Having passed NHK’s light music audition in 1968, she made her debut as a singer. She then joined the GS group The White Kicks, formed around Keitaro Miho and Akira Terao, as a vocalist, later working as a backing and featured singer with Masayoshi Takanaka and Sadistics. She eventually changed her stage name to Harumi Ozora and became well known for her vocal contributions to Naoya Matsuoka’s works. A highly skilled singer, Tantan released her third album in 1978, Trying to Get to You. The project seems to have been conceived with the idea of letting a female singer perform the then-burgeoning Adult Oriented Rock (AOR) style, and she was the one chosen for the role. With heavyweight songwriter/producer David Wolfert at the helm, the sessions featured top LA musicians such as Steve Lukather (guitar), Ed Greene (drums), Lenny Castro (percussion), and Jai Winding (keys). The album was recorded locally in the US with all-English lyrics. Not only does her singing hold its own against these first-class musicians, but the impeccable, connoisseur-level song selection also raises this record to the status of a highly regarded City Pop–AOR masterpiece. The opening track “Daybreak”—a ballad that showcased Cheryl Lynn’s tremendous vocal range and power—becomes a refreshingly unpretentious, down-to-earth cover in her hands. Next comes “You Stepped Into My Life”, a Bee Gees disco classic also covered by Melba Moore, which she delivers so naturally it almost feels like it was hers from the beginning. Track A3, “Better Days” (written by Carole Bayer Sager and recorded by Melissa Manchester), keeps fairly close to the original arrangement, but once you’ve heard her uniquely intense, idiosyncratic vocal—like a slightly more dramatic Yasuko Agawa—it’s hard to go back to the original (at least for me). The mellow yet groovy “Bring Me Your Broken Heart” is another standout, while her take on Karla Bonoff’s “Isn’t It Always Love” (later covered by Mariya Takeuchi on University Street) is excellent. The title track by Eugene Record even surpasses the original, arguably becoming a true world standard. The tracklist flows beautifully, and her individuality elevates the album beyond the confines of its concept into a fully realized AOR classic—a true masterpiece.
1968年にNHKの軽音楽オーディションで合格し歌手デビュー。三保敬太郎や
寺尾聰を中心に結成されGSグループ、ザ・ホワイト・キックスにヴォーカリストとして加入し、
高中正義や
サディスティックス等でバック・コーラスやフューチャリング・シンガーとして活動。その後大空はるみと名義を変え
松岡直也作品へのヴォーカル参加でも知られる実力派シンガー、タンタンの通算3枚目となる78年リリース作「トライング・トゥ・ゲット・トゥ・ユウ」
当時ムーブメントとして盛り上がっていた アダルト・オリエンテッド・ロックを女性に歌わせようと企画されたようで、白羽の矢が立ったのが彼女。ソングライターでプロデューサーの大物デヴィッド・ウォルファートをプロデューサーに迎え、スティーブ・ルカサー(g)やエド・グリーン(ds)、レニー・カストロ(perc)、ジェイ・ウィンディング(key)等LAのセッション・ミュージシャンを招集し、全編英詩で現地録音された本作。
本場の腕利きミュージシャンにも気後れしない彼女の歌唱はもちろんのこと、通も唸らせる選曲の渋さも相まってCITY POP～AOR名盤として評価の高い作品で、冒頭「Daybreak」は
シェリル・リンの歌唱力と声域の広さがいかんなく発揮されたバラードですが、気負わない等身大のカヴァーが早速素晴らしい。からの
メルバ・ムーアverでも知られたビージーズのダンクラ・チューン「You Stepped Into My Life」も彼女がオリジナルなんじゃないかってくらいナチュラルで好印象。A3のキャロル・ベイヤー・セイガー作
Melissa Manchester「Better Days」は楽曲アレンジは比較的本家に忠実ですが、泰子姐さんをややこじらせたようなw癖強めの彼女のヴォーカルを一度聴けばもうオリジナルには戻れません(個人的に)。メロウながらグルーヴィーな演奏も素晴らしいA4「Bring Me Your Broken Heart」,
竹内まりやも「ユニヴァーシティー・ストリート」で取り上げたカーラ・ボノフ「Isn't It Always Love」, ユージン・レコードのタイトル曲に至ってはオリジナル越えと言っても差し支えないワールド・スタンダード。
楽曲構成も素晴らしく、彼女の個性が企画以上にAOR作品として昇華した正しく名盤でス！
Tan Tan – Trying To Get To You '78 invitationA1.
DaybreakA2.
You Stepped Into My LifeA3.
Better DaysA4.
Bring Me Your Broken HeartA5.
Poor Side Of TownB1.
Isn't It Always LoveB2.
Trying To Get To YouB3.
Let The Morning ComeB4. Don't Ever Say Goodbye
B5.
I'm Gonna Love YouCredit;
Arranged By [Horns] – Tom Saviano
Arranged By [Rhythm] – Tom Saviano (A2, A4 to B5)
Arranged By [Strings] – Barry Fasman (A1 to A4, B1 to B5)
Art Direction – Ryu Inishie
Backing Vocals – Diana Lee, Melissa Mackay, Myrna Matthews
Bass – Cooker Lopreste
Conductor – Barry Fasman
Contractor – Frank De Caro
Design – Front Pub.
Drums – Ed Green
Engineer – John Mills
Executive-Producer – Gary Klein
Guitar – David Wolfert, Steve Lukather
Keyboards – Jai Winding
Percussion – Lenny Castro
Photography By – Jin Isshiki
Producer – David Wolfert
Saxophone – David Luell, Mike Carnahan, Tom Saviano
Trombone – Dick "Slyde" Hyde
Trumpet – Steve Madaio
