Little (CD+DVD) DVD Region All

Little starts off with a trio of ballads by the star songwriting team. The opener "Papilionidae" (Track 1) - that's a type of butterfly, by the way - is the better of the two Dennie Wong contributions and sets a light tone for the album. It's easy on the ears, and would be a Karaoke favorite if it's ever plugged as a single, which is probably the EEG standard on pop songs. The real surprise of the three ballads is Jay Chou's contribution, the title track "Little" (Track 2). Deviating from his usual R&B/rock ballad style, Chou has penned a darker and slower ballad reminiscent of classic 90s Chinese pop. Vincent Fang's melancholic lyrics, about the remains of young love in one's heart, fail to effectively convey Chou's tragic melody, but Fang's writing tells its story well enough to excuse its shortcomings. Lastly, the much-touted first Zhang Yadong song for Joey, "At Your Side" (Track 3), plays like a solid Taiwanese pop ballad that would naturally be a hit in Chinese-speaking markets. Its only disappointment only comes from the knowledge that Faye Wong's favorite producer has written far better songs. Still, Cheung deserves credit for writing a ballad tailored for both Joey and her fans instead of his own tastes, which is the mark of an exceptional producer.

Usually, this is where the album should start getting interesting with fast songs, especially because it's usually the more solid aspects of Joey Yung albums. While there are fast songs, the most disappointing part about Little is the lack of good ones - "How To Run" (Track 4), also produced by Cheung Ya Nai, is too redundant and too similar to Miki Nakashima's "Black and Blue" to be anything more than a side track that picks up the pace, while "Arabian Nights" (Track 8) is the usual R&B dance track that features fun vocals by Joey, but fails to be a memorable side track.

However, it's not inaccurate to say that Little becomes a lot more interesting in the middle section. "Milk" (Track 5), produced by frequent Joey collaborator Shu Man, stands out from the other ballads simply because of the minimalist lounge music-like arrangement that makes it sound unique. This is followed by the best song of the album, "No Matter" (Track 6). As what can be called the mandatory "sexy track", "No Matter" is not exactly sexy in its lyrics or its arrangement. Rather, it's Joey's use of her seductive side that makes "No Matter" a refreshing track that stands out against the mediocre melody.

On the other hand, Zhang Yadong's "At Your Side" is only the first in a string of disappointing contributions from the high-profile songwriters - Dennie Wong's second contribution to the album, "The Moment the Flower Blooms" (Track 7), should have been arranged as a waltz for tango, but instead sounds like an overblown theme song for a nature program. Even one of Hong Kong's best rock producers Kubert Leung only ended up writing and producing the soft ballad "Indirect Harm" (Track 9), which unfortunately plays like a filler. It's almost like these songwriters all got a memo on what type of song to write for the album.

Even in fillers, the star of Little is no doubt Joey Yung. Say what you will about her song choices, but her vocal is consistently the best part of her songs, regardless of the quality of their melodies or arrangements. Joey's voice has grown increasingly mature over the years, helping her becoming more flexible in other genres. Even the final track, Jie Yu Hua (Track 10), a cover of a theme song for a Korean drama, goes beyond its trappings as a cover song thanks to her vocals. With her overwhelming popularity in the karaoke-pop friendly genre driving the direction of Little, her impeccable vocal skills really lifts the album from total mediocrity. In fact, the album probably delivers the best it can in terms of expectations as a compilation of new songs. But I just can't help but continue to hold out for something better next year.

by Kevin Ma