The last time that I wrote about veteran singer Ryoko Moriyama（森山良子）was back in late 2021 when I provided an article on the first track, "Hito Natsu no Shi Seikatsu"（ひと夏の私生活）, for her May 1986 album "At My Time". A driving Airplay-esque West Coast number, as I mentioned in that article, it was quite the surprising song.
Well, Track 2 continues the AOR tradition within "At My Time", but it's still quite different. "Natalie no Shuumatsu" (Natalie's Weekend) is not only more mid-tempo, but it actually sounds more elegant and brunch-friendly. It was written and composed by the same duo behind "Hito Natsu no Shi Seikatsu", lyricist Keiko Aso（麻生圭子）and composer Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）. However, instead of the early 1980s Airplay, "Natalie no Shuumatsu" takes on more influence from cool jazz and material created by/for singers such as Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）and Miki Imai（今井美樹）in those same mid-1980s. I'm always going to a sucker for that certain keyboard in play on this song along with the harmonica solo.
I couldn't find the lyrics for "Natalie no Shuumatsu", but it certainly feels as if the Natalie in Moriyama's song is considerably happier here than the Natalie in Mariya Takeuchi's（竹内まりや）"Natalie". Methinks that while the latter Natalie is regretting her dream, Moriyama's Natalie is living it.
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