Album Cut (except it’s not): Thelma Aoyama - Wasurenai Yo | Sad slow whines

I created a playlist earlier in the week as an ode to the use of harpsichords in R&B, so I figured the deep cut for this week would be a J-R&B song which also utilised harpsichords. Because when I said that the trend carried over to Japan, I was not lying. Not every song got the sound right, but some did, and Thelma Aoyama's "Wasurenai yo" is one of those songs. Even though it came long after the J-R&B boom when every producer was trying to nail the then signature She'kspere and Darkchild sounds.

"Wasurenai yo" was produced by U-Key Zone, who was producing for many women in J-R&B circa 2010. His sound for the most part was very Darkchild inspired, so his use of harpsichords is no surprise.

Filing this as an 'Album Cut' is a tad misleading, because "Wasurenai yo" was fully a single. But in the words of Namie Amuro 'I do what I want, I do what I like'.

"Wasurenai yo" was the second single Thelma's second studio album Emotions. It wasn't the huge hit I think many expected it to be, but the song did enough to keep Thelma on radars. And despite not even breaking the Oricon top 10, "Wasurenai yo" was a widely known song. Although I do recall being in a karaoke bar in Japan, somebody picking this song, and there being audible groans from everybody there. I though tmaybe this person was a local who ALWAYS chose this song, until the barmaid said 'I hate this song'. So make of that what you will. But I really the song.

Thelma's Emotions album was a decent album. It was a complete shift tonally from her Diary album and the songs that she'd garnered hits with prior, but little did we know at the time that the shift was a sign of how Thelma would operate throughout her career, as every album she has put out has had a different vibe from the last, and an image shift with it.

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🔊 Stream "Wasurenai yo": 🟢 Spotify | 🟣 Apple Music | 🔴 YouTube Music
💿 Album reviews: Diary | Emotions