Haruomi Hosono - Paraiso (1977)

It goes without saying that Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) is one of the most eclectic composers and singer-songwriters Japan has to offer. His most famous albums fall under either Electronic/Techno-pop (Philharmony) or Tropical Exotica-inspired folk (Tropical Dandy), the album in question is an exciting and bizarre fusion of both. Paraiso is Hosono's third solo album in his "Tropical '' period, beginning with Tropical Dandy (1975), followed by Bon Voyage Co (1976). The album is credited to Haroumi Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band, which can be considered a precursor to his Yellow Magic Orchestra since it features future longtime collaborators, the late & great Yukihiro Takahashi on drums, and Ryuichi Sakamoto on keyboards. The album also features other well-known musicians like Taeko Ohnuki, Hiroshi Sato, Hiroshi Kamayasu, Tatsuo Hayashi, and Nobu Saito.

TRACKLIST

1. 
   Tokyo Rush ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Shimendoka ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Japanese Rhumba⭐⭐⭐
4. Asatoya Yunta⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Fujiyama Mama ⭐⭐⭐
6. Femme Fatale⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Shambhala Signal⭐⭐
8. Worry Beads⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Paraiso ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT

Building on the influences of the previous albums, Paraiso is a collection of Exotica-infused Jazz-funk, as if  Little Feat were produced by Martin Denny, this time with an extra layer of Synthesizers to add some texture to the ambiance. The opening song "Tokyo Rush" is probably the most energetic out of the bunch.  "Femme Fatale" is another great tune that uses synths to add to the jungle ambiance, bridging the gap between lounge music and technopop. There are also some interesting covers, including a reggae rendition of an Okinawan folk song in "Asatoya Yunta" and a humorous take on the American song Fujiyama Mama, written by Jack Hammer, best known as the co-writer of "Great Balls of Fire". Overall, Paraiso proves to be a great compromise between the Tropical and Electronic eras of Hosono's career, and a great jumping point for people to get introduced to his discography pre-YMO.

Dixie Fever by Makoto Kubota & The Sunset Gang - 1977

What happens when four Japanese guys head to Hawaii to make a hit record? If you didn't guess a country rock album, you might not be ready for Dixie Fever. I wasn't either when I first heard it. But if you're this far down the Japanese music rabbit hole, you might as well give this one a chance. Recorded in 1976, Dixie Fever was the third album of The Sunset Gang, led by folk singer Makoto Kubota, along with Keni Inoue (guitar), Yosuke Fujita (slide guitar), and Takashi Onzo (bass). 

Nohelani Cypriano

The album also features the legendary Haruomi Hosono as co-producer, as well as notable Hawaiian talents like pianist Dennis Graue, and his wife, Nohelani Cypriano who performed backing vocals along with future permanent band member Aya "Sandii" Suzuki. And of course, it's not Hosono production without at least one Tin Pan Alley member, for which we have Tatsuo Hayashi on drums. The album was recorded at the famed Sounds of Hawaii Studios, one of the oldest studios on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, and released in Japan in 1977 under the Showboat Label.

THE MUSIC

1. 

   "Sandii" Suzuki

   Dixie Fever ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Wild About My Lovin' ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Camel Blues ⭐⭐⭐
4. Heart Melody ⭐⭐⭐
5. Hoshikuzu (Stardust) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Chinatown Blues ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Captain Banana⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. When I Was a Cowboy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. 一つだけ光るもの (The Only Thing That Shines) ⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT 

 Makoto's Sunset Gang was already known for combining American blues, and country folk with Okinawan and tropical stylings, Dixie Fever takes a full-on trip down the bible belt to add some good ol' fashion New Orleans Funk & R&B into the mix. The album shines most when it goes full honkey tonk, with songs like the soulful "Chinatown Blues", and the titular hoedown, "Dixie Fever", There's even a great cover of Jim Jackson's hokum classic "Wild About my Lovin'". There's also a little detour into Margaritaville with songs like "Stardust" and "Heart Melody". Despite the excellent musicianship, it's definitely offputting the first listen around, the songs sound authentic enough until you hear a Japanese man calling out different Dixie line states as if he's actually been there before and name-checking Buffalo Bill. Kubota's Kermit-Esque voice definitely fits the style, but it's still weird. If you're able to get past it, however, you're in for some silly yet surprisingly endearing Country Pop. 

