Tetsuo Sakurai -- In the Distance

 

From tomorrow, a good friend of mine will be experiencing what probably will be one of the biggest highlights in his professional life. Even from before the pandemic, he and others had been planning this huge Japanese-English translators' conference to be held in downtown Toronto and finally as of this weekend, everything will be coming into fruition. All success to him. As the Klingons would say: QA'PLA!

What can I say about this song which happens to be the second track in Casiopea bassist Tetsuo Sakurai's（櫻井哲夫）1986 debut album "Dewdrops"? "In the Distance" is quite the wondrous thing swirling together all of these genres: boogie, City Pop, bossa nova and jazz. At this point, all of the KKP entries on Sakurai have centered on the tracks within "Dewdrops", and it's no wonder, it just seems like this quiet masterpiece of an album.

As I said, the bossa is there but then we listeners also get this boogie shuffle beat accompanied by an organ which reminds me of the arrangement in Donald Fagen's "Walk Between Raindrops", the final track on another legendary album "The Nightfly" from 1982. Last but not least, the smooth vocals of Kyosuke Kusunoki（楠木恭介）that I remember from his own wonderful album "Just Tonight" groovily caress the whole she-bang. By this point, though, Kusunoki had already changed his first name to Yukoh（楠木勇有行）. The music was provided by Sakurai with arrangement by him and Yuji Toriyama（鳥山雄司）while the lyrics were written by Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）. If you have a chance, you can give the first track "Refresh!" a try as well.

Kyosuke Kusunoki -- Just Tonight (album)

 

Back on Monday, I wrote about singer-songwriter Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）old band Camel Land（キャメル・ランド）and their single "Koi no Café Terrace"（恋のカフェテラス）when I said that I would have to finish off the remainder of Kusunoki's June 1985 album "Just Tonight". Well, tonight's the night, and it's a good thing, too. I've already written on over half the tracks individually: "Come To Me Again", "Sugar Dance", "For Our Love", "Nagisa ni te ~ Close To You"（渚にて）and "Get Down".

(14:42)

I've just got four more tracks to go before completing the album, so without further adieu, we start with the title track itself. "Just Tonight" begins with an entrance reminiscent of ol' 1970s soul, and Kusunoki does take on a bit of Bobby Caldwell in his delivery. It sounds like the type of smooth balladry that would be played at the end of a dance party when it's just the tired romantic couples on the floor before the janitor finally begins clicking the lights on and off to shoo away the stragglers. Gotta have the bluesy sax to finish things off. Kusunoki was responsible for the melody, Jessie Rein took care of the English lyrics and the late Hiroshi Narumi（鳴海寛）arranged this one and the next two tracks.

(24:59 in the above video.)

The uptempo "Love Devotion" mixes in some Dazz Band and maybe some George Benson guitar canoodling. Plus, Kusunoki does some soaring vocals here along the lines of Gino Vannelli. Rein once again provided the lyrics while Yoichiro Kakizaki（柿崎洋一郎）composed the funkiness. Methinks that I would have loved to have seen a performance video of Kusunoki and this one. It's "Love Devotion" that convinced me that Kusunoki chose wisely when he decided to switch genres from folk to urban contemporary.

Oooh...some dreamy 80s Quiet Storm with "Yoru wo Wasurete"（夜を忘れて...Forget The Night）. Kusunoki composed this urban contemporary lullaby with Kyoko Utsumi's（内海鏡子）lyrics as the singer almost whispers these sweet nothings into our ears. Past the midnight hour is probably the optimal time to hear this in one's dreams.

The final track doesn't have its own video so I've brought in the entire album here where it's situated at 37:58 above. Titled "Chizu Naki Mirai (Yukute)"（地図なき未来(ゆくて)...Future Without A Map ~ One's Path）, this is actually the Japanese-language version as well as the B-side to the singer's lone single under his stage name of Kyosuke Kusunoki, the English-language "High Time" which was released in February 1985, just a few months before the release of "Just Tonight". Probably the only track on the album that doesn't have that overtly R&B sound, it kinda hovers over that Eagles' AOR area. Makoto Mitsui（三井誠）composed and arranged the song as Kathleen Dares wrote the English lyrics while Junpei Matsunaga（松永順平）took care of the Japanese lyrics. The video below is of "High Time".

