I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
It's been a couple of years since we last saw model-turned-singer Sara Hamamoto（浜本沙良）, so let's have her back onto the blog. I first started her file on KKP with her "Follow Me" from the July 1994 album"Puff" and immediately enjoyed it for its sophisticated pop feeling.
Well, another track from "Puff" is "Itsumo Eyes to Me"(Eyes to Me Always) which continues that particular vibe. Right from the get-go, there is that feeling of 1960s swinging British soul, something that Swingout Sister was famous for when they premiered back in the mid-1980s. There is some fine sinuous groove in this one and the impression that one doesn't have to move around at the speed of a Bullet Train to enjoy the city life.
As was the case with "Follow Me", lyricist Seriko Natsuno（夏野芹子）and composer Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）were behind "Itsumo Eyes to Me" which was also a coupling song on Hamamoto's debut single "Sayonara wa Tenshi no Hajimari"（さよならは天使のはじまり...Goodbye Means the Start of an Angel）. The late Nobuo Ariga（有賀啓雄）was the arranger here.
I think as much as 1970s City Pop had certain distinctive arrangements and sounds (the keyboard haze effect) and the 1980s version also had their own fascinating tones (the sparkling mineral water glissando), there is also something about the 1990s version. And yes, I know that there will be some who disagree that the final decade of the 20th century in Japan had City Pop especially with the economic downturn there but I can't deny that there was rich urban contemporary music happening. The music industry including certain singers and producers probably didn't get the memo from Parliament or the stock exchanges.
For me anyways, there was that certain big brassiness and especially sparkly synthesizers that marked that time. Maybe the Bubble had burst, but musically in some corners, it was still living life large in the big city. Time to hit the New York Grill for dinner? Sure, let me dust off my VISA Gold!
Anyways, that's the buzz I get from Yurie Kokubu's（国分友里恵）"Dear~How To Love You", the first track from her 4th album, "Do You Love Me?" from August 1991. Written by her old bandmate from SHAMBARA, Kaoru Akimoto（秋元薫）, and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）, it starts out innocently enough but then the horns rev up and we're off to West Shinjuku for that medium-rare steak. And yep, the brassiness and sparkle are there. Plus, Kokubu seems to be really exercising those golden vocals more than ever.
Kinda having the Microsoft Office activation blues right now. I tried to activate the key and it wouldn't open for me. In a way, I guess it's almost heartbreakingly romantic.
Well, for that reason and for the fact that it is Hump Day today, perhaps I can bring in a bit of blues. However, seeing that title "Osaka Big River Blues", one might think that this would be a Japanese band going for some of that American blues sound. But it's not quite that cut and dry.
By the way, the band behind "Osaka Big River Blues" is Ukadan（憂歌団）which does translate directly into Melancholy Song Group...namely a blues band. Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Atsuki Kimura（木村充揮）, lead guitarist Kantaro Uchida（内田勘太郎）, bassist Kenji Hanaoka（花岡献治）and drummer Kazuo Shimada（島田和夫）, the group originated with the first two members in 1970 with their first performance behind held at the cultural festival at Osaka Prefectural Technical High School where three of the members had been enrolled. After high school, Ukadan picked up gigs at local coffee shops.
Their first single was released in 1975 and their eleventh happened to be "Osaka Big River Blues" from May 1988, and at least with this single, the blues is mixed in with some other genres such as City Pop and AOR. It goes down very smooth (and late 80s) like a Bailey's Irish Cream (sorry, can't do straight whiskey) through the melody by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）and the lyrics of Chinfa Kan（康珍化）which involve a couple having one final stroll one evening in Osaka before breaking up for good. It's a sad situation to be sure, but at least the music accompanying these soon-to-be former lovebirds is fine and wistful.
Also, one other sad note is original members Shimada and Hanaoka passed away in 2012 and 2024 respectively. In addition, I'd like to thank podcaster Rocket Brown who first recommended "Osaka Big River Blues" on Discord a few months ago.
