Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Yoko Shibata -- Mr. Lonesome



I found this one purely by accident as I was going through YouTube. "Mr. Lonesome" just sounded like a very pleasant tune by the full-bodied voice of Yoko Shibata(柴田容子). In a way, she reminds me of Junko Yagami (although she took on a more Latin vibe) who started appearing at around the same time. In fact, according to J-Wiki, both Shibata and Yagami(八神純子)appeared together in 1974 at the Yamaha-sponsored "Sekai Kayo Sai"(世界歌謡蔡...World Popular Song Festival). Shibata entered the festival with what would become her debut single, "San-gatsu Mikka no Kanashimi"3月3日の悲しみ...March 3rd Sadness). The following year, she would enter the festival again with Yagami and Miyuki Nakajima(中島みゆき). This time, Shibata picked up a couple of awards.

Strangely enough, though, during this early phase in her career, she would only record three singles, with "Mr. Lonesome" being the middle single released in January 1976. As for "Mr. Lonesome", I can also add that the song has that laid back West Coast feeling....something that Mariya Takeuchi(竹内まりや) would have sung. I'd probably like listening to this while looking at a sunset, although I admit I must sound pretty corny saying something like that. But it's always been fascinating for me and admirable of singers like Shibata, Yagami and Yuming(ユーミン) to tackle a third way that was neither enka nor aidoru.

Her lone album, "Tomari Ki"とまり木....The Perch), was released in February 1978. Afterwards, she went into songwriting for other singers, including Yagami and Mai Yamane(山根麻衣), and also went into a career as a radio personality.


In the mid-80s, she picked up the microphone again. But this time, she went under the name Rie Ueda(上田梨詠) to become a jazz singer. The above is her rendition of the classic "Summertime". Then in 1999, she started giving live performances again under her original name and a couple of years later, she created a group called Sang Teng Sho(三天翔) which involved musical collaborations with artists from other countries such as China. It culminated into a 2004 album titled "Furusato wa Asia"ふるさとはアジア....Asia Our Home).



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