Admit It (New Version) (CD+ Live DVD) DVD Region All

Perhaps it's fairer to look at the new tracks first. Admit It contains two new Mandarin tracks and one bonus Cantonese track for the Hong Kong market only. The most notable of the three is Ousted (Track 2), written by Jay Chou specifically for Eason. While Jay's first effort for Eason, Sweetheart on the 2001 album It's Me, was a light R&B track, Ousted is more of a traditional karaoke-friendly ballad. As usual, Eason gives a superb delivery of the song, but the style of Ousted is so distinctly Jay Chou that I would rather hear Jay sing it himself. I myself prefer Happy Schoolboy (Track 3), written and produced by album co-producer C.Y. Kong. A mid-beat rock track, Eason sounds far more comfortable in this style, where the rhythm allows him more free rein in delivery. Lastly, bonus Cantonese track Man on the Moon (Track 11) is a theme song for a Hong Kong radio drama. Written by DJ So Yiu-Chong and arranged by Ivana Wong, the pleasant ballad is serviceable for all its intents and purposes, but it's too mild to do anything beyond that.

They're not exactly new, but several tracks from What's Going On have been rearranged for Admit It, toning down the Brit-rock atmosphere of the album. For instance, Deeply Hurt from What's Going On has changed from a fun punk rock romp to the breezy mid-beat Love is a Book (Track 8). The arrangement change is not a simple gimmick; though both songs feature lyrics about the fallout from a break-up, the carefree punk spirit of Deeply Hurt turns melancholy and contemplative in Love is a Book. While Deeply Hurt is more fun with a punk-style melody in mind, Love is a Book fits better musically in the context of the album, creating a smoother transition from the minimally produced Long Time No See.

On the other hand, a few tracks simply see new lyrics with the original arrangements used in What's Going On. The middle 4-track section, which I previously called Eason's best work since his Capital Artist days, is carried here with the same arrangement and almost the same lyricists. Since this section is pretty much the same musically with matching lyrics to their Cantonese counterparts, Long Time No See remains the best track in the section thanks to its simple yet elegant arrangement. Meanwhile, Vincent Fang Wen Shan's new set of lyrics for The Scent of Smoke, the Mandarin cover of Don't We All Love Dresses, tells an entirely different story from the Cantonese version. The new lyrics effectively evoke the imagery of floating smoke by leaving spaces, not fitting a word into every single musical note. This method allows Eason to get creative with his vocals, letting The Scent of Smoke stand on its own.

The biggest surprise in this album is The First Yuppie (Track 9). In Cantonese, The First Yuppie was The Last Hippie, a rock track in the vein of 70s rock that didn't quite work as it veered towards modern pop rock. The First Yuppie lyrically follows its Cantonese counterpart with the story of a man picking up the yuppie life, as opposed to seeing himself as the remnant of hippie life. To fit with the lyrics, the entire track is retooled from loud upbeat rock to big band swing, which rock producer Kubert Leung surprisingly adapts well to. Eason, as expected, shows great flexibility in his vocals by singing swing with surprising skills. The melody is so fitting that one wouldn't know it was originally a rock song.

In the end, it's hard to judge Admit It as a separate album when it feels like a continuation of What's Going On. Calling it an alternate version would be unfair because while Admit It works by itself, the production team and the lyricists make a conscious attempt to reward listeners by adding to the themes explored in What's Going On. Perhaps that is the biggest compliment one can offer Admit It - it enhances the What's Going On experience significantly, but it's also equally good as an individual album. As Eason Chan writes in the booklet, "Recording an album is not easy. To rearrange the same melody with a different feeling and singing them again is even tougher." Good thing that Admit It succeeds.

by Kevin Ma