Back in the late 2000s or so, there was a fashion trend started by the magazine "LEON" called Choiwaru Oyaji（ちょいわるおやじ）which I could interpret as Slightly-Rough-Around-the-Edges Middle-Aged Men. Instead of being in that stuffy corporate section chief wardrobe of suits, some of those old guys opted for sunglasses and more casual wear to add a bit of "danger" to their looks...although whether their wives and kids bought into it remained to be seen.
Although this song has nothing to do with that trend, I just found that the title reminded me of it. "Chotto Ii Onna"(Slightly Good Woman) is a 2014 single that was not only written by veteran lyricist Toyohisa Araki（荒木とよひさ）but it was also recorded by him as well with Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁） providing the melody. As far as I know, this is the first time that I've had Araki up on the byline for a KKP entry.
Having released "Chotto Ii Onna" in his early seventies, Araki sings a saucy tune about encouraging those couples of a certain age (a slightly good woman, a slightly good man) to get some of that spice into their relationships again. Haba's composition certainly lends to that image with that added hip-swiveling Latin in this New Adult Music tune. Plus, there is the single cover itself with a perfectly happy and relaxed Araki looking scruffy and stylish at the same time at some watering hole. I gather that he's the Choiwaru Ojiichan（ちょいわるおじいちゃん...Slightly-Rough-Around-the-Edges Old Man）.
Entering the final weekend of the year, it's cold and dreary here in Toronto and I've heard that good chunks of Japan are buried under several centimetres of snow already. Well, if I can start the final Urban Contemporary Friday on KKP for 2023, perhaps I can provide a much better weekend respite, at least vicariously.
I first came across singer-songwriter Hiroshi Murai（村井博）back in September when I heard his scintillating "Hikigane"（鉄爪）from his June 1990 album"Natural". Have yet to listen to the entire album but what I got so far sounded as if City Pop was alive and kicking in his world, although the partial economic setting for the uber-genre was on the verge of collapse in that year or the next. And with this fellow track from "Natural", "Natsu no Kakurega ~ Weekend Resort"(Summer Hideaway), the good times imbued within City Pop just keep on rolling here, too.
Been a while since I referenced kaz-shin from "Music Avenue" and he actually reviewed "Natural" all the way back in 2009. He gave a very nice report on "Weekend Resort" by describing the melody from Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）and the arrangement by Greg Mathieson as exquisite while also loving the vocals by Murai himself. I can certainly agree with kaz-shin that it's become a quick favourite of mine and what is also pleasant is Hiromi Mori's（森浩美）work on the lyrics weaving a scene of utter contentedness at that titular resort wherever it may be; my guess it's somewhere in the Caribbean. She even pays a shoutout to the wonderful aroma of coffee brewing in the kitchen. Kaz-shin also compliments Abraham Laboriel's bass playing but I also want to give my love to the mellow horn section.
Well, perhaps the snowbirds from up here in the Great White North are actually enjoying some warm time down in Florida.
I heard the title "Chōjū Kishin Dankūga"（超獣機神ダンクーガ...Dancouga – Super Beast Machine God） before but I don't recall ever seeing the 1985 anime. It provided the first starring role for veteran seiyuu and actor Kazuki Yao（矢尾一樹）as the fiery and talented pilot Shinobu Fujiwara（藤原忍）.
Recently though, I heard Yao through a different mike, that of the singing variety despite the occupation of singer not being placed onto his J-Wiki profile, although a brief discography does appear near the bottom. The song he sings is "Bad Luck September" which was a track on his 2nd album"Destiny 28" from March 1988, and I think that he acquits himself well with his vocals through this slow urban ballad. I figure that the title along with the fact that September is the beginning of fall in Japan, a time of romantic heartbreak in terms of Japanese song lyrics, pretty much says it all about what is going on in the story. Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）and Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）took care of words and music respectively.
"Bad Luck September" apparently is included on DJ NOTOYA's 2018 City Pop compilation "TOKYO 1980s Victor Edition (The Compilation) Boogie, Funk & Modern Soul from Japan" through services such as iTunes. However it doesn't seem to be included on the tangible CD version sold at places like Amazon.
It's been a few years since I've had City Pop songstress Yurie Kokubu（国分友里恵）up on the byline so welcome back to her. In fact, the last such article was back in 2019 for her "Easy Love".
