Simple, Or Not

Tiger Huang Hsiao-hu

Aftertaste

Karen Mok

Slowness

Kay Tse

I am woman, hear me roar. This could well be the rousing cry of Tiger Huang Hsiao-hu.

Best known for her 1990 hit Not Just Friends, her rich, husky vocals have grown only more evocative, burnished, one imagines, by nights in smoky pubs and the vicissitudes of the passing years.

Not So Simple sounds like the 46-year-old’s manifesto as the lyrics by Daryl Yao are tailor-made for her. She is by turns strong, “The things others say, just take a listen, the decision is still mine”, and vulnerable, “Don’t love loneliness, but you get used to it”.

Ultimately, she comes to terms with who she is at this stage of her life: “Past the age for dreaming, I would rather have peace and quiet than blazing glory.”

The tough-but-sensitive contrast is a little predictable on Shell but Huang makes you feel her pain when she asks: “Who would know?/It’s only a protective coat of colour.”

This class act blows every 20something pop idol out of the water.

There is more good news with a covers album that finally gets things right. With a delicate dusting of electronica, producer Zhang Yadong transforms stodgy folk ditties and dusty oldies and makes them cool once more. And Hong Kong singeractress Karen Mok brings to the table her distinctive vocal stylings.

There are highlights aplenty on this disc which was first available as a digital download in June last year.

The joyful whimsy of the Xinjiang folk song Playing Hand Drum Singing Song is irresistible and the music video complements the track perfectly.

Shanghai songbird Zhou Xuan’s Blooming Flowers And The Full Moon gets updated with a jazzy arrangement and Mok drawls and scats her way through this classic.

Even the eyebrow-raising mash-up of Half A Moon Rising and a snatch of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni as well as the re-imagining of Kangding Love Song work.

Also hailing from Hong Kong is Kay Tse, Cantopop’s unlikely star.

She is the mother of a two-year-old boy and her big 2008 hit Wedding Street Invitation came three long years after her 2005 debut. The late bloomer has taken the slow and steady route to stardom and she continues to do things her way on her new album.

Slowness luxuriates in one of the loveliest voices in Cantopop right now and avoids the route of obvious radio hits. There is a luminous sweetness to Tse’s vocals, and the fact that they are edged with throatiness only adds to the allure.

On the first track Alive, she bemoans the rush and ruckus of modern life: “Hurrying about for a living, it’s like stepping onto the highway/Pressing forward without being able to take a pause/Burying our heads in work, we finally forget how to live.”

The lyrics also evoke the glacial majesty of Iceland, where she went for the CD’s photo shoot. If even such breathtaking vistas fail to inspire us to stop and stare, then something is seriously awry.

And if these singular offerings fail to find an audience, it would be a crying shame. So go ahead, linger over Slowness, savour the Aftertaste and brace yourself for Tiger’s roar.

(ST)

The Boys Are Back

Scott Hicks

First there was Korea’s Mother and Hollywood’s Motherhood, now it is time for fathers to have their turn in the spotlight.

After the death of his second wife from cancer, sports writer Joe Warr (Clive Owen) has to learn to build a connection with his five-year-old son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty).

His parenting skills are further stretched when Harry (Rupert Grint-lookalike George MacKay), his 13-year- old son from his previous marriage, comes to visit him in Australia.

Joe has a stubborn, reckless streak and can be as petulant as a child himself, but Owen brings a rough-round-the- edges, roguish charm to the role. Some might consider his child-rearing philosophy rather slack though he himself proudly proclaims: “I run a pretty loose ship.”

There is some late drama when an episode of child-sitting by Harry ends badly and he scuttles home to England but this sweet, low-key film, based on journalist Simon Carr’s memoir, is ultimately an ode to unconventional fatherhood.

(ST)

20th Century Boys 3

Yukihiko Urasawa

The story: In the year 2017, masked world leader Friend prophesies that aliens will destroy humanity on Aug 20 and claims that only those who believe in him will be saved. Among those trying to stop him are Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), his niece Kanna (Airi Taira) and old schoolmate Occho (Etsushi Toyokawa).

Fret not if you did not catch the previous two instalments of this trilogy based on the popular Japanese manga. There is a quick recap at the beginning to bring you up to speed.

