99.99 -- Through The Night, Toward The Light

 

It was at the end of 2022 when I posted the first article regarding the band 99.99...which is supposed to be called Four-Nine. Their April 1982 debut self-titled album "99.99" had a stylistic split with half of the tracks following a progressive rock/technopop line (Type A) while the other half was following fusion (Type B). The first track on Side A "Amazin' & Amusin'" sounded like Type B to me.

Track No. 4 is "Through The Night, Toward The Light" may have actually ended Side A so I gather that Side A was indeed the Type B side. Written and composed by keyboardist Masei Hattori（服部ませい）, it feels like a jam session being filtered through Steely Dan and Santana arrangements. Perhaps that is Hattori helping on the fleet-flooted vocals but I do believe that the female voice is being provided by Suzi Kim who was also behind the mike for "Amazin' & Amusin'".  I even think that the vocals are so nimble that I'm wondering if Hattori and Kim were going for their own form of vocalese.