(Sorry but the "High Time" song has been taken down.)

If "High Time" and "Chizu Naki Mirai" sound particularly life-affirming and inspirational, you can be well assured that the former was used in a commercial for Citizen's Club La Mer watch. And on that note, I close the file on "Just Tonight". For anyone who has the album, you have my envy.

Yukoh (Kyosuke) Kusunoki -- Fun Night

 

I hardly do a lot of double takes when it comes to this blog, but I had to do so here.

Almost three years ago, I was swooning a fair bit after discovering singer-songwriter Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）1985 "Just Tonight" album. The tracks were sweet and silky urban contemporary at their best in Japan, and aside from the beard and mustache, Kusunoki looked quite preppy. I swear that the right hand that's not showing on the cover of "Just Tonight" must have been holding a bottle of Perrier or a pink yuppie-friendly cardigan.

But then, some months later, I come across this other album called "Choose Me" from 1987 by a fellow named Yukoh Kusunoki（楠木勇有行）. The guy on the cover there looked completely different and since the name Kusunoki is neither supremely common nor supremely rare, I assumed that there was another singer with that last name. 

Uh-uh. It's the same guy.😮 According to J-Wiki, Yukoh Kusunoki is the singer's original name while Kyosuke was the 1985 stage name that he took. I mean, did this guy regenerate like a Time Lord between 85 and 87?! It was like seeing him go from Bobby Caldwell to Gino Vannelli and I just don't mean the appearance. The first track from "Choose Me", "Fun Night", still has that urban contemporary nature but it's now amped up with funk and rock. I don't see any Perrier or fluffy cardigan around Yukoh; it's more like a leather jacket and a six-pack of beer. However, the vocals are still familiar. The 1987 Kusunoki composed "Fun Night" while Jessie provided the lyrics about that special Friday night. 

Kyosuke Kusunoki -- Get Down

Y'know...I really felt like pulling out another J Utah driving video when I listened to this one. However, the song itself is only four minutes and change while a J Utah video usually goes at least 40 minutes.

But hey, if you're lucky enough to have Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）1985 "Just Tonight" album, then enjoy the LP and the video. As it is though, I'm still happy to make the acquaintance with "Get Down", the second track from "Just Tonight", and despite the disco vibes that the title engenders, the song is very much a production of its decade, thanks to Hiroshi Narumi's（鳴海寛）arrangement of Yoichiro Kakizaki's（柿崎洋一郎）melody tied with Jessie Rein's lyrics.

It's nice and groovy on a West Coast level, and images of 1980s George Benson, Al Jarreau and Manhattan Transfer in their urban contemporary mode come to mind. Heck, Kusunoki at the beginning comes across as a Japanese version of Michael McDonald in his delivery. This is definitely a car drive-friendly number, and I still maintain that if you have a long-play City Pop/J-AOR compilation album handy, play it alongside a J Utah video. It's smooth sailing. This is his latest: a drive through Malibu!

Kyosuke Kusunoki -- Sugar Dance

We've been having newscasters all day reassuring the lot of us that just because today is Labour Day, it doesn't mean the summer is over. There are still 19 days before autumn officially turns the corner. Yet, there are children heading to school as of tomorrow so for some of them who got interviewed on television, it may as well be September 20th already. They were appropriately rather glum at the prospect, and I do feel their pain since I've been in the same head space.

Not sure if those kids would appreciate my offer of a song to help them relax before getting their knapsacks ready and school clothes ironed, but perhaps some of the more City Pop-oriented fans out there may enjoy this one before heading back to work on Tuesday.

I bring Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）"Sugar Dance" from his 1985 album "Just Tonight". Just to confirm, all of his songs on the blog thus far since "Come To Me Again" earlier this February have been from this solo debut LP, so I gather that his folder here may be like the Takako Mamiya（間宮貴子）file. But not to complain at all..."Just Tonight" is that good. Ironically, despite "Sugar Dance" implying a major need to do a frenetic jig on the floor after imbibing several Cokes, the actual song is a far mellower sunset affair with any hint at dancing probably restricted to a slow one cheek-to-cheek.