In Part One, catastrophic events described in The Book Of Prophecies, an innocent schoolboy concoction by Kenji and his mates back in the summer of 1969, inexplicably start coming true. It ends with cult leader Friend engineering the destruction of Tokyo via a virus- spewing giant robot on Dec 31, 2000.

Part Two picks up 15 years later as Friend plots to ascend to godhood, and hope for humanity rests on Kenji’s niece Kanna and his mates who survived Bloody New Year’s Eve.

While the summary is helpful in getting the major plot points across, it cannot change the fact that those who had previously missed out would be less interested in the fate of the characters.

This seemed to be no major hindrance as the movie was a huge hit in Japan. Released last August, this live-action adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning manga went on to spend six straight weeks at the top of box office charts.

Some may wish to debate the symbolism behind 20th Century Boys and its themes of power, control and heroism. But really, there is only one thing that the rest of us want to find out – who, exactly, is Friend?

Director Yukihiko Urasawa knows this and teases us by cutting to another scene every time it seems as if the mask will be ripped off.

Before we get to the final revelation, there is also the sprawling cast of characters to account for and their stories to delve into.

But whenever the film veers away from Friend, Kenji, a much-missed Karasawa in Part Two, or the stylish outlaw Occho, you get the feeling that it is merely treading water.

There is even one last feint as the rolling credits signal – not the end of the film, but the start of a 15-minute coda that lays it all out.

This ending, which is different from the manga’s, was so closely guarded that it was cut from press screenings in Japan.

Over the course of the movies, the director has pointed us to the pivotal events that took place in 1969, and all signs indicate that Friend is, in fact, someone from Kenji’s boyhood.

Suffice to say that those who sat through all seven hours-plus of the trilogy will not feel cheated by the denouement.

(ST)

Super Band 2010 World Tour Final Voyage In Singapore

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Saturday

The long and winding road has led Mandopop’s Super Band back to Singapore, six months after their last concert here.

Since their first gig in Taipei last March, the fab four have been touring constantly, trekking as far afield as Vancouver and Las Vegas, and performing for more than 1.3 million people.

In the process, they have honed their act and, last Saturday, before a near-

capacity crowd of 7,500, they presented a slicker show compared to their early gigs.

Dressed in coordinated outfits of black and white, singer-songwriters Lo Ta-yu, 55, Jonathan Lee, 51, Wakin Chau, 49, and Chang Chen- yue, 35, stepped on stage from a train carriage mock-up and launched into their new song, Return.

The lyrics were a reflection of their life on the road and also captured the spirit of the group: a few wanderers chasing their dreams.

After an opening medley of songs, each performer had his turn. Lo rocked out on East Wind and Shaking Hands, his distinctive voice pitched halfway between growling and singing.

Chau, best known for his easy-on- the-ear hits, obliged with three ballads in his clear and warm tenor and had the whole stadium singing along when he crooned Hua Xin (Flower Heart) and Friends.

Chang played the harmonica and upped the tempo with the party-hearty Malasang. Vocally though, he seemed the least assured and his twang was a little too flat in The Feeling That I Want. He did provide, though, some of the night’s highlights with the down-to-earth, slice-of-life lyrics on He Jiu (Drinking) and The Experience Of First Love.

Lee showcased his songwriting flair by taking on hits he had written for others. The guitar and violin arrangement worked best for Zhao Chuan’s I Am A Little Bird, while Lee’s gruff-voiced interpretation of Winnie Hsin’s Understanding and Sylvia Chang’s The Price Of Love came across as flippant.

You began to wonder where Super Band were and this was not helped by the fact that they did not perform much of North Bound Mega EP. This was their sole release as a short-lived band as they will break up after their final two shows in Taipei on Friday and Saturday.

One is tempted to be cynical about the entire enterprise and see it as a gimmicky attempt to revive flagging careers rather than a musical labour of love.

However, the project has been fruitful for those involved.

Chang has taken to drumming and intends to pursue it seriously, while musical collaborations have sprung up among them and are likely to continue even if the moniker of Super Band is retired.

The time together has clearly strengthened their camaraderie. A video presentation had them taking the mickey out of one another by mimicking one another’s gestures.

