Last

The presence of the two genres in the 9-track album is almost split right down the line, with five rock tracks and four ballads (with the ballads placed back-to-back in the middle). Despite being obviously targeted for the Chinese market (the album was first released digitally there), the album is mainly produced in Hong Kong and done by Hong Kong musicians. Having the biggest behind-the-scenes presence here is singer/songwriter Eric Kwok, who takes a break from his Karaoke-friendly ballads with two rock tracks and takes on producer duties for a total of five tracks. A little different from the usual Eric Kwok sound, "Sing Along" (Track 2) is a light rock song that takes a cue from The Killers and grunge. Even though the chorus features a little too much of Kwok's voice (easily one of the most recognizable among Cantopop songwriters), "Sing Along" is an energetic rock track that may just have listeners doing what the title suggests.

Kwok also brings back Tse's old rebellious bad boy image with "Leave me Alone" (Track 8), a rock track that lets Tse loose as he sings about keeping his video games on and not being treated like a child. Tse may be a little old for this kind of song these days, but Tse obviously lets loose the most here compared to the other Mandarin tracks on the album, giving the song the energy that such rock tracks need. With these two contributions, Kwok also proves to be the best team player on Last with the two best original tracks on the album.

However, the overall best song of the album is opening track Tonight (Track 1), a cover of the Korean song Tonight's the Night. The Cantonese version (Track 10) clearly edges out as the superior of the two versions, thanks to Tse's superior performance in his native language. Nevertheless, both tracks feature great energy that helps give Last a promising start, even though neither version matches the original Korean version. In addition, Soler's Gutsy (Track 9) is also an enjoyable departure for the duo as songwriters, fitting Tse's preferable rock style without being too bombastic. Overall, these tracks further prove that rock is Tse's preferred musical genre and it's by far the more successful genre of the two on the album.

As a result, the inclusion of the four ballads seems to only be done to fulfill market demands. Even though Tse is credited as co-producer on the ballads, he sounds uncomfortable throughout in his vocal performance and even his Mandarin pronunciation. This is especially the case in "Terminal Station" (Track 3), a cover of the 90s Filipino song. The wide key shifts in the composition prove to be a difficulty for Tse throughout, with him unable to find a key in which he can sing comfortably; the verse is set too low, while the chorus is set too high. As a result, the song potentially sounds as uncomfortable for listeners to listen to as it was for Tse to perform.

A cover ballad that fits Tse far batter is "After the Most Beloved" (Track 5), a cover of the hit 2000 Thai song. The composition here feels more suitable to Tse's relatively narrow vocal range, and he delivers the song proficiently with a better grip on the emotions. The power ballad "Genius without Failure" (Track 6) is also relatively strong, but like the other ballads on the album, it fails in being truly affecting, and just doesn't quite fulfill their intended emotions as well as the rock tracks do.

Tse's first album in three years simply doesn't hit anywhere near the quality of his works during the height of his career. Last is entertaining and a reminder why Tse is one of the few musicians in Hong Kong who can go between rock and pop quite flexibly. However, it lacks the musical ambitions and enthusiasm of an album like Butterfly. Without any works composed by Tse himself, Last feels like a commercial album that works as a fix for fans who have been waiting to hear Tse's voice for years, but it also feels impersonal and without the passion Tse has shown at the peak of his career. Judging from his excellent performance in the Cantonese version of Tonight, it's time for Tse to go back to his roots and remind his Hong Kong fans what they've been missing for years, even if he's getting too old for it.

Recommended Tracks: Tonight (Tracks 1 and 10), "Sing Along" (Track 2), "Genius Without Failure" (Track 6), "Leave Me Alone" (Track 8), "Gutsy" (Track 9)

by Kevin Ma