Naoko Amihara -- Catch a Star

 

Until recently, I had never heard of Naoko Amihara（網浜直子）before but the Kobe-born lady has been an actress, TV personality and a singer although that last occupation was really just for a couple of years in the mid-1980s. Her movie and TV career began in 1985 with Amihara appearing in the movie "Barrow Gang BC" alongside aidoru Noriko Matsumoto（松本典子）and Shibugaki-tai（シブがき隊）. She also became good friends with other singers including the late Miho Nakayama（中山美穂）.

As I mentioned, Amihara had a brief dalliance in the recording booth with seven singles being released between 1985 and 1987 (one more single was released much later in 2011), and then one lone studio album coming out in March 1986, "Amie's 1st Avenue". From that album, I give you "Catch a Star", a snappy and snazzy horn-laden track that was written by Yuuho Iwasato（岩里祐穂）and composed by Yoshio Nomura（野村義男）, one of the Tanokin Trio（たのきんトリオ）back in the early 1980s. Although Amihara was never categorized as an aidoru, I think there is something rather aidoru-like in the overall effect, perhaps due to the occasional gulpy nature of Amihara's voice.