I can hear that Kokubu was still applying her chops to the brassy champagne-and-caviar sights and sounds of late 1980s and early 1990s City Pop. Such is the case with her song "Watashi ni Dake Forever" (Forever Only to Me) which is a part of her September 1990 album"Silent Moon". Written by her fellow City Pop chanteuse and SHAMBARA bandmate Kaoru Akimoto（秋元薫）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）and Masaki Iwamoto（岩本正樹）, has got those fine tight horns and background chorus while Kokubu exercises that wonderful boomer voice of hers.
A 2014 reissue of "Silent Moon" included "Easy Love" as a bonus track although it was also a track on Kokubu's 1983 debut album"Relief 72 Hours".
Up to now, the only time that I've written about singer-songwriter Rie Eto（衛藤利恵）was for her vocal contributions to a Denki Groove（電気グルーヴ）song, the punchy "N.O.", and that took advantage of her very fluent German.
I found her debut single from November 1994, "Tenshi no Hohoemi" (Angel Smile), an elegant if mysterious pop tune written by Sayaka/Yuka Hirota（広田結花）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）. In fact, I think that it so much of that elegance and mystery, I think that it would have been an ideal ending theme for those Tuesday night suspense dramas on Japanese TV, but the song was actually used as an insert tune for the televised adaptation of the manga "Shizukanaru Don"（静かなるドン...The Quiet Don）.
Up to 2000, Eto has released 8 singles and 6 albums with her most recent single and album coming under her stage name of amber. As I mentioned in the article on "N.O.", she had also participated as the narrator for the entertainment show "Showbiz Countdown" (where I first heard her) and a number of commercials.
I've never heard of Yokohama-born Sara Hamamoto（浜本沙良）before, but according to her J-Wiki profile, she started out as a model but being a great admirer of Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）and Seri Ishikawa（石川セリ）, she decided that she would also become a singer. I believe that Miki Imai（今井美樹）had those same thoughts of wanting to be behind the recording mike although she was also acting, too.
Hamamoto would make her debut in June 1994 with the single "Sayonara wa Tenshi no Hajimari"（さよならは天使のはじまり...Goodbye Means the Start of an Angel） while Takao Yamazaki（山崎貴生）, a member of the band Aido（愛奴）which included Shogo Hamada（浜田省吾）, would become her mentor. Her first album"Puff" was released a little over a month later in July, and I found this really nifty track there titled "Follow Me".
From the popularity of the genre at the time and that design of the album cover with those frames, the French language and some tasteful black-and-white photos of Hamamoto, I was thinking that "Puff" might contain nothing but Shibuya-kei. But listening to "Follow Me", which was created by lyricist Seriko Natsuno（夏野芹子）and composer Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）, I think that it's closer to City Pop via late 80s sophisti-pop. It's got some nice groove and a combination of sharp and mellow horns in there. And not to leave anyone out, Hamamoto herself has got some pleasant vocals.
Although it isn't featured for this particular commercial above for Renaissance Nagasaki Iwo Jima（ルネサンス長崎「伊王島」）,"Follow Me" was used in a previous ad for what I believe is this amusement park or resort area. As for Hamamoto, up to 2000, she released 11 singles and 4 albums before leaving show business.
The final Monday for 2021 has been a dreary start to this week. I have the right sort of song, though.
(36:26)
Mind you, "Ame no Uta"(Rain Song) is actually quite the cheerful tune with the hint of 80s West Coast AOR. This is a track from Yuko Tsuburaya's（円谷優子）debut album"Colors" from April 1989. Written by Rui Serizawa（芹沢類）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）, the arrangement and Tsuburaya's clear vocals has me thinking of ironically far sunnier days in California than a damp cloudy one in Toronto.
