WHO ARE YOU?

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Released in September 1980, WHO ARE YOU? is Miki Matsubara’s second album and a deliberate expansion beyond the sound of her debut POCKET PARK. The writing and arranging team became broader, adding Masataka Matsutoya, Shigeru Suzuki, Mari Sugi, Takeshi Sato, and others alongside Tetsuji Hayashi and Tokuko Miura. The session personnel were equally strong, with guitarists Tsuyoshi Kon, Shigeru Suzuki, Masaki Matsubara, and Chuei Yoshikawa joined by players such as Tatsuo Hayashi, Jun Aoyama, Tsugutoshi Goto, and Kenji Takamizu. That range is audible in the album’s variety. “Aitsu no Brown Shoes” and “Kimagure Usagi” lean toward bright, old-fashioned pop craftsmanship, while “Jazzy Night” brings sharper rhythm and brass into the picture. Matsubara also appears as a songwriter and keyboard player, showing a more personal side than on her debut. What unifies the album is her vocal presence: warm, slightly smoky, and rhythmically precise enough to move easily between soft pop, funkier material, and more playful arrangements. WHO ARE YOU? captures an artist rapidly widening her musical vocabulary after an unusually successful debut.