Faces Of FanFan (3CD)

Faces of FanFan comes with three new songs and 26 greatest hits over three CDs, adding up to a simply wonderful collection of soothing ballads, campus acoustic, and laidback mid-tempo pop. Titled "Fan Fan's Classic", Disc 1 starts off with the new song "A Heart's Distance". As a Chen Hsiao Hsia composition, the song feels rather light, less distinctive and dramatic than his usual. It's hard to recall the melody after the song ends, but what does remain is Fan Fan's interpretation, her smooth and subtly expressive rendition and a voice that sounds like a smile.

The smile only gets wider as the disc takes listeners through some of Fan Fan's most memorable songs. Uptempo, easygoing guitar numbers like "One to One" (Track 3), "One Like Summer, One Like Autumn" (Track 5), and "Philosopher" (Track 10) melt worries with snapping rhythm and soothing vocals, while earthy ballads like "Yes No Question" (Track 6) and "Don't Love Him That Much" (Track 12) speak to the heart with broad sentiments and beautiful melodies. There's also the piano ballad "Journey" (Track 2), the theme song of idol drama Tomorrow that first introduced me to Fan Wei Qi, and a lilting cover of Pu Shu's "Those Flowers" (Track 11) accompanied only by acoustic guitar.

Fan Fan's signature song "Black and White Pair" comes in Disc 2, "Fan Fan's Self", which compiles songs that she has written and composed. Her newest composition "Flirt" is a fun girl rock piece with a catchy beat and a perfectly infectious summer melody. Many of the other songs on this disc are also new to me, like the delightfully bouncy "Contact Again" (Track 2) and the moody "Sun" (Track 7) which echoes with simple guitar chords and Fan Fan's clear voice, and I'm grateful to have the chance to discover them here. Two of her best songs are also on this disc: the carefree and bluesy Fan Fan Zhi Bei (Track 5) featuring cheeky self-reflecting lyrics that capture Fan Fan's charm, and the heart-piercing "Can't Get There" (Track 6) composed by Chang Hung Liang and penned by Fan Fan. To a certain extent, I prefer Kan Kan's pub rock cover of "Can't Get There", but Fan Fan's original version more than stands on its own.

Disc 3 gathers "Fan Fan's Friends", her duets, including all her "girls talk" collaborations and her latest "If You Are Me" (Track 1) with Emil Chau. Though I've never associated Fan Fan and Emil Chau together before, the collaboration seems to make perfect sense once the names come up because their campus mellow music styles are actually quite similar. Their voices, however, don't really match, not surprising considering how few singers can blend with Emil Chau's distinctive voice. Still, the song itself, composed by Emil Chau, is a good listen, and considering how elusive Chau is these days, his appearance in Fan Wei Qi's album is a pleasant addition to an already spectacular compilation.