About

Takako Mamiya's only album released in 1982, this LP is a classic and a city pop collector’s rite of passage. Mamiya's vocals sit atop a blend of horns, bass, keyboards, delivering a laid back funkiness that exemplifies the city pop sound. Everyone who knows City Pop are absolutely aware of this record. It’s an illustrious example of Japanese jazz pop fusion that has a very late night vibe to it, and Takako’s voice adds a very husky, sultry creme on top of it that would make anyone swoon. Classics like "Chinese Restaurant", "Midnight Joke" and "Love Trip" may be more familiar, but this LP is stacked with laidback jazzy AOR tracks front to back. The album's opening title - "Love Trip" is a smooth jazz number that sets the mood and flow for the entire album with its rooftop bar at sunset vibe.

Love Trip is a melancholy tour through various midnight emotions and romantic moods that weigh on heartbreak, loneliness, and saying goodbye. Its themes are unanimously shades of subtle grief throughout its entirety. Packed with jazzy chords, soft synths, and beautiful progressions. If your a big fan of smooth jazz and easy listening, this album is the right pick for you. A good soundtrack for when your driving at night or just up late at night for whatever reason. — (via Van Paugam)

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Label: Kitty Records, Universal Music
Series: City Pop On Vinyl 2024
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Japan
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 1982
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: City Pop, Jazz-Funk, Soul, Kayōkyoku, Vocals

File under: Japanese Pop
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