The concert ended with Desperado, the first song they wrote together, which is a rap-rock collaboration fusing their individual strengths as musicians to deliver something different, and lending some credibility to the notion of the band.

Just do not announce a comeback tour six months down the road.

(ST)

Love Hero

Alien Huang

The third time is the charm for actor-singer Alien Huang.

The host of the popular Taiwanese variety show 100% Entertainment was once part of two short-lived groups.

Both TV Asahi’s Japanese boyband HC3 and Taiwanese boyband Cosmos disbanded after releasing one record each.

His hip, catchy solo effort has topped the album charts in Taiwan.

It has attitude to spare, with compositions from popular band Mayday’s Monster and Ashin, rocker Chang Chen-yue and up-and-coming band Fun4.

The titles Toy Gun And Roses, I Don’t Want To Live Forever and Losers In Love Club place the album firmly within the youthful zeitgeist.

It calls to mind another debut, Achord Hsieh’s Nothing But Achord. While that singer’s vibe is more indie hip-pop, this Alien wants to rock your world.

Poetic Rock

Wu Bai and China Blue

Wu Bai has such a distinctive sound that he often leaves his stamp on material he writes for other people. His collaboration with pop queen Faye Wong for her 2001 self-titled album, for example, was not quite a success for that same reason.

(Incidentally, Wong has made her long-awaited comeback with the theme song to the upcoming film, Confucius. Next, a full-length album please.)

Sometimes, though, Wu Bai manages to surprise. Who would have thought that the polished pop of If This Is Not Love by God of Song Jacky Cheung and starlet Cyndi Wang’s I’ll Be Fine came from his pen? Then you hear his take and it all makes sense.

The album works best if you have heard the versions by the singers the songs were written for.

Otherwise, it just feels like a haphazard collection of songs by Wu Bai.

Forgive Me, I Didn't Say...

Sam Lee

The gymnastics theme of the photos featured in the lyric sheet is misleading because, instead of energetic offerings, you get mostly ballads on Sam Lee’s sixth album.

The first plug, My Grandfather’s Clock, is the Mandarin version of Japanese singer Ken Hirai’s take on the American oldie of the same name. And it had already worn out its welcome then.

Things don’t improve with the bland lyrics on Sorry: “Why only after losing someone does one understand/Does one realise that you are most important to me.”

It is the heartfelt Minnan track The Most Agonising Feeling which saves the day while the karaoke metaphors in Cut Off The Song are at least a sporting attempt to try something different.

(ST)

Crowd Lu 2010 Singapore Live

Dragonfly, St James Power Station

Last Saturday

The crowd embraced him like an old friend the moment Taiwanese singer-songwriter Crowd Lu stepped on stage.

He was togged out in his signature geeky look – bowl-cut hairstyle, oversized black-rimmed glasses, T-shirt, shorts, socks pulled up to mid-calf and canvas shoes, and he hailed the audience with his favourite interjection, an animated “Yeah!”.

As the 24-year-old did at the Esplanade in February last year, he again delivered a feel-good show that had people singing happily along. If anything, it was an even more intimate performance this time, as 800 standing fans were packed into the cosy venue that was Dragonfly.

Backed only by a percussion musician, Lu played the guitar and took on songs from his two albums, opening with the new record’s title track, Seven Days.

His voice was bright and brimming with sincerity, drawing you effortlessly to his heartfelt tales about love and life.

His optimistic brand of tuneful indie pop has won him a fervent following, particularly among the young, and the fans at the show were mostly in their 20s with several sporting “Oh Yeah!” T-shirts. They sang along with gusto, even though the lyrics were not displayed on screens as they usually are at Chinese pop concerts.

The 75-minute gig felt less like a performance and more like a gathering of friends as the endearing Lu engaged his fans. He invited those with questions to raise their hands and ask away and also shared stories about his life and the inspiration behind the songs.

We learnt that his optimistic streak came from his family and when he started writing songs, he wanted people listening to them to feel the same positive vibe. He urged: “When you smile, your heart opens up, just try it.”

This led into I No, on which he declared with conviction as his falsetto soared: “So it’s decided, we want to use smiles to face what’s ahead/Even if nightmares surround the entire world/Please don’t leave, love is always/By your side”.

