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Heart Station (Japan Version)
Utada Hikaru
Before reviewing Hikaru Utada's 5th Japanese album Heart Station, I should first admit that I've been her fan for 10 years and counting. Her R&B single Automatic was my first introduction to the young musical wunderkind. At a time when I had not heard much Japanese music, a Japanese-American musician, nearly the same age as myself, mixing fluent English with self-written Japanese lyrics appealed to me like no other artist in the world could. Many things have changed in these 9 years. For example, she became one of the richest musicians in her home country, while I didn't. Or under things more relevant to this review, Hikki has come to grow beyond her early status as a strictly R&B/pop artist... [read more]
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Single Best (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
Shibasaki Kou
Fans of Kou Shibasaki the actress may be surprised to find out that the accomplished actress is also a moderately successful pop singer in Japan. Over the last six years, she has released 15 singles, with all of them now featured on her first compilation album Single Best. Fans who don't know about Kou's parallel career as a pop star will enjoy the novelty of hearing one of Japan's best young actresses sing, and fans that have followed her singing career for the past six years now have a chance to collect all the singles they didn't buy. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved. The compilation starts off with Kiss Shite (Track 1), her latest single under the name KOH+, which is the... [read more]
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Feng Sheng Shui Qi (AVCD) (Version 2)
Fama
At one point in their third full-length album, Fama raps "You say Hong Kong has no music, only entertainment. But music is entertainment, so why divide them?" That certainly would partly indicate the duo's approach to hip-hop, despite the fact that any music without melody and lyrics about love can be considered "non-commercial" in Hong Kong. Feng Sheng Shui Qi is Fama's most topical album yet, a fact that would be ironic had they not blend current events with plenty of wit and stylish production to boot. It may also be their most popular album, as this is the year where they not only dethroned the Twins as Best Group at the CRHK Awards, but was also voted Favorite Group at the same award... [read more]
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Jan Lam 2008 New Album (CD+DVD) (Limited Edition)
Jan Lamb
Jan Lam has gone from half of possibly the most successful pop duo to come out of radio to one of Hong Kong's most popular stage performers all on his own. Since 2005, his solo stage shows have packed Hong Kong performance arenas. That also includes his latest show, which marks his first solo show at the legendary Hong Kong Coliseum. Released concurrently is his 7th solo album, 30mething QK. As always, Jan compensates for his lack of strong vocals with exceptional production values. Unlike his past albums, which included one producer in charge of a bulk of the music, Jan works with a different producer for nearly every track on the album. This means the album features a whopping 13 producers... [read more]
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Fakin' Pop (Japan Version)
Hirai Ken
For a Japanese pop stars, the best ways to get their music to the widest audience possible is to find advertisers to feature them on their latest ads or producers to use them as theme songs. 12 out of the 13 songs on Ken Hirai's latest album fakin' pop are such songs, proving the level of popularity the R&B star has reached after 13 years in the music business. With 11 songs written by Hirai himself, who also serves as the producer of the album, he's showing how an artist can make commercially-appealing music on his own terms. However, those looking for the adult-oriented R&B music that gave him his early successes will find that fakin' pop is a actually a real pop album filled with cheery... [read more]
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Locks (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
GARNET CROW
The advantage of staying strictly a pop band is that the pop label allows artists to try out various genres without restrictions. After all, the word "pop" doesn't carry any distinct musical trait, other than the fact that it's easy to listen and remember (hence "pop" for "popular"). Garnet Crow is one of those bands that embody the flexibility of pop music. In their 6th studio album Locks, they manage to cover rock, bubble gum pop, and ballad (the three favorite genres used in contemporary J-pop). At a time when pop artists tend to simply adopt the genres that sell, Garnet Crow continues to excel within the style they know best, evoking a sense of nostalgia for 90s J-pop. Garnet Crow has a... [read more]
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Dove (Commemorate Edition) (CD+DVD)
Aska Yang
If we have to count Taiwan's most buzzworthy stars last year, other than usual suspects Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai, the obvious candidate would have to be the Million Star Gang. And out of the Million Star Gang, the most popular would have to be Aska Yang, who withdrew from competition halfway but ended up with the most media and buzz. After going through contract disputes and other problems, Aska Yang recently made the decision to join Warner, and quickly released his 11-track debut album Dove, officially realizing his dream of becoming a singer. A frequent participant of singing contests since a young age, Aska Yang has both the passion and the talent. Just based on his performance on One... [read more]
