A Time For Us (CD+DVD) + Love Joey Love 4 (New + Best Selection) (Version 2) (Normal Packing) DVD Region All

Like Joey's 2007 album Glow, A Time for Us comprises of ten tracks from nine different composers and six different producers. As a result, the album doesn't really have a unified sound or a coherent musical structure of any kind. Instead, it relies highly on the quality of the individual tracks and as always, Joey's vocal talent. However, with ballads dominating record label honchos Ng Yu and Mani Fok's song choices, Joey really doesn't have much of an opportunity to stretch her vocals here.

Then again, ballads shouldn't be dismissed simply on the basis of a lack of challenging vocals, with Eric Kwok's "Circular Lie" (Track 8) being a good example of that. A musical continuation of the Kwok-penned 2007 hit "A Gorgeous Encounter", Circular Lie again uses a pleasant-sounding melody to tell a sad love story. Unlike Wyman Wong's optimistic lyrics on "Encounter", Lin Xi's lyrics on "Circular" are considerably darker and almost ironically pessimistic when put against the musical elements. Musically, Eric Kwok's arrangement (featuring the talented Jun Kung on drums) feels abundant without becoming bombastic in its pleasant nature. This is a rare track where the musical aspect of a Joey song overshadows her vocals, and the way it goes about that is certainly an enjoyable surprise.

Another ballad that lacks vocal challenge but is far less successful than "Circular Lie" is Christopher Chak's "In Search of the Deities" (Track 3), a confused ballad that features a mediocre East-meets-West style melody that could've easily gone to a Jay Chou imitator at Joey's record label. Instead, Joey and a large strings ensemble are wasted on producer Alvin Leong and arranger Chan Pak's hum-drum arrangement, which doesn't even begin to fully utilize what they have to work with. The catchy composition will easily make it a Karaoke and radio hit, but "In Search of the Deities" is musically one of Joey's weakest radio plugs in years.

As usual, A Time for Us truly gets interesting when it begins to shed its pop restraints, and the first sign of that comes from the mid-beat rock song It Doesn't Matter (Track 4). A cover of Shining Star by Australian singer Abby Dobson, the style of the song provides a way for Joey to liberate herself in her performance, and she does so within the realm of her vocal ability. However, when compared to the original, one quickly realizes that Joey is just naturally not suitable for the rock genre, which makes It Doesn't Matter a valiant failure that's nevertheless worth recognizing.

A non-pop genre more suitable for Joey is bossa nova, as proven by the Latin ballad "Flower City" (Track 6). Kenix Cheang's composition and accompanying arrangement provide plenty of potential for Joey to vocally show her sex appeal. Even though the chorus is a little weak both in composition and bass-heavy arrangement, "Flower City" is a smooth genre diversion for Joey that makes Latin music fans wish that Joey would do a full Latin album.

The genre that proves to be the most disappointing on A Time for Us is the usually reliable dance genre. Both of the album's two dance songs - "The Two, Three Things That I Know" (Track 2) and "Open Happiness" (Track 7) - are commercial theme songs for major international brands, and they certainly fulfill their need to have short, catchy hooks and a pleasant tone. However, without the sufficient energy to stimulate the senses, neither song engages the way dance songs ought to, further weakening the pace of the album.

Like most Cantopop albums, A Time for Us is a mishmash of genres that naturally is also a mixed bag in terms of quality. Even though Joey's vocals - her biggest strength - is considerably weaker this time around because of the lack of challenging composition, the album's pleasant nature and entertaining pace are strong enough to compensate for that major weakness. Like most Cantopop albums, the parts of A Time for Us are ultimately greater than their sum, and that's certainly enough to make it worth a listen.

Recommended Tracks: "Can Sing Can Cry" (Track 1), It Doesn't Matter (Track 4), "Hard to Prevent Thieves of the Heart" (Track 5), "Flower City" (Track 6), "Circular Lies" (Track 8)

by Kevin Ma