According to J-Wiki, Tsuburaya started her career as a part of the regular membership of girls on the TBS variety show "Momoco Club"（モモコクラブ）, based on the weekly aidoru pinup magazine "Momoco". There are excerpts of the show (October 1986 to September 1987) on YouTube, and there are some similarities to 1980s aidoru supergroup Onyanko Club's（おニャン子クラブ）representative TV program "Yuyake Nyan Nyan"（夕焼けニャンニャン）; the lasses of "Momoco Club" even had had their membership numbers as in the case of Onyanko Club's members and, as can be seen below, they even showed up to do musical numbers although my impression is that "Momoco Club" was more about how photogenic its members were than how musically inclined they were.
Incidentally, Tsuburaya's number was 1980 which I had initially mistook for the starting year of her career. Another interesting point that I saw in her J-Wiki profile was that her senpai in her talent agency KEN-ON（研音）, none other than the Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）, made a point on "Music Station" to introduce and promote Tsuburaya when she did make her debut in late 1988 as someone with a lovely voice. I can only imagine the gratitude and pressure that the young singer must have felt at the time.
Going into the late 1990s, Tsuburaya would release 10 singles and 3 albums including one single under the aegis of Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉）which became a big hit. But I'll have to do that one sometime in the New Year.
Welcome to June! We're looking forward to some more summery weather but some rain, too, since we were a little dry last month. Of course, some reopening from the pandemic will also be happily appreciated.
From that title, "Mizu no Naka no Knife" (Knife in the Water) reads as something far more ominous than it really is. This track by Miyuki Kosaka（香坂みゆき）from her penultimate album"Nouvelle Adresse" (sic) released in October 1987 is actually quite mellow. Written by Yumi Yoshimoto（吉元由美）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）, the song sounds like the type of music that I was hearing from a number of female singer-songwriters such as Miki Imai（今井美樹）and Midori Karashima（辛島美登里）in the late 1980s to early 1990s. It's the sort of song that I would probably hear over the speakers in some sort of peaceful café in the neighbourhood.
Hopefully, the only knife involved here is the one slicing out a wedge of cheesecake or apple pie in that café. Incidentally, I wouldn't mind seeing those opening up again really soon.
TGIF! For me, when it comes to singer Miho Morikawa（森川美穂）, until recently, all roads have led to her theme songs for the NHK anime "Fushigi no Umi no Nadia"（不思議の海のナディア...Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water), so I've seen her as someone who loves her power pop, and my lone Morikawa album "Pop The Top!" (1991) as you see above in the thumbnail continues to show that.
The last Morikawa article I did was back in August 2020, and I was happy to hear that she also had gone for a downtown party phase in the late 1980s with songs like "Splash Blue" from her "1/2 Contrast" album released in June 1988. Well, she also explored some R&B as well through her later 10th single,"Real Mind" which came out in October that year.
Veteran lyricist Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）, who would also pen the opening theme for "Fushigi no Umi no Nadia", wrote "Real Mind" as this scathing telling of a relationship that has been abruptly stopped by the cad. Bad news obviously, but I can't complain about the funky music by the duo of Hitoshi Haba and Tsunehiro Izumi（羽場仁志・和泉常寛）; will never turn down the offer of a beefy bass and bang-and-crash horns. When I first heard the song, I was rather reminded of the output of another Miho...Nakayama（中山美穂）, to be precise.
"Real Mind" peaked at No. 32 on Oricon and it's been included on her November 1988 5th album"Ow-witch!" whose LP version went as high as No. 16 while the CD peaked at No. 12. That title is quite intriguing, though. It sounds like what Bugs Bunny said in reaction to getting his head banged on something.
I've done a couple of Yukiko Haneda（羽根田征子）songs in the past and while those were quite jazzy, her debut single from July 1988 is much more in the pop vein.
In fact, I would say that "ENCORE" reminds me of some of the uptempo pop that Miki Imai（今井美樹）was releasing at about the same time in the late 1980s. There's that certain synthesizer being used in the song that immediately rang nostalgia bells for J-Pop in that decade of the Bubble. It was written by Ayako Naito（内藤綾子）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）.Etsuko Yamakawa（山川恵津子）took care of the arrangement which automatically peaked my interest.
