Mariko Takahashi -- Blues wo Kikasete（ブルースを聞かせて）

 

I've collected my fair share of Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子）albums over the years but I don't have her September 1986 "Forest" so it's always nice to hear something new by the veteran singer-songwriter and musician. And seeing that we are now in the penultimate day of the year, it would be wonderful to start off with something mellow before the raucousness of New Year's Eve takes over. 

"Blues wo Kikasete" (Let Me Hear the Blues) is one of its tracks with Takashi Tsushimi（都志見隆）handling both words and music, and of course, Mariko lovingly delivers those lyrics as usual. The blues though is simply a request from the chanteuse and not the genre for the song which is very much in the pop category, albeit on a more refined level. I think the only thing that irked me was getting a little too much of that particular instrument near the end whether it was a pianica or an especially twee soprano saxophone. 

Still, I was surprised that it's over six minutes long. It certainly didn't feel that way so for the most part, the song was still enjoyable.