Kusunoki composed this pleasant mid-tempo tune with Kyoko Utsumi（内海鏡子）providing lyrics, and Hiroshi Narumi（鳴海寛）behind the overall arrangement. I especially love the mid-song trumpet insertion by Shin Kazuhara（数原晋）with the temporary key shift. Now if only "Sugar Dance" can be released on CD instead of just having only the LP available.

Kyosuke Kusunoki -- For Our Love

Back to the rat race with all that hot weather out there. Perhaps it might be time for something soothing to start off the work week.

"For Our Love" is another track from urban contemporary crooner Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）1985 album "Just Tonight", a release that I would love to get if it's available somewhere. Hopefully, Tower Records is reading this.

Compared with its trackmate, the Bobby Caldwell-reminiscent "Come to Me Again", "For Our Love" is an English-language song with an intro that reminds me of Rod Temperton while Kusunoki has that appealing mix of Fujimal Yoshino（芳野藤丸）and Michael McDonald in his voice. There is also that nice sax solo to go along with those rich keyboards. I couldn't confirm the songwriters but I think it was probably Kusunoki behind the melody with the late Hiroshi Narumi（鳴海寛）handling the arrangements (he's also on guitar), if "Come to Me Again" is of any indication.

Kyosuke Kusunoki -- Nagisa ni te ~ Close To You（渚にて）

Well, I decided that it was time for another spending binge on the music that I love, and one of the albums that I had been aiming for was Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）"Just Tonight" (1985). From listening to the soulful ballad "Come To Me Again" and writing about it, I was hooked on that 80s AOR along with Kusunoki feeling like the second coming of Bobby Caldwell and Fujimaru Yoshino（吉野藤丸）.

(21:00)

Alas, although the album is indeed available at Tower Records, it's currently only in LP format and costs over $40 Canadian. It's not only too rich for my blood, but frankly I think that I (and probably Tower as well) would be fretting about a thin vinyl disc being shipped overseas. But it had been sold in CD form in the past so I'm hoping that there will be another re-release of "Just Tonight".

What made the disappointment somewhat more pointed was that I discovered another great track on this album. This is "Nagisa ni te" (On The Beach), and Kusunoki gives some more fine croon, and it would make the perfect background tune for the scene that I photographed up above in 2014 on the shores of the city of Ito in the evening. According to "Music Avenue", "Nagisa ni te" was composed by the late Hiroshi Narumi（鳴海寛）but I couldn't find out who had provided the lyrics. No matter...it's a nice urban contemporary piece which further keeps my hopes alive that I will procure "Just Tonight" someday in the not-too-distant future.

I was able to dig up some more information about the Tokyo-born Kusunoki on his J-Wiki profile, and it looks like he started his music career shortly after graduating from university by creating the band Camel Land（キャメル・ランド）with two singles and one album in the early 1980s. Under his name of Kyosuke Kusunoki, there was the one album and one single, both in 1985, but after that, he changed his name to Yuukou Kusunoki（楠木勇有行）with four singles and four albums going into the early 2000s. He has also been a special guest with the fusion band Casiopea（カシオペア）.

Kyosuke Kusunoki -- Come To Me Again

Another wonderful track from the "Highway" compilation of the "Light Mellow" series to go along with Miki Asakura's（麻倉未稀）"Forum" which I wrote about a few days ago, Kyosuke Kusunoki's（楠木恭介）"Come To Me Again" is another creamily enticing mid-tempo song.

(29:37)

Originally from Kusunoki's debut solo album "Just Tonight" from 1985, "Come To Me Again" was mentioned in the liner notes in "Highway" as being very Bobby Caldwell, and I can certainly agree with that assessment. However, I would also like to add that Kusunoki's vocals remind me a bit of the voice of Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers.

The arrangement does indeed remind me of Caldwell's most famous hit "What You Won't Do for Love" to some extent, especially when the mild horns come in. I wish that it were a longer song but I guess "Come To Me Again" must have followed that entertainer's edict of leaving the audience wanting more. Kusunoki composed the song with Kyoko Utsumi（内海鏡子...hope that first name is correct）providing the lyrics and Hiroshi Narumi（鳴海寛）arranging everything in a way that would probably have had David Foster, Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton giving a collective thumbs-up.

As for Kusunoki, he was the lead vocalist in the band The Wood which started out originally as rocker George Yanagi's（柳ジョージ）backup group Rainy Wood（レイニーウッド）in the mid-1970s.