Ah, speaking of the Bubble..."ENCORE" was actually used as an insert song for the Fuji-TV trendy drama "Dakishimetai!"（抱きしめたい!...I Wanna Hold Your Hand） starring Atsuko Asano and Yuko Asano（浅野温子・浅野ゆう子）...indeed The Double Asano. The opening theme for that show is even more famous seeing that it is "Aquamarine no Mama de ite"(アクアマリンのままでいて) by Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe (カルロス・トシキ&オメガトライブ) .
Spent a lot of the day performing the semi-annual cleaning of the shelves and then putting in the new discs onto them in the right order. This is a downright labour-intensive duty and, boy, are my shoulders harder than granite. I will probably have to vicariously experience a massage via one of those ASMR videos. Such is the virtuality of reality nowadays.
Time for the first Miki Matsubara（松原みき）article for 2019, and this is one is a bit different since it's a track from a 1988 album of hers, her 9th to be exact, "WiNK" (no connection with the legendary aidoru duo who were starting their career around this time). "Megami no Migite"(The Goddess' Right Hand) has the famous vocals of Matsubara, but the song doesn't have the same ol' feeling of City Pop with the Fender Rhodes and some shimmery strings.
In fact, I would say that "Megami no Migite" has more of a West Coast pop atmosphere as if David Foster helped out in its creation. Actually, it was Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）behind the composition with lyricist/copywriter Ichiko Takehana（竹花いち子）providing the words. I do like the period synths, the horns and that incessant keyboard laying down the beat. Nope, it may not be the most original pop song of the decade, but on the radio, there are way worse ways to spend 4 minutes and change. Besides, I'd be willing to purchase "WiNK" just for the zesty cover alone.
Well, it took me long enough after having read nikala's fine article on the cool and snazzy "I Wanna Be With You" back in 2015, but I finally got Yurie Kokubu's（国分友里恵）2nd album"STEPS" from 1987. It was because that I revisited that article and song, and the amazing cover that nikala had also referred to, that finally got me to happily part with my yen. I guess it could be my interest in the old film noir that had me drawn to that cover of "STEPS": those exposed gams, the man in black with a lamp or lighter and that bleak but beautiful landscape. Last but not least, I really like the font for the title itself.
"I Wanna Be With You" was the second track, but it's "I Got You Inside Out" that launches things for the album, and as nikala mentions in her article, there's quite a bit more oomph when compared to Kokubu's debut effort, "Relief ~ 72 Hours"(1983). I did say in that article that the singer-songwriter was celebrating her party girl days with that one, but listening to "STEPS", it sounds as if she apparently decided to take her party to Los Angeles for a weekend. "I Got You Inside Out" fires off a pretty big missile in that respect. Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）took care of words and music and had a hand in all of the songs on the original version of the album back in 1987.
Track 3 is "Cosmic Love" whose amazing keyboards (including that hyper piano) were handled by Masaki Iwamoto（岩本正樹）. I think I mentioned this in a past Kokubu article, but Iwamoto also happens to be the singer's husband, and he was responsible for the arrangements of the tracks in the original "STEPS". It's a great urban contemporary number that would have happily accompanied any aerobics class back then. "Cosmic Love" is another example of how Kokubu kept things within the City Pop/R&B department from "Relief" but took it higher onto the dance floor.
"In Your Eyes" is reminiscent of all of those power love ballads that I heard from acts like Chicago and Whitney Houston back on the radio in my high school/university days. Another Haba creation, this is the song where folks will come out on the floor for the slow dance or just relax on the sofas for a while. I did far more of the latter than I did of the former. Being a nerd helped.
Kokubu wrote the lyrics for "Margarita" to go with Haba's melody here. The track stuck out for me since with that title, I had been expecting something beachside in LA or beachside in Rio, but actually "Margarita" is referring to a young lady who seems to need a bit of help in the love department. I'm not sure but there is something distinctly TOTO-ish about this one especially with that opening piano by Iwamoto. I also enjoy that echoing effect in the refrain.