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Go (CD+DVD)
Ken Hung
Following the conclusion of Hong Kong's four major award ceremonies for 2007, EEG has released new albums for many of the label's young talents. In addition to senior artists Joey Yung and Twins, Yumiko Cheng, Deep Ng, and Ken Hung all recently put out new albums. The second place winner of the 2005 New Talent Singing Contest, Ken Hung released his debut album Love Gutless last year, and was duly recognized with many awards. He and labelmate Sherman Chung combined for 19 newcomer awards in 2007, results worthy of celebration. Coming on the coattails of the awards season, Ken Hung's new album Go! contains ten new songs. The album is produced by Yu Yat Yiu, Shu Man, and Adrian Chow, and... [read more]
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First Mandarin Album (Version 2) (CD+DVD)
Ivana Wong
In recent years Hong Kong has seen the emergence of many popular new-generation singers like Hins Cheung, Kay Tse, Janice Vidal, Ivana Wong, Khalil Fong, and Louis Cheung who have attracted attention and support with their singing or songwriting talents. Of the group, Ivana Wong is the shining example of a singer who can both sing and compose. Winning the CASH (Composer and Authors Society of Hong Kong) Song Writers Quest in 2000 with her song "There's Nothing Tragic About a Misunderstanding", she gained the attention and respect of industry insiders after composing songs like Jacky Cheung's "I'm Really Hurt". Ivana signed with Universal Music and released four albums with the label, winning... [read more]
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Words Of Silence (CD+DVD)
Juno Mak (Singer)
After the critical success of last year's Chapel of Dawn, Juno Mak turns away from good and evil temporarily for the highly-anticipated Words of Silence. An album to prove that Karaoke-friendly songs can still be good music, Words of Silence is made entirely of ballads from different genres. What are "Karaoke-friendly" songs, you ask? In Hong Kong pop, so-called "K-songs" would be any slow-to-mid-beat ballad that features at least one section that is easy enough to remember that Karaoke-goers would pick it up in a few listens. Over the years, music fans have resented the existence of such songs, criticizing them for their simple composition and monotony in an effort to reach the masses.... [read more]
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Guilty (Japan Version)
Hamasaki Ayumi
Despite starting 2008 with bad health news, Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki's record company sure knows how to build up buzz. In 2007, she led a successful Asian concert tour and gave away her first screen kiss in a short film shot in Hong Kong, and now she's officially launching her 10th year in show biz with her heavily promoted 9th full-length album Guilty. If you walked around Tokyo in the last weeks of 2007, there's a good chance that you saw at least one advertisement for the album. Just like the advertisements themselves, Guilty is a full-on pop assault on the senses that shows one of Japan's most successful pop artists is still going strong after 10 years. While Ayumi's style of... [read more]
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Wonderland (Hong Kong Version)
Khalil Fong
Releasing two of the best albums to come out of Hong Kong in recent years, Khalil Fong is sometimes compared to other contemporary Chinese-language R&B-pop artists such as David Tao and Leehom Wang. The comparisons are somewhat valid - they all sing in Mandarin, and they have unique abilities to blend modern pop music with R&B influences. However, for his third album, Wonderland, and his first release aimed for outside Hong Kong, Khalil lives up to his nickname "Soulboy" by leaving the pop influences at home and wearing R&B on his sleeves. For this full-blown soul-R&B album, Khalil draws from soul artists like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, a bit of 80s R&B pop, and even a bit of... [read more]
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The Men's Songs (China Version)
Anson Hu (Singer)
Anson Hu was part of the surge of Mandarin R&B artists to hit the Hong Kong music scene several years ago. While David Tao and Jay Chou have continued to thrive in Hong Kong, Anson slowly retreated back to the Mainland China market, barely surfacing in Hong Kong pop. However, his latest album The Men's Songs just may become his comeback hit thanks to the hit single Karaoke Men, already turned into a Cantopop hit by Justin Lo. However, just because Anson doesn't have a market in Hong Kong doesn't mean he doesn't deserve one, as The Men's Songs is a stylistically balanced pop album that does its job very well. The key to a successful pop album is to not only balance multiple genres together,... [read more]
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Fly to the Sky Vol. 4 - Missing You
Fly to the Sky
