Shota Shimizu - Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni (Before The End Of Winter)
1) Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni (Before The End Of Winter)
2) When You Cry
3) Kimi ga Kurasu Machi -Jazzin'park Winter Remix-
4) Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni (Before The End Of Winter) -instrumental-
Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni (Before The End Of Winter) is Shota Shimizu's 11th single & this was released last week on 21st Dec .
Shota's new single was released about 2 months + since his previous single Mada Owaranai (It's Not Over Yet) & it has been described to be a winter love song .
Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni is described as a sparkly love song which's perfect in conveying the feelings of a person who can't see their loved one .
This's Shota's 1st solo winter no. & I'm really glad that he delivered such a simple heartfelt no. & immediately when Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni hits , it has the words winter & ballad stamped all over the place .
I don't think it's fair to compare Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni against Mada Owaranai since they're both different in terms of the style & sound but Shota never fails to disappoint when comes to his ballads & Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni is no exception .
There're 2 B-sides in the single , the 1st one is something titled When You Cry .
When You Cry is a nice mid tempo piano tune that compliments well against Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni . Compared to the A-side which's rather sad sounding , there's somewhat of a positive vibe that When You Cry presented .
Kimi ga Kurasu Machi (The Town You Live In) is Shota's 7th single & in here , Kimi ga Kurasu Machi has been given a Jazzin'park Winter Remix prior to conclusion of Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni .
I never really like Kimi ga Kurasu Machi as I find it a bit depressing sounding for my liking but surprisingly , the Jazzin'park Winter Remix of the song is something I like on 1st listen .
In here , Kimi ga Kurasu Machi has been transformed & given a winter touch which makes the song sound a lot more lighthearted & cheery sounding , giving the original take pretty much a run for its own $ .
Shota Shimizu wraps up a pretty fruitful year with this single Fuyu ga Owaru Maeni . After releasing his 3rd album COLOURS which was a very enjoyable & fantastic offering , he followed up with 4 more singles , inclusive of his 3rd duet collaboration with Miliyah Kato ie. BELIEVE .
To me , it's great to see Shota progress/mature as a musician/singer songwriter as each release of his goes by . He wasn't good initally but in due time , the transition/maturity Shota displayed in his music speaks otherwise .
His 12th single title tbc is rumoured to get released in Jan 2012 , followed by his 4th album in Feb 2012 .
