I've had this song in the backlog for some time so I'm happy to finally profile it on KKP. However, it comes at a rather sad time for singer-songwriter Naomi Nomoto's（野本直美）fans because I've been seeing a few websites mention that the native of Ishikawa Prefecture had passed away on August 26th. My condolences to her family, friends and fans.
Back in 2021, I posted an article on her debut single from October 1981, "Kanashimi Doori"（かなしみ通り）, which features an owner of some bar willing to lend an ear to a bereft guy down on his luck. The B-side is "Ukareiro" (Make Merry), a more melancholy but melodic song about someone just wanting to be left alone to stew in their dark existential miasma while everyone else makes merry. As Nomoto sings it, her lyrics may be describing the person's plight but her vocals seem to be filled with compassion and care.
Naomo Nomoto was clearly a very talented artist! She had some powerful, compelling songs, and かれいろ is no exception to that rule. I do, however, kind of wish she had debuted in the 70s rather than in 1981, when the music world was sort of in a kind of transition and I think her music was kind of drowned out. Now, don't get me wrong Naomo Nomoto was successful and did gain a following (otherwise we would not be talking about her now), but I can't shake the feeling that she would have gained a much bigger following and much wider appeal had she debuted in the 70s and gone up against some of the folk singers of that time.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. Perhaps Nomoto would have been able to make further inroads into music fame if she had debuted earlier, but when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter. She made her mark in music and gained her dedicated fandom, and here's hoping that she was satisfied with her life and career. Plus, there are people like us who are just coming to know her and her discography so there is plenty of optimism for her legacy.
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