Shimatani Hitomi - Otoko uta~cover song collection~

In December 2007, pop singer Shimatani Hitomi made her fans happy with a very special cover album. Otoko uta~cover song collection~ features twelve songs which were all originally sung by men.

The collection starts with the bright, contemplative and emotional ballad Kanashima ni sayonara, where there is also a wonderful saxophone solo. It casts a feeling of Christmas into the living room. This is followed by the slow and calm ballad Koishikute, with its certain nostalgic touch. Rainy Blue, an enchanting love song, leads us into a mild summer night full of feelings, and within the gentle track Hitomi's sensitive vocals mesh beautifully with the piano and the other acoustic instruments. ESCAPE is the only fast and energetic song on the CD, but musically more jazz than pop. The track draws attention to its swinging double bass. Unfortunately, Hitomi’s voice doesn’t really fit to this musical genre, and many may dislike the old-fashioned charm of this song. More captivating are the swinging and mysterious Candy and the church-themed Tsuki no urade aimashou.

Fujii Fumiya’s emotional Another Orion became more classic with the addition of a harp and playful classic instruments such as horns, flutes, bassoon and strings. Hitomi’s interpretation is no less sensitive or captivating. Subsequent to it is the yearning love ballad Hatsukoi, where you can listen to a brilliant singer, a rising pace and a groovy bass line. But there is also a song full of hope with a dramatic and sad start found in Otoko uta. Next to One more time,One more chance is the happy, life-affirming and light Shiawase na ketsumatsu and its nice flute melody. Another calm and emotional track, but this time with the sound of water drops, a slightly Japanese melody and soft percussion is Oda Kazumasa’s Kotoba ni dekinai.

With the DVD version, you can enjoy all the songs on the CD once again as music videos.

Shimatani Hitomi’s interpretations of the old classics aren’t made for disco, though due to the masterly use of piano, strings and percussion, all of these songs were brought to life in a very impressive way. The album offers an hour of calm. You’re not going to find many fast and catchy tracks here, but therefore the classic loving heart and all fans of emotional ballads will find songs to their liking.