Minako Yoshida – Flapper

Minako Yoshida has one of the strongest soul voices in Japanese pop, and this 1976 album, with contributions from Haruomi Hosono and Eiichi Ohtaki, is a key early record of the scene. It moves between funk, soul and ballads, and her voice keeps it unified. Yume de Aetara, written by Ohtaki, is the track to start with. Choose it for city pop's soulful, pre-1980s beginnings.