Minako Yoshida (吉田美奈子), born April 7, 1953, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer, and arranger. Minako first started making music during high school after she met Haruomi Hosono(細野晴臣) and Takashi Matsumoto(松本隆), and they advised her to become a songwriter. In 1971, she formed a piano duo Pafu with the Blues Creation bassist Noji Yoshiyuki(野地義行) while also performing as a support musician for the rock band Happy End. In 1973, she launched her solo career with the album Tobira no Fuyu, which was backed by Hosono's then-new band, Tin Pan Alley. Afterward, she would move to RCA and released three more studio albums and one live one, all while writing and composing for other artists like Tatsuro Yamashita(山下達郎), and An Lewis.
Her 3rd and last studio album under the RCA label, Twilight Zone, was released in 1977 and was the first where she handled all the composing and lyrics since her debut. The production and arranging were handled by Tatsuro Yamashita, while the sound engineering was none other than Minako's brother, Tamotsu Yoshida (吉田保). The album featured various prolific session musicians like drummer Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami (村上秀一), Kazuo Shina on violin, saxophonist Hidefumi Toki, jazz trombonist Shigeharu Mukai, guitarists Kenji Omura(大村憲司) and Tsunehide Matsuki (松木恒秀 ) and pianist & singer-songwriter, Hiroshi Sato.
THE MUSIC
- Twilight Zone "Overture"⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Love⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Runner(駆けてきたたぞがれ)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Melody⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Shooting Star of Love (恋は流星)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Uptown⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Raspberry Slope⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Just Say Good-Bye⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Twilight Zone⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
THE VERDICT
Twilight Zone is a unique album that resides in a similar emotional plane as Taeko Ohunki's Sunshower; evoking a sense of hopelessness, and uncertainty in an imposing metropolis. However, unlike Sunshower which starts light-hearted and gets progressively darker (especially from a lyrical standpoint), Twilight Zone offers moments of joy, love, and optimism throughout the album. This also puts less emphasis on radio-friendly pop-oriented tracks and offers more introspective jazz-pop in the vein of Laura Nyro.
The album opens up with the Overture to Twilight Zone, a very somber piano piece that sets the mood for the entire album and leads perfectly into the first ballad, Love. Love and the other ballad Rasberry Slope, have a very nocturnal, melancholy feel to them, especially with Yoshida's soulful and lingering voice. But then we get levity with songs like Runner, which provides a nice upbeat Motown feel that's perfect for a morning stroll, or Shooting Star of Love, a groovy Philly soul-inspired R&B track with a lush string arrangement accompanied by some great jazzy trumpet playing and Yoshida's more soulful and uplifting voice. The most streamlined track on the album is probably Uptown, an uptempo jazz-funk track with a smooth sax solo and groovy vocal harmonies that perfectly reflect the hustle & bustle of the big city. Melody is another lovely segway into some gospel-inspired sounds with the bluesy piano playing alongside an organ. Just Say Goodbye is a nice warm piece of lounge jazz that would go great with a cup of coffee and a warm fire. The album ends with a return back to the song Twilight Zone, but instead of ending on a precarious piano piece, bursts into a more optimistic jazz session.
It's safe to say that Nyro was a huge influence on Yoshida, ever since the beginning of her career, but it definitely shows here, with this album barring a strong resemblance to New York Tendaberry. Some might dismiss this album as mere mimicry, but I feel like Minako Yoshida's material has enough in it to stand on its own. While the foundation is definitely that Ney York Brill Building style soft rock, Yoshida leans more into gospel & R&B than Nyro does. Besides, the only reason I know of Laura Nyro is because of Yoshida's work, so the similarities don't hinder my overall enjoyment.
Twilight Zone is a nice detour away from the typical sunshine pop while still retaining the melodic urban aesthetic that we're used to from City Pop. Whether you are alone in a late-night diner, trying to run arrange downtown, or just out restless on a late-night stroll, these records got the right song for the mood.
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