Shoko Minami -- Tamerai no Whisper（ためらいのウィスパー）

https://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/245850109/

Being a Sunday, I should be my usual more relaxed self but right now, it's the final day of the Winter Olympics and of course, that means that the Gold Medal game for Men's Ice Hockey is happening as I type this. Canada and the USA are battling it out and currently they are tied at 1-1. Canadians have confidence in their team but a few of them have also admitted to some jitters. What I wouldn't advise though while standing among a horde of hockey-crazed Canucks watching the game is whispering doubt along the lines of "But, what if we lose?". It won't look pleasant.

That's quite the segue into this song titled "Tamerai no Whisper" (Hesitant Whispers) which was sung by Shoko Minami（南翔子）, a name that I haven't talked about for a few years...at least, not since I posted her 1985 "Nagisa No Separation"（渚のセパレーション）. That had a rock vibe along the AOR side of things but "Tamerai no Whisper" which appeared on Minami's 3rd album from November 1986, "Sophisticated", is, as the album title would suggest, a more refined slice of sophisticated pop on the City Pop side of things. 

One commenter for the above video mentioned that as soon as they heard the intro, they figured that it was the Kisugi siblings, lyricist Etsuko and composer Takao（来生えつこ・来生たかお）, behind the creation of the song. I actually saw the songwriting list first but I still went "ah, naruhodo" on seeing those two. Those guys were indeed the masters of the smooth and refined melody that hint at champagne and caviar in Tokyo. Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）also has to get his accolades as the arranger. Considering the year of release, "Tamerai no Whisper" sounds like the typical City Pop song of that time of the Bubble Era.

Well, back to the hockey game.🏒

Shoko Minami -- Nagisa No Separation（渚のセパレーション）

 

Well, as they say, you always remember your first. Shoko Minami（南翔子）is a singer that I first got to know through the old Toronto multicultural radio station CHIN-FM's "Sounds of Japan" show with her 80s love ballad "Nakimane"（泣きまね）from 1986. So, it was imprinted into my mind that Minami would always be associated with those slower pop tunes.

However, another expression states to the effect that one should keep their eyes and ears open for new possibilities. And as such, I come across this earlier 2nd single by Minami titled "Nagisa no Separation". Coming out in April 1985, it's about as different as a song can get from the romantic "Nakimane". It's got a jangly rock vibe on the side of AOR and there's something in Kimio Mizutani's（水谷公生）arrangement that speaks something Foreigner. And yet, Minami very coolly and nonchalantly delivers the song.

Mebae Miyahara（宮原芽映）was behind the lyrics for "Nagisa no Separation" while Ryo Matsuda（松田良）was the composer here.

Shoko Minami -- Hikareteku...（惹かれてく・・・）

Up to now, it's just been the one song represented on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for Shoko Minami（南翔子）, "Nakimane"（泣きまね）from 1986, and of course, being the only song that I've associated with her, it can be easy for me to assume that this was her influential debut single.

However, that wasn't the case at all. Minami debuted in late 1984 with a single and an album, with the latter being titled "Shoko Fantasy"（翔子ファンタジー）released in October. It looks like for now, I'm going to be associating the singer with love ballads since the final track of the album that I'm going to feature here is another romantic slow number titled "Hikareteku..." (Charmed...).

I'd say that the cover of "Shoko Fantasy" would be the ideal setting for "Hikareteku...", and Minami does a wonderful performance of the song with her pure high tones. Written by Tsuzuru Nakasato（中里繼）, composed by Tsunehiro Izumi（和泉常寛）and arranged by Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）, it seems to be the ideal ballad to walk along a beach by...and then for one-half of the couple to suddenly get on one knee to present the ring. I also think the nice thing about "Hikareteku..." is that it doesn't have all of those bells and whistles...or epic strings and electric guitar...to hammer it home that there are two people majorly in love. Not that those epic ballads are bad, but it's nice to hear from time to time, a love song that is kept simple in arrangement and focuses on a good voice.

Shoko Minami -- Nakimane （泣きまね）

I was digging through the vaults that are the dusty cabinets under my CD shelves when I discovered another one of my old "Sounds of Japan" tapes. Took a listen and re-discovered an old song that I'd completely forgotten about.

"Nakimane" (Crocodile Tears) was written and composed by singer-songwriter Akiko Kosaka（小阪明子）and sung by Shoko Minami/南翔子 (real name: Harumi Watanabe/渡辺春美) as her 5th single in February 1986. Minami may be well-known amongst the fans of the anime "Urusei Yatsura"（うる星やつら） for providing a couple of theme songs. "Nakimane" is as relaxing as a cup of chamomile tea, and Minami was one of a group of female singers and singer-songwriters who seemed to create these wistful pop ballads that came about in the mid to late 1980s...I'm thinking about Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）, Miki Imai（今井美樹）and Megumi Shiina（椎名恵） who covered Charlene's "I've Never Been To Me" under the title of "Love Is All" also in 1986.

Minami comes from quite a musical family. Not only was her grandfather a pianist and her mother a singer as well, but a couple of her brothers were in bands. Her elder brother, Shigeki Watanabe（渡辺茂樹） was a member of the Group Sounds band, The Wild Ones, while another brother, Naoki（渡辺直樹）, was the vocal and bassist for a Japanese fusion band called Spectrum.