I keep referring to the original form of "STEPS", and that is because the album that I got has come up with a couple of extra tracks, namely the A and B sides for Kokubu's 1986 single"Nagareru Mama ni~Rakka Ryusui"（流れるままに～落花流水～...As It Flows - Mutual Love）. The B-side"Refrain"（リフレイン）is a song that I've already covered on the blog, so here is "Nagareru Mama" which, like its title, flows like a romantically slow river. Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）took care of the music and arrangement, and with that slightly melancholy feeling thanks to the strings and flugelhorn, it does feel like a Hayashi-made ballad, and is quite different from the original tracks on "STEPS" and even its B-side (yet Hayashi took care of the funky music while Yasushi Akimoto wrote the lyrics). Kumiko Aoki（青木久美子）provided the lyrics. The ballad was actually the theme song for a 1986 mystery film starring Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）and Naomi Chiaki（ちあきなおみ）titled "Kizu Darake no Kunshou"（傷だらけの勲章...Scarred Medal）, about a detective investigating the assassination of a company president in Egypt.
Some fine evolution in the music of Yurie Kokubu. And unlike that cover, this isn't a moody or atmospheric album, but it is packed with lots of fun and nostalgic dance pop from the 1980s.
Thanks kindly to J-Canuck for his great review of Yurie Kokubu's (国分友里恵) debut album "Relief 72 Hours", which propelled me to obtain the CD as well. Even though some of the links in that post don't work any more, you can still get a sense that it's a strong assortment of City Pop songs with all the right ingredients: sophisticated mellow groove, sparkly musicianship and Kokubu's velvety vocals. Whenever I play this album, it refreshes and nourishes me like a nice glass of berry mix smoothie. So while picking up "Relief" from my local Tower Records in Gifu, I spotted two of her other albums on the shelf, both of which were just then-recently remastered. "Steps", her second album from October 1987, really jumped out at me with that striking artwork. And so, I ended up getting that one as well.
Compared to Kokubu's smooth debut, "Steps" is more of a dance pop album, though it does slow down here and there to give the tired clubbers a break. The second track, "I Wanna Be With You", made the biggest impression on me from the bunch thanks to the lush arrangement by Masaki Iwamoto (岩本正樹) . I can feel wealthier just listening to those rich horns and the bass groove, and since I'll be treating myself to a nice trip to Vancouver for the next three weeks, I might as well take this as an appetizer. In any case, it makes for nice background music to a meal at a high-end restaurant that overlooks a brightly-lit urban skyline. Kokubu breezes through this with her vocals so seamlessly as if they are part of the band. Definitely the perfect fit for the genre. Credits wise, she was responsible for the song's lyrics while Hitoshi Haba (羽場仁志) composed the tune.
I've been wanting to write up an article on Yuiko Tsubokura（坪倉唯子）for a while now. And the reason for that lies behind what she's arguably been most famous for. She is the female lead singer of the B.B. Queens, that quirky musical unit responsible for the No. 1 song of 1990, "Odoru Ponpokorin"（おどるポンポコリン）, the first ending theme (and later eternal theme tune) for "Chibi Maruko-chan"（ちびまる子ちゃん）. But as that co-vocal with blues singer Fusanosuke Kondo（近藤房之助）, she was heavily disguised (as I once put it in that article for that song) as a combination of Mrs. Doubtfire and a former First Lady of Japan.
However, underneath all of that makeup, costuming and squeaky voice, there is a gorgeous lady who has some soulful vocals. Tsubokura has been active since 1980 as a singer and also as a backup singer. In the same year that "Odoru Ponpokorin" came out, she released her 2nd album, "Loving You", in March 1990 and one of the tracks is "Shooting Star". I've sampled some of her other songs out on YouTube, and it seems like she's solidly in the urban contemporary category. "Shooting Star" has that melody of snappy drums and chiming synths which not only had me thinking of the turn of the decade between the 80s and 90s but also of downtown glasses of champagne and the high life in Shinjuku. Perhaps after giving those performances as part of B.B. Queens, that's maybe where she wanted to head for to unwind.
"Shooting Star" was written by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志...I hope I got that last name right）. Tsubokura would be another singer that I would like to find out more about just from what I've heard so far. As for her backup work, she was involved in Maki Ohguro's（大黒摩季）Olympic theme "Atsukunare"（熱くなれ）and TUBE's "Summer Dream" among the many other songs she's participated in.