Deadly Drive by Ginji Ito (1977)

Ginji Ito is probably one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in City Pop. He was a key figure for Eiichi Ohtaki's Niagara Records and was responsible for writing the lyrics for the band Sugar Babe's iconic single, Downtown. He even had his own band back in the early 70s called Coconut Bank, but unfortunately, they broke up around 1974, otherwise, they would have been Niagara's first band on their label. That didn't stop Ito from pursuing music, however. On top of joining Tatsuro Yamashita and Ohtaki with their collaborative album, Niagara Triangle, Ginji Ito also joined the Bye-bye Session Band, which was the backing band for the Japanese singer-songwriter, Lily. 

It wouldn't be until 1977 when he joined the Warner Pioneer's Asylum label that he would finally get a chance at his first solo album, Deadly Drive. Taeko Ohnuki provided backing vocals as well as lyrics for the song If You Can Be The Wind. Former Sugar Babe Guitarist Kunio Muramatsu provided the composition for the titular song, Deadly Drive. Country Rock band Sentimental City Romane provides backing vocals as well. Other great talents include prolific composer and keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto(坂本龍一), drummer and long-time collaborator with Ito, Yukata Uehara(上原裕), bassist Akihiro Tanaka (田中章弘) who's performed in bands like Sugeru Suzuki's Hucklebuck and folk band The Dylan, and percussionist Nobuo Saito(斉藤信男).

THE MUSIC

If You Can Be The Wind (風になれるなら) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm Telling You Now ⭐⭐⭐

Deadly Drive ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Konuka Rain (こぬか雨) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

King Kong⭐⭐⭐

Sucking At That Time (あの時はどしゃぶり)⭐⭐⭐

Sweet Daddy ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hobo's Lullaby ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT  

Overall Deadly Drive is a decent album, most of the songs are fine examples of their respective genres, but don't really do anything to set them apart as unique or outstanding. the best songs are the more light & mellow tracks which fit Ito's vocal style very well. Ginji Ito has very soft and comfy vocals, almost like Michel Franks if he didn’t sound bored half the time, and it pairs well with Taeko Ohnuki's backing vocals.

"If You Can Be The Wind" aims to recapture the magic of Sugar Babe, pretty well with much better production values on top of that. Out of all the jazz-fusion tracks the titular song, "Deadly Drive" has the most personality to it. It’s a high-speed Jeff Beck-style jazz-rock track with some great drum breakdowns, funky guitars, and an immersive driving ambiance that really makes you feel like you are in a car chase out of a scene from the Blues Brothers. "Konuka Ame" is a beautiful rainy-day soul ballad with a mesmerizing piano riff, beautiful orchestral backing, and hauntingly mesmerizing backing vocals thanks to Ohnuki. The 2nd half of the album doesn't leave as big of an impression but the songs are still good. the best one is "Sweet Daddy", a funky jazz number in the style of the Crusaders, complete with a groovy guitar & piano solo, a funky brass section, and some soulful backing vocals. "King Kong" is a mellow funky jazz-rock number with some neat use of the talk-box. "Sucking At That Time" is a pretty standard salsa dance number, and "Hobo's Lullaby" closes off the record with a bluesy country ballad with some soulful piano playing.

Deadly Drive isn't representative of Ginji's later career, but it's a good album to have if you are a Sugar Babe or Taeko Ohnuki fan. It has a more mellow approach to City Pop and is very reminiscent of Ohnuki's early albums, Grey Skies, and even Sunshower, which came out the same year.

Twilight Zone - Minako Yoshida - 1977

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 

1. Twilight Zone "Overture"⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Love⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Runner(駆けてきたたぞがれ)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Melody⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Shooting Star of Love (恋は流星)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Uptown⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Raspberry Slope⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Just Say Good-Bye⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. 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.

Sunshower by Taeko Ohnuki -1977

Taeko Ohnuki (大貫 妙子),  born November 28, 1953, is a female Japanese pop singer, lyricist, and composer. She got her official start in the music industry as part of the pioneering band Sugar Babe in 1975, alongside fellow singer-songwriters, Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎), and Kunio Muramatsu(村松邦男). After the failure of their first and only album, the band broke up and the trio went their own separate ways to find their individual musical identities. Yamashita's journey would take him to New York, to produce his debut album Circus Town, establishing him as Japan's next soul-brother. Muramatsu wouldn't get his next solo album until 1983's Green Water, where he went the pop-rock route. However, Taeko Ohnuki would find her musical voice in her second album released in 1977, Sunshower. 