The obliging singer also sang Happy Birthday to one lucky fan and, on request, tossed off a couple of Minnan tracks, including the anthemic To Win You Must Fight and rock band Mayday’s classic ballad Zhiming Yu Chunjiao (Peter & Mary).

Fans were treated to a new song as well, Come With Me To Qingkang To The Highlands, a lovely ballad about escaping to a beautiful spot 5,000m above sea level.

The set ended with the joyous Zai Jian Gou Gou (Goodbye, Pinky Swear), which triggered exuberant dancing from a few fans who had mastered the moves from the music video.

Lu came back for two encores and ended the evening with the title track of his debut album, 100 Ways For Living.

Looking at the sea of rapt faces, it was hard to tell who was more wrapped up in the moment, Crowd or the crowd.

(ST)

Jump

Stephen Fung

Sometimes, just sometimes, a film will surprise you when you have few expectations of it.

In the first place, the storyline did not seem promising. Kitty Zhang plays country lass Cai Feng who heads for the bright lights of Shanghai to realise her dream of becoming a hip-hop dancer.

The plot might be conventional but the treatment was anything but. You realise that something different is going on with the first musical number that takes place amid the fields.

The film was produced and based on a story by funnyman Stephen Chow and it bears his fingerprints all over.

Actor-turned-director Stephen Fung seems to have channelled Chow’s mo lei tau (nonsense) sensibility with sight gags such as Zhang’s becoming fuzz on her upper lip.

At the same time, the humour is not mean-spirited and even a fellow villager with a mysterious gender gets to make a point about diversity and acceptance.

The film is also lifted by Zhang’s buoyant performance. Looking like another Chow ingenue, Cecilia Cheung, she gives a star-making turn as the enthusiastic girl with the indomitable spirit.

Cai Feng subsequently falls for a playboy entrepreneur played by Singaporean Leon Williams, who filled in for Edison Chen after the sex scandal broke. The film’s romantic detour is less than convincing though, and worse, it veers away from the madcap antics.

Still, there is such a cheery vibe emanating from the film and Zhang’s performance that even a somewhat pat finale fails to dampen the mood.

(ST)

David Tao In Space – The Talk & Rock Show

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Friday

Singer-songwriter David Tao was happy to show his age at his concert.

The video introduction solemnly listed the momentous events of his year of birth, 1969 – the premiere of popular children’s TV show Sesame Street, the seminal music festival Woodstock and man landing on the moon.

The last segued into his appearance on the stage, which was decorated to resemble the cosy living room of his youth, complete with lampshades and a television set from the 1970s.

His first song was David Bowie’s Space Oddity (1969), with the lyrics tweaked to “Ground control to major Tao”.

Welcome to the world David Tao grew up in. The American-centric slant of the narrative is a little strange since he was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Taiwan and only attended high school and college in California.

No matter, it gave him the frame to delve into Western pop songs of that era such as Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967), the Commodores’ Easy (1977) and Soft Cell’s Tainted Love (1981).

It was for Tao’s songs, though, that the 5,000-odd audience saved its biggest cheers. He sang his Mandarin R&B hits such as his first single Airport In 10.30, crowd-pleaser Regular Friend and the jangly Rain.

He seldom did just straightforward renditions of his songs, preferring to play around with the arrangements to offer something new for his fans.

So, Small Town had a rock makeover while the bombast of A Big Mess was upped a notch with a backing children’s choir.

While he had no problems with belting it out, the elegiac Seasons Of Loneliness could have done with more delicacy. And perhaps his falsetto was not quite what it used to be and he skirted the highest notes, most noticeably on Regular Friend.

It was also telling that his most popular songs were from his earlier albums rather than from his latest, Opus 69, which provided one of the evening’s high points. RE: DT (Regarding David Tao) worked better in a live setting rather than on disc, where it can sound a little indulgent.

On the clear-eyed number, he rapped about his career, “It’s okay even if I’m not number one now” and added “This time I’m really gonna make a movie”, taking a dig at his own oft-stated proclamation to go off and make films.

Between songs, the personable singer shared anecdotes of his youth. He jokingly recalled that he used to be traumatised at home by the clashing strains of Elvis that his father listened to and the Peking opera his mother sang.

