Takao Kisugi -- Kibun wa Gyakukousen（気分は逆光線）

 

Oh, man! It is the coldest that Toronto has gotten in quite a while. I don't recall it being this cold in a couple of years at least. This morning, it was -18 C with a -29-degree wind chill. My face did hurt when I went outside.😱

Anyways, let's begin Urban Contemporary Friday on KKP with a summery tune to get my mind off of the winter frigidity, shall we? I was able to dig up this April 1982 single by crooner-songwriter Takao Kisugi（来生たかお）titled "Kibun wa Gyakukousen" (Backlit Mood). The first few bars might hint at a dreamy AOR tune, but then things get downright funky as Kisugi sings about admiring a young lady on the beach as she's seen in silhouette against the water.

Kisugi and his lyricist sister Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）took care of "Kibun wa Gyakukousen". I've been enjoying this one for its combination of funk, sophisticated pop and a hint of old-time jazz, and though it's quite the juggle of genres, the Kisugis did a pretty bang-up job here. I don't know how it did on Oricon, but the song is also included in his BEST compilation, "Biography II" which came out in the same month as the single.