THE HISTORY

After the breakup of Sugar Babe in 1976, Ohnuki had moved on to Crown Records, under the Panam label,  specialized in releasing folk and New Music (precursor to city pop) records. She released Grey Skies that same year, however, it was mostly an extension of the sound produced by Sugar Babe, as it features many of their unused songs. For her next album, Ohnuki wanted to focus on creating a jazz-fusion sound, which was starting to gain traction in Japan during that time. 

 In order to accomplish this, the album features some major players in the genre. Then up-and-coming session musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一), was chosen as the arranger for the album. On bass, the album features Harry Hosono (細野晴臣) and Tsugutoshi Gotō (後藤 次利). On guitar, there's Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木茂), Koichi Hara (原浩一), Kenji Omura (大村憲司), and Kazumi Watanabe (渡辺 香津美). On drums, they got Tatsuo Hayashi (林立夫) as well as American musician Christopher Parker, from the band Stuff, who they met after watching their performance at the Rolling Coconut Review in Tokyo. Even Ohnuki's old band member, Tatsuro Yamashita, provides backing vocals for the album.

Apparently, the record company did not have much faith in Ohnuki's project or new direction. But, with the help and support of Sakamoto, she persisted to go all out on this album, drawing influences from artists like Stevie Wonder and Todd Rundgren, combining it with her personal life experiences growing up in the Suginami Ward of Tokyo, to create catchy but introspective songs. Sunshower was released on July 25th, 1977, and compared to her first album, sales were lackluster. However, that didn't stop the album from being recognized as a J-Pop classic in the coming decades.

THE MUSIC

Side A

• Summer Connection: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Sunshine Pop in its purest form. A jazzy, uplifting track with cheerful horns, groovy bass, and an uplifting string arrangement, celebrating the season of the sun. The single cut of this song has a faster tempo and more lively drums.

• Kusuri wo Takusan (くすりをたくさん)| A Lot of Medicine: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
•  A song that criticized the over-prescription of medicine, which is surprising when you consider how upbeat and cheerful it is, with its joyful flute playing against a mellow samba beat. 

• Nani mo Iranai (何もいらない) | I don't need anything: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
•  The song begins with some ominous violins, followed by a deep bass drop to set the tone of this soulful tune about rejecting the environment around you and wanting to escape. The highlight of this song is again the groovy bassline and the classy smooth jazz guitar solo.

• Tokai (都会) | City: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
•  A breezy melancholy track about feeling trapped in the mundane cycle of city living. Another mellow smooth jazz arrangement featuring highlights like the stellar synthesizer solo, smooth saxophone, and the ethereal, occasionally eerie backing vocals.

• Karappo no Isu (からっぽの椅子) | Empty Chair: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
•   A sad & bluesy jazz ballad about being overcome with loneliness. This song was originally part of Sugar Babe's repertoire and was sung at their final concert in 1976.  

Side B

• Law Of Nature: ⭐⭐⭐
• A soft rock composition inspired by Todd Rundgren's Utopia that explores Man's relationship with mother nature.

• Dare no Tameni (誰のために) | For Whom: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Another Latin influenced track about vulnerability and marginalization through lack of prestige. 

• Silent Screamer: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
•  This song is about the desire to escape, too and it's strong that an image of driving a car at a breakneck speed. According to Ohnuki, back then, the energy was quite full and at least in the music, she wanted to run wild.

• Sargasso Sea: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The unique space age-ambient theme of the mystical Sargasso Sea. The creative use of synthesizers and short piano melodies, help create a futuristic, yet nautical atmosphere of wanderlust.

• Furiko no Yagi (振子の山羊) | Pendulum of Capricorn: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The finale composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto begins with a symphonic intro, that leads into a progressive jazz-rock ballad where Ohnuki's ghostly vocals describe the end of days for humankind and its eventual reincarnation. The song ends on a funky piano breakdown, accompanied by an epic, bluesy guitar solo as the song fades out until the final thing heard is Ohnuki stating "山羊は その枝を食べた /The goat ate the branch". 

