Kahoru Kohiruimaki -- Mercy Me

Amazon.jp

 

I shouldn't neglect the fact that March has indeed come in. Can't complain too much about the weather either since it's sunny and the temps are hovering at around freezing which isn't bad at all considering where we live and the time of year.

Kahoku Kohiruimaki（小比類巻かほる）is one of my favourite singers and I've acquired a number of her albums over the years except for the one whose thumbnail you can see at the top. I never got her 1988 4th album, "Hearts On Parade". With that jagged script on the cover and Kohhy looking rather ominous in that purple outfit, I couldn't be blamed if I'd assumed that she was trying out for the role of the Joker in Tim Burton's "Batman" a year later. That's a pretty ironic statement since she would be working with Prince soon enough, the same fellow who came up with "Batdance" for the movie at around the same time.

Well, since I don't have "Hearts on Parade", there are some new Kohhy songs to plumb even at this late stage in the kayo kyoku game. I've known the singer-songwriter for her very upbeat numbers such as her first big hit "Hold On Me" but she's also quite capable with the ballads as well. In fact, I remember the soulful "I'm Here" which was composed by the one-and-only Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）in 1987.

Martin is back again as he created another ballad for Kohiruimaki for "Hearts On Parade". "Mercy Me" was given words by the singer herself as she compares everything about an old flame to a beloved record of memories and voice. It's accompanied by some warm piano and even a trombone solo by Takaaki Hayakawa（早川隆章）. Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）was responsible for the arrangement. Kohhy does a great job here but I'm also wondering whether Martin has ever done a cover of this one.