is the debut album of Japanese singer-songwriter Sachiko Kanenobu, released on September 1, 1972 by URC (Underground Record Club) Records.

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

and Pentangle were among Kanenobu's influences. The songs have been described as "capturing Kanenobu's distinct youthful innocence, her fascination with

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

, and a longing for inner peace." Released in Japan with no concerts to promote it, ''Misora'' achieved commercial success in Japan but soon slipped into obscurity. The science fiction author Philip K. Dick, a friend of Kanenobu's fiancée Paul Williams, was impressed by the album, and would later produce a single ("Fork in the Road / Tokyo Song") with Kanenobu. ''Misora'' garnered a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

in the years since its release, drawing comparisons with the work of Mitchell. It was reissued in 1995 to acclaim, and

Light in the Attic Records Light in the Attic Records is an independent record label that was established in 2002 in Seattle, Washington by Matt Sullivan. The label is known for its roster of reissue projects and for its distribution catalog. Light in the Attic has re-rel ...

also reissued the album (as part of the label's Japan Archival Series) on July 19, 2019, with English translations of the lyrics by Kanenobu.

History

Jedd Beaudoin of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

noted in an interview that Kanenobu was "considered the first woman to play guitar and sing folk music in Japan." The singer-songwriter stated, "It was still a man's world in Japan. URC nderground Record Clubfocused on songs with a big message. Anti-war, social statements. But the music was mostly by men. Many of those people are friends of mine but I was there when it started. But women were pushed to the back. I waited and waited." Other members of the URC stable, including Happy End members

Eiichi Ohtaki Eiichi Ohtaki (July 28, 1948 – December 30, 2013) was a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He first became known as a member of the rock band Happy End, but was better known for his solo work which began in 1972. ...

and

Haruomi Hosono , sometimes credited as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in Japanese pop music history, credited with shaping the sound of Japanese pop for ...

, aided in the production of the album.

Critical reception and legacy

Jesse Jarnow billed ''Misora'' as "stunning". In 2019, Adriane Pontecorvo of

gave the album eight out of 10 stars and wrote, "She paints romantic portraits of nature, taps into wells of human emotion, and often ties the two together in beautiful ways." Pontecorvo praised "Falcon and I" as having "catchy verses joined together by slow, psychedelic stretches of hauntingly emotive singing and strumming." The same year, Gabe Meline dubbed ''Misora'' a "Japanese folk masterpiece", and said that the album "has an emotional impact that sets it apart" from other 1970s Japanese folk music. She referred to the song "Anata Kara Toku E" as "spellbinding".

Mia Doi Todd Mia Doi Todd (born June 30, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. She was described by ''Dusted Magazine'' as "one of those artists that seem to function not just as creators in their own right, but as connecting links between other musicians." ...

covered the same song for ''Songbook'' (2016). Jedd Beaudoin reported that Jim O'Rourke and Devendra Banhart have praised "its elegance and simplicity". The writer also stated, "Imaginative, emotional and informed by a singular vision, ''Misora'' would not have been an easy album to follow in the immediate". Jonathan Frahm of PopMatters argues that Kanenobu "successfully xploresa variety of musical avenues throughout the LP. From the light psychedelia of its titular, atmospheric opening number to the slinking, electric blues of "Aoi Sakana" Blue Fish" ''Misora'' is an accessible, infectious album from start to finish". Kanenobu has stated of the album that "in Japan, about every 15 years young people discover it".

Track listing

All lyrics, music and arrangement by Sachiko Kanenobu, except where noted.

Side A

# み空/"Misora" – (4:04) # あなたから遠くへ/"Far Away from You" – (3:26) #* Arrangement:

# かげろう/"The Heat Haze" – (3:00) # 時にまかせて（アルバム・バージョン）/"Leave It to Time (Album Version)" – (2:56) #* Arrangement: Haruomi Hosono # 空はふきげん/"Moody Sky" – (2:57) #* Composer:

# おまえのほしいのは何/"What Do You Really Want" – (2:44)

Side B

# 青い魚/"Blue Fish" – (2:58) #* Arrangement: Haruomi Hosono # 雪が降れば（ようこさんにささげる）/"I Wish It Would Snow" – (4:00) # 道行き/"Running Away on a Road of Snow" – (2:57) # はやぶさと私/"Falcon and I" – (8:00) # 春一番の風は激しく/"The First Strong Winds of Spring" – (2:45) #* Lyrics: Akiko Fujiwara

References

{{Authority control 1972 albums Folk albums by Japanese artists