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)