Immortal Tour
Cheer Chen
This handsomely packaged box set is the complete audio-visual keepsake of Taiwanese indie darling Cheer Chen’s Asian tour last year.
There is no denying her sincerity and charm in a live setting but the recording of her last concert tour Poses (2007) made her sound rather reedy. Recorded by famed mixer Dave Yang and produced by her beau and regular collaborator Tiger Chung, there is a richer quality to her vocals in this release.
The material spans her entire output from 1998’s Let Me Think to 2009’s Immortal. Her last album was a breakthrough of sorts as she moved away from musings on relationships to embrace broader concerns about the people and the world around her.
As if to mark that turning point, it was a grittier Chen fans saw at the gigs – a rocker girl with one arm covered in tattoos and who stood her own in a live Guitar Hero segment.
All of that is captured on the DVD. Other highlights include Chen mingling with the audience and happily taking pictures during 1234567, being moved to tears during Travel Is Meaningful and singing her encore right in the midst of all those adoring fans.
For the dedicated fan, the second DVD offers peeks of her in rehearsals and on the road, as well as interviews with members of her live band.Short of being there, this is as good as it gets.
Goodbye Prince
katncandix2
The title of the Taiwanese duo’s second album is a reference to Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s fable about innocence and loss, Le Petit Prince.
Given that vocalist-lyricist Hsiao Chiu and composer-producer Shen Sheng-je frequently deal with youthful themes of dreams and growing up, the association is entirely apt.
Musically, the vibe here picks up where their debut album Little Flight (2009) left off. The mood is breezy and light – even their melancholia is sunny – with Hsiao Chiu’s slightly raw vocals adding to the folksy feel.
It came as a surprise then to find out that she is an incorrigible chatterbox during live performances. Those who went for their unexpectedly lengthy and endearing gig at the Esplanade in January would have heard the new track, 22.
Together with songs such as Goodbye Prince, we get to see a more contemplative side of katncandix2. Hsiao Chiu muses on Prince: “The child always speaking of forever/Slowly grows up/Uses tears to water the seed which will grow into happiness.”
On opener Nice Day, however, we get a glimpse of the cutesy singer. It could easily be irritating in anyone else’s hands but hearing it, you cannot help but wish that youth and innocence be held on to just that little bit longer for her and, maybe, even for us.
KEEP!
Tay Kewei & Lee Ein Ein
Local lass Tay Kewei is stepping out from the shadows of singing back-up for Mandopop’s big hitters such as David Tao.
She has a lovely set of pipes and gives a loose-limbed and jazz-inflected rendition of the English track Come Closer, which she penned.
The other two songs are the Mandarin numbers That’s How I Am and A Love Song, both composed by her musician friend Lee Ein Ein.
The accompaniment is kept simple – a guitar, a piano – all the better to showcase the voices, in harmony or solo. Lee takes the lead here and her clean and emotive voice works well for the plaintive tracks.
My interest is certainly piqued and the teaser EP has done its job of whetting one’s appetite for more.
(ST)