Getting Real New + Best Selection (2CD)

Previously released as a digital single, "Leaving Yesterday" (Track 1) is an earthy and upbeat guitar-driven number, somewhere between folk and pop, that can appeal to more than F4 fans. The strongest of the new tracks, the song makes for an easy and comfortable listen. The next track "Question Mark?" (Track 2) opens with a promisingly moody guitar intro, then transitions suddenly into a tender ballad with a strong chorus. Curiously enough, the song's lyrics are by Queen Wei from One Million Star: Season 2. Staying on the quiet and moving path, piano ballad "Wrong Path" (Track 3) is a fairly tempered offering from hit songwriter Huang Ya Jun, better known for her pop-friendly confections for Angela Chang, Claire Kuo, Christine Fan, and Hey Girl. Though the song feels a bit sedate at first, it builds up nicely to the expressive chorus, and Ken conveys the subtle emotional shifts of the song well. His performance in "Good Mood" (Track 4), however, is too staid for the formless melody and free-flow rhythm of the Mavis Fan-composed song. The greatest weakness here though lies in the arrangement which tries to be jazzy, but ends up flat.

Despite being written and composed by the great David Huang, the easy-listening English-language guitar number Rain (Track 5) is a fairly unremarkable number, listenable but forgettable, and the cheesy lyrics don't help. For a better English song from Ken, stick with his beautiful acoustic ballad Inside of My Guitar (Disc 2 - Track 4), an insert song from Love Storm. The "Now" disc ends with a new version of "Love Non-Stop" (Track 6) from the Wish to See You Again OST and Waiting For You. Dressed with a lighter and more upbeat arrangement, "Love Non-Stop" actually sounds quite different from the original, turning the emotional ballad into a relaxed mid-tempo number.

Though this is only Ken's second album, he has quite a few solo songs scattered in F4 albums and idol drama soundtracks, and they were often the highlights of the releases. Now you can get them all - like Here We Are, "Love Won't Keep Waiting For You", and "Clear Day" - in Getting Real, plus all the songs from On Ken's Time (minus the Cantonese "100th Day of Breakup" only included in the Hong Kong release). For people who don't have Ken's first album or the F4 and soundtrack releases, Getting Real is definitely a great deal as you're essentially getting over two albums for the price of one. Even if you do have the previous albums and soundtracks (like me), having all the songs in one place is still a nice bonus.