THE VERDICT

Production: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Vocals:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Arrangement:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aesthetic:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Memorability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Composition:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow...just wow. After not hearing the full album in years, this blew me away. Taeko Ohnuki did a superb job of establishing her music identity. Sunshower perfectly balances progressive-pop, art rock, and jazz fusion. Each song is extremely unique and memorable and is arranged in a way that explores different sounds without going too far out of the easy listening territory. The most deviating song in the album is the Sargasso Sea since it's more of a psychedelic ambiance techno piece than anything, but it's still soothing enough to put you ina meditative state. My favorite track being Tokai, with its mellow and somber melody, combine with its anti-metropolitan lyrics, provides a listening experience that's not unlike Marvin Gaye's Innercity Blues, but retains its own identity. 

This brings up an astonishing realization; this is the most anti-city city pop album I've ever heard! Most of the songs are cover the societal problems that come with living in the streets in Tokyo, from over-medication to depression, to obligatory social status, to more heavy topics like man's relationship with nature and existential dread. Yet it's all wrapped in soothing melodies with jazzy pianos, melodic guitar solos, mesmerizing backing vocals, and psychedelic synthesizers. On top of that, Ohnuki's soft, innocent, and ethereal voice really makes you forget that she's singing about the end of all existence by the end of the record. It all starts to make sense when you learn about Taeko Ohnuki's upbringing in Tokyo, and how the post-war economic boom shaped her struggles surviving in the constantly evolving metropolis. I'm pretty confident that Summer Connection is the only happy song on the album, which isn't a bad thing since, despite the lyrical tone shift, the album retains the same breezy and whimsical vibe established by the opening number.

I'm a firm believer that Taeko Ohnuki's Sunshower is one of the rare perfect albums. While I personally think her next album, Mignone, is more approachable, I can't deny that this record is where Ohnuki's creativity was at its peak. Some songs might not be for everyone, but production is solid enough where you leave each song with something worthwhile to talk about, be it the unique and jazzy arrangements or the topical lyrics. Whether you're a fan of City Pop, Jazz, Prog, or Art Rock, Sunshower is a must-have in everyone's record collection. 

Back Mirror by Tetsuji Hayashi - 1977

When we think of City Pop  there is much praise for singer-songwriters like Eiichi Ohtaki, Haruomi Hosono, Toshiki Kadomatsu, and of course Tatsuro Yamashita, the latter being considered the king of the genre. However, if the movie Hidden Figures has taught me anything, it's that sometimes people who made the biggest impact are the names that nobody remembers.  Tetsuji "Tycoon" Hayashi (林哲司) is a name that you probably don't know, but definitely should, since he's one of the most prolific composers of the '80s and one of the key people who define the sound of 1980's Japan.

 On top of composing many Film & TV soundtracks, he was responsible for composing many of the biggest chart-toppers of 80s Japan. Mariya Takeuchi’s “September”,, Masaki Ueda’s “Osaka Bay Blues”, Anri’s “Can't Stop the Loneliness”, and most famously,  Miki Matsubara’s “Mayonaka no Door”. And, don't even get me started on Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe’s series of hits. There are so many famous songs that have become staples within the City Pop community both in Japan and the west. It seems like Hayashi was the main driving force behind City Pop's most iconic anthems, so why don't we put him on the same pedestal as someone like Tatsuro Yamashita, as the King of City Pop? Well, it probably has to do with his not-so-stellar solo career.

THE HISTORY

 After winning the Chile Music Festival, a young Tetsuji Hayashi was picked up by Polydor Records and released his debut album, Burges, the following year in 1973. Participating in the recording was a group of his fellow Yamaha classmates who would become prolific musicians in their own rights, like guitarist Motoaki Masuo, drummer Kazuaki Misago, and Ken Sato, who would become the producer & wife of Junko Ohashi. Unfortunately, “Bruges” wasn’t a commercial success. However Pacific Music Publishing took an interest in Hayashi, and his career shifted into producing for other people, from enka singers like Akira Fuse to teen idols like Saori Minami and Hiromi Ohta. Steadily achieving results led to him securing a songwriting contract with Kitty Records, which led to him creating this 2^nd solo album, Back Mirror.