He also showed a cheeky side when he urged “Come on, Singapore, let me hear you” when the line “We don’t need no thought control” came up for Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall.

While the classic rock detours were mostly welcome, Tao’s Guitar Hero moment with the Eagles’ Hotel California came across overdone.

On the whole, this was a fairly entertaining show that offered some unexpected surprises even if it was not exactly one for the ages.

(ST)

Music Life

Anson Hu

It is rare indeed for the hermetic world of Chinese pop to tackle current affairs, which is why Shanghainese singer-songwriter Anson Hu’s latest album, his sixth, stands out.

Over the slinky synth lines of opener You Pay The Bill Or I Pay The Bill, he laments: “The financial crisis has forced me to take a loan from happiness.”

Unemployment Love Song is about a man under siege at work and in his love life. The only escape he has is in denial: “I can only pretend that my boss will change his mind tomorrow/Pretend my girlfriend will love me more than that trinket.”

This promising start to a concept album gives way to a more loosely knit offering with tracks such as the R&B-tinged Roman Holiday, the whimsical Sister Lin (referring to A Dream Of Red Mansions’ Lin Daiyu) and a remake of folk-rock singer-songwriter Lo Ta-yu’s Brilliant Days.

Still, this is one young man who need not worry about being out of a job.

review asian pop

You Talkin' To Me?

Leo Ku

Hong Kong singer Leo Ku is a survivor. Since his first album came out in 1994, he has chalked up more than 20 releases. Ku’s slightly nasal tone and falsetto forays are now a familiar part of the Cantopop soundscape.

For a while, though, it seemed that the distinguishing feature of his output was the elaborate packaging and gimmicky themes of albums such as Games (2003) and Nobita (2004).

The first release on his new label shows some welcome restraint on the packaging front. The running theme remains – the album name is a quote from the film Taxi Driver (1976) and all the song titles are inspired by memorable lines.

The sense of playfulness extends to the music as well. On I’m Not Well Educated, the pairing of piano chords and a disco beat works surprisingly well.

Earth Is Dangerous sounds more like a conventional ballad, with master lyricist Lin Xi lifting it a cut above the norm with poetic lines such as “When it’s difficult for a thousand paper cranes to fly with you/Toss them towards the starlight.”

It is in the tale of an ill-fated romance on A Bird Without Feet that Ku finally soars.

review asian pop

H2H

Cyndi Wang

Having done sweet, Taiwanese popster Cyndi Wang has decided to try her hand at sexy. There she is with tousled hair and a come-

hither glance on the album cover and the first words she purrs are: “Coffee, tea or me?”

On Heart 2 Heart, she trills: “Kiss my forehead, bite my left ear/A strange hormone is making my face red.”

Really, though, it is the same mix of cover versions of dance hits and treacly ballads the wannabe sex-kitten has been peddling before. Wang is at her best on disposable, light-hearted fare such as I Like You What Can I Do?, the theme song for her idol drama series Momo Love which has her pondering: “How should I dress/So as to leave a good impression on you?”

How about focusing on the music instead?

(ST)

Motherhood

Katherine Dieckmann

Eliza Welsh (Uma Thurman) is the frazzled mother of a six-year-old girl and a toddler boy. She is trying not to lose her identity by writing and she needs to come up with a short essay on motherhood for a shot at landing a column.

Naturally, the deadline is on the day she has to put together her daughter’s birthday party.

Thurman (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, 2003) manages to look good despite being harried by her husband (Anthony Edwards) and harassed by a movie shoot taking place on her street. She even makes the sometimes selfish Eliza sympathetic.

Writer-director Katherine Dieckmann also uses the New York setting to good effect. She works in celeb-spotting (Jodie Foster in a game cameo) at a public park playground and gently pokes fun at neurotic parents. However, she does not have much to offer beyond generic motherhood statements and Hallmark sentiments on the subject of parenting.

For a more rewarding exploration of the maternal instinct, check out Bong Joon Ho’s Mother instead.

(ST)

The Wild Things

Dave Eggers

Book adaptations of films are often rushed hack jobs with a shelf-life as short as that of the movie’s run. Not this one.

