Tomita Lab feat. SOULHEAD -- Like a Queen

 

Over the course of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I've done articles on albums featuring tracks and sometimes I've felt that some of those tracks deserved their own articles because I liked them so much. So, there was a bit of regret in there.

However, in one case, I'm going to rectify that today. Back in 2018, I featured the 2006 album "Shiplaunching" by Tomita Lab（富田ラボ）and on that album, there was R&B sister duo SOULHEAD and their contribution "Like a Queen". With Tomita Lab taking care of the melody and legend Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）handling the lyrics, aside from that slightly odd New Wave intro, "Like a Queen" truly rides in like a most gorgeous queen with the wonderful harmonies of Yoshika and Tsugumi Sawayama backed by a gosh-darn fine funky orchestra of strings and horns. It's the type of song that I love to hear whenever I've gone through a hard day.

Another reason that I'm doing a follow-up on "Like a Queen" is that the even more improved music video with the full version of the song has popped up once more on YouTube. Still retaining its theme of transportation in the big city, instead of the gold car from the 1970s, this time, the focus is on a young lady commuting through one fantastical and rhythm-accurate neighbourhood while upgrading her mode of transportation. Considering our mess of transportation systems here in Toronto, the lass has my envy and desire of shimmying to the music.