When some pop musicians find an established style, they feel perfectly content to stick to it for the rest of their careers. Out of those musicians, only a lucky few can actually manage to maintain quality consistently along the way and not sound redundant. With her gentle, guitar-driven soft-rock style, Singaporean singer-songwriter Tanya Chua happens to be one of these musicians, and she maintains her usual standards here with her latest album If You See Him. While the album has the familiar soft-rock sound that has charmed Tanya fans for years, she also tweaks the formula ever-so-slightly, and the result is as relaxing and smooth as any other Tanya Chua album, even though it lacks any major breakthrough.

Produced entirely by Tanya herself, the musician does stray slightly away from the piano-driven ballads that have been some of her biggest hits, opting for a mid-pace tempo and a general lack of bombastic rock sound. The opening track "Wheel of Fortune" (Track 1) sets up the tone nicely with its pleasant piano-driven hook, the relaxing tempo, and Tanya's easily recognizable vocal. And that carries into the romantic ballad "Who" (Track 2), which changes the piano to the guitar while leaving the same kind of unassuming impression and relaxing effect on the listeners.

A more bombastic, pop-oriented sound does come later on in the album, though not done to great effect. "Red High Heels" (Track 4), which also serves as the theme song of the film Fit Lover, has the typical studio-produced strings track and all the requisite soft rock elements to make it a satisfying pop song that is far ahead of the film in terms of quality and consistency. However, its unspectacular arrangement and composition also make it just another side track on the album. The same problem plagues "Rusty Playground" (Track 6), which has a drum-heavy presence that gives it a different sound from "Red High Heels". However, the guitar riffs are typical and the composition blends in a little too well with the rest of the album to make it stand out. On the other hand, "Free Fall" (Track 9) works slightly better with the same sound because of the subtle funk-style addition in the arrangement and its placement in the album.

That place is right after titular track "If You See Him" (Track 8), a mellow ballad that puts Tanya's writing and vocal ability in the spotlight. With only a guitar and strings in the background, listeners are forced to focus on the composition and Tanya's delivery, which are as bittersweet as Tanya's lyrics. The piano-driven ballad "Projectile" (Track 3) also helps to prove that such a subtle, quiet style is obviously Tanya's strong suit as a musician. Even simpler than "If You See Him" in arrangement, Tanya delivers Xiso Han's sad (but also simple) lyrics with appropriate emotions while avoiding the excess vocal display most pop vocalists would resort to.

Tanya even does the R&B-funk style to effective degree with "Man" (Track 5), thanks to the smooth arrangement and its soulful composition. Even though Tanya's vocal is not well-suited for this genre, she captures the emotions and the intended style of her own composition immediately. The perfect blend of these musical elements makes "Man" the standout of the album.

Even with that slight departure from the usual Tanya Chua sound, the rest of If You See Him is business as usual. Despite a few unspectacular side tracks, the entire album has a consistent, unified style that's also a joy to listen to. The pictures of Tanya walking around in New York in the liner notes perfectly capture the urban autumn environment the album should be listened in. And even if a musical element turns out to be underwhelming at any point during the album, Tanya's intricately-controlled vocal delivery is always worth listening to. Already on her 11th album, it's safe to say Tanya has mastered her formula without sounding repetitive (unlike a certain someone named Chou), and as long as it keeps succeeding the way If You See Him does, there's little reason for Tanya to rock the boat.

Recommended Tracks: "Wheel of Fortune" (Track 1), "Who" (Track 2), "Projectile" (Track 3), "Man" (Track 5), "If You See Him" (Track 8)

by Kevin Ma