the band TWEEDEES providing her vocals for the mellow "Garasu no Hibi"（硝子の日々...Glass Days）. This one seems to straddle the borderline between AOR and pop, and as such, it also has one foot in the 80s and the other sometime in the 21st century. Kiyoura took care of lyrics while Inoue handled the melody this time.

The final track on "Symphony" is "Michi"（道...Paths）, an elegant ballad which brings thoughts of 1980s David Foster with pretty much any ballad that he came up with back then. The melody by Fukuda and Inoue is fine although I think the latter may have pressed a little too hard on the keys during his solo. Meanwhile, the lyrics are bittersweet as a woman and man have decided that it's time to go on their different paths after a romance.

There are two more tracks but I actually took care of both of them back in early 2020: "Believe In Love" and "Marine Snow no Toshi"（マリンスノーの都市）, so you can take a look at the article that I wrote for the two. In any case, I was glad to get this new album by Blue Peppers and if you like listening to a light and mellow duo who have given their loving tribute to past decades, give "Symphony" a try.