It all started with Maurice Sendak’s seminal 1963 children’s picture book Where The Wild Things Are, about the adventures of a young boy named Max.

That was adapted into a well-received feature film by director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, 1999), who co-wrote the script with Dave Eggers, author of the feted memoir A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius (2000).

Which brings us to this book, which takes the story in the movie and develops it in different directions. Max here is “some combination of Maurice’s Max, Spike’s Max, and the Max of my own boyhood”, explains Eggers in his acknowledgements.

Happily, all that pedigree has led to a worthy work in the notoriously tricky genre of child-centric fiction. It is often all too easy for writers to be condescending or be guilty of simplifying their protagonists, thoughtlessly equating childhood and childishness.

The best books, however, tap into the rich emotional lives of youngsters and Eggers’ portrayal of seven- year-old Max has the ring of truth about it as the boy struggles with an often confusing world that leaves him feeling powerless.

Dressed down by his mother for deliberately flooding his older sister’s room and frustrated by what he feels to be the injustice of it all, Max dons a wolf costume and sails away to a strange island.

He finds a group of rambunctious giant beasts there and declares to them that he is their king. They could be seen as the id of the psyche made manifest and one of them declares: “We want what we want. We want all the things we want. Oh, and we want no more want.”

Max has to think of a way to satisfy all these desires and live up to his responsibility as king in a chaotic world that is sometimes frightening, sometimes exhilarating and often unpredictable.

It turns out that growing up can be the wildest adventure.

If you like this, read: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle. This 1993 Booker Prize winner looks at the world of Barrytown, north Dublin, through the eyes of its 10-year-old protagonist.

(ST)

Hundred Days

JJ Lin

OK Man

Huang Jinglun

A Whole New World Of My Music Journey

Maggie Theng

Sang Penyanyi

Hady Mirza

Here’s a cheery start to 2010 with offerings from four local singers.

On his seventh studio album, JJ Lin seems to have found a comfortable groove.

He delivers a canny mix of hip, urban tunes (X and Go!) and big, sweeping ballads (Hundred Days and Back To Back).

The title track, a chart-topper here, is paired with poetic lyrics by Daryl Yao: “I let my heart turn into flames/So that you, afraid of the dark, can embrace the warmth as you sleep.”

It is the slinky R&B tracks that prove to be more alluring, though. Go!, with its upbeat message of encouragement, is a standout and features a rap by MC Hotdog.

It is also the only set of Chinese lyrics written by Lin though he composed all the music.

He has been making a mark in the competitive Taiwanese scene along with the likes of Huang Jinglun.

Even though Huang came in sixth in the third season of One Million Star, he was voted the most popular contestant.

With his foray into acting in idol drama Momo Love, his stock has risen even further.

The follow-up to his 2008 debut, Jing’s Note, sees the singer’s wellknown sense of humour intact. He declares in the title number: “Want to eat supper and not get fat/Leave it to me, Ok! Man.”

He plays up his geeky image with Our Show, rapping about not knowing where to place his hands when seated next to a girl he likes in a cab.

The cheekiness disappears in sad-sack ballads such as Old Wound and, unfortunately, we are left with the clunky duet Can’t Win as the closer.

Far more consistent is Maggie Theng’s album of jazzed-up covers which includes her own hit Qian Yin (Leading Along) as well as takes on Tracy Huang’s Spring Light and Eason Chan’s Your Backpack.

The intimate recording makes you feel as though you have wandered into a small, smoky joint with a lone light focused on the singer.

While you wish there was a little more oomph to the voice, it is still heartening to find a covers record done with imagination and passion.

With more than 50 albums to her name, she certainly has a thing or two to teach the younger singers about staying power.

On album number two, Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza guns for the regional market with a largely Malay- language release. He wrote eight of the 10 tracks, with fellow champ Taufik Batisah contributing two songs.

Hady also served as producer and the material here has been picked to showcase his emotive vocals.

The first plug, Angkasa, is a gorgeous showstopper that gives him space to soar and swoop.

There is a preponderance of ballads, though, and it would have been nice to see Hady rock out more often.

With the dust just settled on another season of Singapore Idol, we can expect to see more home-grown debuts down the road.

So here’s to a vibrant and exciting local music scene in the year ahead. Cheers!

(ST)