"Fly to the Sky vol.4"- A Journey to the Sky Fly to the Sky, the R & B and Hip-hop Korean male duo expresses their gratitude to loyal fans with this fourth ballad-based album "Missing You". The title track "Missing You", contributed by Park Chang-hyun, touches our heart and soul with its beautiful and soft melody. This ballad is made even more powerful through the brilliant cooperation between the two group members. Brian with his louder and clearer vocal and Fany with his deeper and firmer voice gamut can really bring out the best in each other and tap their potential to the full in different registers. As for their fans who have waited for their music for so long, they may consider this... [read more]
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Alpha (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
Alice Nine
First, a small confession: this reviewer has not had a chance to familiarize himself with the visual kei subgenre of Japanese rock. As a result, I will have to go on the basic knowledge that visual kei is a style of music where the looks of the performer is just as important as the music itself. On only their second album, alice nine. has already built a solid fan base, the essential key to any musician's career. However, in the world of visual kei, a loyal fan base is even more important, as the number of people who take to a band's look also help determine that band's popularity. Thankfully, Alpha proves that alice nine. doesn't forget that music matters just as much for a visual kei band.... [read more]
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ente'tein
Gigi Leung
Flattering: ente'tein ~ Gigi Leung In August, there was I Like Gigi (New + Best Selection). Here comes in December another brand new release by Gigi, the annual Cantonese album ente'tein with ten newbies. And the chamber music version of ente'tein ends it on a high note. Nine noted male singers of so different styles from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China composed and wrote for Gigi's latest spectacular album. Songs in the album are poppy and catchy and stand out from the other ones in the recent period. Music composed is also of great quality and in general, ente'tein is worthy of sparing your time listening to. The co-operations between Gigi and other singers are pleasant and allow the superstar... [read more]
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On The Run
Jay Chou (Singer)
Jay Chou is literally at the peak of his career - he just directed and starred in the hit late summer film Secret, he's about to launch his world tour concert, and now he's releasing On the Run, his first album under his own record company JVR. Dubbed as the most personal album of Jay's career, the pop star's 8th album contains more of the same hybrid of R&B, rap, east-meets-west ballads, and lazily pronounced lyrics that made him a megastar. However, you might have suspected that Jay had gone berserk with the album's first single, the Western country-style romp "Cowboy on the Run" (Track 1). Written as a full-blown country track, Jay and lyricist Huang Jun Lang pack in as many stereotypes... [read more]
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JTV
Justin Lo (Singer)
After a year of controversy, from saying the wrong things in public to being accused of plagiarism, young singer-songwriter Justin Lo continues his attempt to prove that he's not a one-trick pony with his third album JTV. The American-educated Justin has a voice that seems naturally suited for R&B, but in a situation similar to his previous album No Protection, he's once again looking to balance an appropriate style for him with an appropriate style for commercial success. Unlike No Protection, however, that balance isn't as well achieved this time around. The album's second single "One Sentence" (Track 2) embodies that struggle for balance. Written by Justin and produced by longtime... [read more]
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Glow (CD+DVD)
Joey Yung (Singer)
To show that they really put some thought into their albums, some Hong Kong artists have tried to put together an album around a singular theme. Leo Ku has done it for years, with albums about games, life, and even old Hong Kong pop songs. Joey Yung has done the same, even supposedly using the weather as a theme for an older album. For her yearly Cantonese album Glow, she's using light as the album theme, and even got a credit for the album's concept. Not that the gimmick actually works. Nevertheless, one should still find a solid pop album even without connecting all the songs together. Working again on Glow are Carl Wong, Hanjin Chen, and Pong Nan, all of whom contributed to Joey's... [read more]
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Concert Hall - Golden Voice 2007 (CD+DVD)
Tsai Chin (Singer)
Turns out the Concert Hall series isn't exclusive to Hacken Lee. The idea is actually the brainchild of producers Chiu Tsang Hei and Peter Kam, who pass the baton off for Concert Hall - Golden Voice to Taiwanese vocal legend Tsai Chin. Tsai's albums over the years are favorites for Chinese audiophiles everywhere because of their exceptional sound quality. In fact, Tsai is such an obvious choice for the latest Concert Hall album that one might think the series was created for her in the first place. The formula remains the same - all the songs are recorded on high-definition video and top-notch audio equipment, with each track recorded in a single take accompanied by live instruments.... [read more]
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