Glow (CD+DVD) DVD Region All

Working again on Glow are Carl Wong, Hanjin Chen, and Pong Nan, all of whom contributed to Joey's previous album Close Up. As a result, there's a similar vibe throughout the album, especially in the songs by Hanjin and his production house The Invisible Men. While Close Up has the ad tune-worthy "Bursting with Joy" as its lead-off bright upbeat track, Glow has the fun "Warm Light" (Track 5) and the breezy mid-beat track "Very Forgetful" (Track 2) to liven things up. The songs are distinctly different in melody and arrangement, but the two tracks do manage to carry the warm summer-like atmosphere of "Bursting with Joy".

Though the two dance songs are standout tracks (especially "Very Forgetful", with a nicely subdued bass line to give it its breezy rhythm), the best track from the Invisible Men team is first single and opening track "Escape" (Track 1). Another ad tune for an electronics retail chain, "Escape" emphasizes production and Joey's vocal performance over melody. With a simple melody that utilizes repetition and a catchy rhythm, the dance track relies on Joey's fluid vocals and an adaptable arrangement that brings the album a considerable amount of energy.

In fact, both Glow and Joey really shine when the album is in its dance mode. In addition to the songs by The Invisible Men, producer Carl Wong's sole dance effort, "No Moonlight in Front of the Bed" (Track 7), also stands out thanks to Joey's performance and Riley Lam's biting lyrics. With a title that's a twist on a famous Chinese poem (which is why I can assure you that the title is merely a literal translation), the pulsating dance track criticizes people who bastardize classic literary works for their own purpose. Lam even goes as far as naming a certain Taiwanese lyricist for such literary crimes, giving its critical nature a surprising edge. Meanwhile, Joey's vocals seem to really stretch during this and other dance tracks, which is often a tougher task to do than in ballads as they involve less emotions.

The mainstream-friendly ballads in Glow actually make up some of the album's weak points. Without Eric Kwok this time around, Pong Nan provides the album's hit ballad "Midnight" (Track 3). Following the same formula as Andy Hui's "Mr. Pig", Nan uses a gentle and karaoke-friendly melody that's touching in its simplicity. However, without any vocal-challenging section, Joey's vocals are not as well utilized, failing to convey the lovey-dovey emotions in Riley Lam's lyrics. Nevertheless, it's a catchy and well-written ballad that will be loved by the fans, as proven by the one million times it's already been requested at a Hong Kong karaoke chain. Meanwhile, Edmond Tsang's "Glow" (Track 6) does manage to stretch Joey's vocal to the fullest, but sounds too derivative to truly stand out. Surprisingly, the Korean drama theme song Jie Yu Hua (Track 8) remains one of the standout ballads on Glow, despite the fact that it has already made an appearance on her Mandarin album Little and actually has little to do with the album's theme.

In fact, the question that might be on your mind is whether Glow actually manages to follow its central theme. The answer is: not really. While the titles and the lyrics of the songs try to incorporate the word "light" as much as possible, it doesn't really make it a theme album. With songs from a Korean drama, a merged rail company ad, and a television drama about cops, Glow is first and foremost a commercial Canto-pop album from a major record company. With no producer to chain all the songs together into a coherent whole (the credited "executive producers" are record company executives), Joey tries to balance commercial and artistic prospects by teaming with successful producers such as The Invisible Men, Carl Wong, and even People Mountain People Sea because of their ability to balance commercial appeal with quality. However, her way of forming said coherent whole is too contrived to be successful, and comes up with only mixed results. Then again, there's no use being too critical of a Canto-pop album with catchy ballads and entertaining dance tracks. Just approach Glow the way one should approach most pop music: be thankful of what's there, and don't be too critical of what's not.

by Kevin Ma