While Hayashi created "Burges" to express his Beatles’ influences, “Back Mirror” was his first step into tackling a more wide arrange of music styles of  American Pop, Bossa Nova, Soft Rock, and AOR. Taking influences from artist like Bozz Scaggs, Stevie Wonder & George Harrison and Wings. While Hayashi was responsible for performing, composing and arranging the songs, Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and Kiri Kawamura (河村季里) provided the lyrics for them. The album features the return of Motoaki Masuo on guitar, as well as other notable session musicians like Sadistic Mika Band bassist Ray Ohara, jazz guitarist Kenji Omura, and percussionist Nobu Saito. for the backing vocals, we have another long time friend and fellow singer-songwriter, Junko Ohashi, as well as Takuya Takahashi, an up and coming artist who's debut album Hayashi would produce two years later. 

“Back Mirror” was released in 1977, and though it wasn’t a commercial success, it received a lot of artistic praise, and after an encounter with Canadian songwriter, David Foster, Hayashi would continue to refine his AOR sound with the 1980 album, "Summer Wine". 

 

THE MUSIC

1. Marci I: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. A short, calm introduction piece played on the mellotron.
2. Rainy Saturday & Coffee Break: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. The opening R&B number sets the tone for the whole album. Originally heard on Junko Ohashi's album, Rainbow.
3. 夜のおわり (End of The Night): ⭐⭐⭐
1. A mid-tempo soft-rock ballad, reminiscent of the works of George Harrison. features a great melodic guitar solo.
4. 彼女の長い一日 (Her Long Day):⭐⭐⭐
A Bossa Nova inspired track with backing vocals by Junko Ohashi and singer-songwriter Tatsushi Umegaki（梅垣達志).
5. 燃えつきる日まで(Until The Burning Day):⭐⭐⭐⭐
A very Fleetwood Mac-inspired groove with its upbeat vocals, galloping rhythm, and smooth saxophone.
6. 追憶 (Remembrance): ⭐⭐⭐
A smooth ballad fit for a slow dance featuring beautiful string arrangements.
7. レター(Letter):⭐⭐⭐⭐
The fastest pace song on the album, the dramatic string arrangement and funky clavinet playing, almost make it sound like it belongs in a '70s blockbuster.
8. 年老いた水夫のバラード(Old Sailors Ballad): ⭐⭐⭐
A calm, Carpenters-style middle-of-the-road ballad.
9. 金色のライオン(Golden Lion): ⭐⭐
1. Another soulful easy listening tune

1. 鳥の背に飛びのれたら(If You Fly On the Back of A Bird):⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. A soft emotional ballad with lush piano and strings.
2. Marci II: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. A traditional piano rendition of the opening track.

THE VERDICT

Production ⭐⭐⭐⭐  

Vocals⭐⭐⭐

Arrangement⭐⭐⭐

Aesthetic⭐⭐⭐⭐

Memorability ⭐⭐⭐

Composition⭐⭐⭐

Back Mirror is an album where you can hear the influences which would go on to define his music composing career. The soft opening and ending interludes are very similar to the intro in Momoko Kikuchi's Adventure. The smooth soft rock style that would later define the Omega Tribe sound. Back Mirror also marks the beginning of Hayashi's style of rich balladry, with songs like Old Sailor's Ballad and If You Fly On the Back of A Bird.  

Back Mirror maintains a constant mellow tone throughout the album, shifting between the perfect backdrop to a chill weekend stuck at home and an afternoon drive down the freeway. The only song that somewhat breaks the tone is Letter, while lyrically it fits the theme of the album, the composition sounds like something from a 70s cops & robbers TV show.

Hayashi's overall vocal performance isn't anything spectacular, but it gets the job done. Appropriately enough his best singing happens to be in the opening track, Rainy Saturday & Coffe Break. His calm almost monotone performance accompanied by Junko Ohashi's backing vocals, on top of the smooth R&B arrangement makes it the best track in the album.

Overall, Back Mirror is Tetsuji Hayashi's excellent transition into the world of AOR. While Hayashi's singing may not compare against contemporaries like Yoshino Fujimaru or Tatsuro Yamashita, the excellent instrumental compositions more than makeup for it. That being said, certain songs are definitely more memorable than others, as certain songs don't stand out much individually, however, if your listening to the whole album front to back, you shouldn't have any problems enjoying it. While the album as a whole is above average, Back Mirror is a cool, relaxing record with plenty of underrated City Pop classics.