Tonight, I'm a Modern Boy by Stardust Revue - 1982

Hoagy Carmichael is one of the most important singer-songwriters in American history, responsible for filling up the The Great American Songbook with standards such as "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", and "Hong Kong Blues''. Of course the ol' "Music Master" himself probably would have never predicted how much influence he had overseas, particularly in Japan. Case in point, four amateur musicians form Saitama Prefecture; Kaname Nemoto (根本要), Kiyoshi Kakinuma (柿沼清史), Masami Terada (寺田正美) and Toshikatsu "VOH'' Hayashi(林紀勝), would come together to form a band inspired by Jazz standards and musical revues of old. After winning the Yamaha Popular Song Contest in 1979, they landed a record deal with Warner Music Japan and named themselves Stardust Revue, as an homage to Carmichael's classic song, "Stardust". While their music style changed and evolved over the course of the years, no album represents their signature "revue" style more than their second 1982 album, Koyoi Ha Modern Boy (今宵はモダン・ボーイ), also known as Tonight, I'm a Modern Boy.

THE MUSIC

1. 噂のアーパー・ストリート(Rumored Upper Street)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. 今夜こ・れ・か・ら⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. I Made Onion Slices with Plenty of Black Pepper (ブラックペッパーのたっぷりきいた私の作ったオニオンスライス)⭐⭐⭐
4. Moonlight Party ⭐⭐⭐
5. I'm Getting On Without You ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. What A Nite! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. 村長さんの娘 (The Village Chiefs Daughter) ⭐⭐⭐
8. 紅いハンカチ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Monologue⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. Alone In The Morning⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT

Tonight, I'm a Modern Boy is an interesting album, alternating between Vaudeville/Revue inspired Big band numbers and more adult contemporary west coast pop. One minute I'm on Broadway watching a musical with songs like "Rumored Upper Street", and "What a Night'' , then the next moment I feel like I'm driving down Pacific Coast Highway listening to songs like "Monologue" and "I'm Getting On Without You". To be fair both styles of music are done very well. The vocals do a great job of matching the energy of the music as well. Kaname Nemoto really knows how to get bombastic, or jazzy when he needs to. Yasuhiro Mitani, who sings on Monologue, is no slouch either. The whole record is filled with phenomenal vocal jazz arrangements in the backing chorus as well. The only song I can't really take seriously is "The Village Chief's Daughter", it's a really corny faux-Chinese inspired rumba Haroumi Hosono might have whipped up back in his heyday, complete with the huge gong in the intro. That being said, much like an actual Revue, you get the sense that you're not suppose to take it very seriously, they expect you to get lost in the whimsy of each song. I mean for crying out loud there's a song called  "I Made Onion Slices with Plenty of Black Pepper ''. That's a title that can give modern isekai anime a run for its money, but its a fun, decent Broadway style number that reminds me of something I would have heard from The Muppets Take Manhattan. Overall, Tonight, I'm a Modern Boy turned out to be a great change of pace compared to the usual City Pop fare. It's a jazzy, theatrical record perfect for fans of Manhattan Transfer, or even Al Jarreau.