About Tatsuro Yamashita's New Album
Tatsuro Yamashita will release his first original album in 11 years, "SOFTLY", on June 22nd!
For me, rather than feeling like it's been a while, I'm more struck by the thought, "Wait, has it really been 11 years since the last one ('Ray Of Hope')?!"
It really has been that long, sigh...
Perhaps due to the surge in popularity of "city pop" overseas, I feel like this album is getting more attention than the last one—or is that just me?
But thanks to that, I'm happy to see he's scheduled to appear in various media.
There's a packed schedule of special programs, including "Kanjam" on the 19th, "Tatsuro Yamashita's All Night Nippon GOLD" on the 21st, the "TOKYO FM Release Commemorative One-Day Special" on the release day of the 22nd, and "NHK-FM Today is a Day of 'Tatsuro Yamashita' Zanmai 2022" on the 25th.
It's also being featured in magazines, and I especially liked the feature in the recently released "BRUTUS"!
It includes interviews with Taeko Onuki and Haruomi Hosono, which makes for interesting reading, and the supplementary features like the "Complete Works List" are also very welcome!
There is a Kindle version, but since it includes lists and booklet-like pages, I recommend buying the "magazine" version!
Now, with his own "SPARKLE" and the Mariya Takeuchi song he produced, "Plastic Love", becoming globally popular, Tatsuro Yamashita is considered the "most important figure in city pop," but someone on a program once called him the "final boss" of city pop.
I thought that was a clever way to put it, and the jacket for the upcoming "SOFTLY" release also has a final boss-like quality, or rather, a sense of dignity to it. Yeah, definitely.
It's actually a "portrait"!
In recent years, the "Tatsuro-kun" character designed by Miki Tori has been active, but this time, it's a straight-up portrait!
This portrait is the work of "Mari Yamazaki", known for "Thermae Romae".
Wow, it's a jacket style we haven't seen before, so it feels quite fresh.
<Tracklist>
Phoenix [2021 Version] - Theme song for the NHK SDGs campaign "17 Actions for the Future" -
LOVE'S ON FIRE
Mirai no Theme - Opening theme for the movie "Mirai" -
RECIPE - Theme song for the TBS Sunday Theater drama "Grand Maison Tokyo" -
CHEER UP! THE SUMMER - Theme song for the Fuji TV Thursday 22:00 drama series "Eigyo Bucho Kira Natsuko" -
Human-Powered Airplane
Song of the Train - Ending theme for the movie 'Mirai'
SHINING FROM THE INSIDE - Aesthetic TBC/Socié Aesthetic TV-CM song
LEHUA, MY LOVE - 'JAL HAWAII Style yourself' CM song
OPPRESSION BLUES
Composition - Theme song for NHK Drama 10 'Second Movement'
YOU
ANGEL OF THE LIGHT - Nikon corporate CM song
Requiem for Light and You - Theme song for the movie 'Girl in the Sunny Place'
REBORN - Theme song for the movie 'Miracles of the Namiya General Store'
(Contains 15 tracks in total)
There are so few songs on the tracklist without tie-ins...
But they might get used soon, haha.
It's an album with many songs I already know, but I'm really looking forward to hearing how it resonates as a complete album!
"OPPRESSION BLUES"
This is one of the songs without a tie-in, but it has been released as a lyric video in various languages.
I pray that this song reaches the whole world!
"LOVE'S ON FIRE"
♩