15

Khalil Fong

Hong Kong-based singer-songwriter Khalil Fong is singing the blues on his fifth studio album of original

material. The title refers to the age he first learnt to play the guitar, under the influence of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King.

In a spoken interlude at the beginning of Because Of You, the question is posed whether the new songs are different from his previous offerings. It is probably rhetorical since he has always plied his trade in soul and R&B, from his debut album Soul Boy (2005) to 2008’s Orange Moon. The difference is perhaps most apparent on the English-language opener Gotta Make A Change.

It is a call to social activism and is infused with the spirit of the blues: “It’s your world, don’t forget your world/Don’t you turn your back on the things that you do.”

It is apparent from his songs that Fong’s concerns go beyond the narrow and personal.

He rocks out on Tan Hua (the Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus) and Zhang Yongcheng (the name of skilled martial artist Ip Man’s wife), while Love- winning Strategy, Two Person Journey and Not So Easy explore modern-day relationships.

The quirkily titled No Mushroom Friends was

inspired by a news article about a murder committed by a man after he took some hallucinogenic mushrooms. The folksy ballad serves as a counterpoint to the dark topic and he puns “no mushroom friends” with “innocent friends” in Mandarin.

There are lots of singers on the R&B wagon, but Fong is one of the rare few taking the reins and heading off in a different direction.

My Girl

Kim Hyung Jun

The, Park Jung Min

Park Jung Min

SS501 bandmates Kim Hyung Jun and Park Jung Min square off with the release of their solo EPs.

It is all friendly competition as the group insist they are still intact.

Which probably means that they will stick together until a solo career or two takes off.

Kim’s dance-pop offering is more predictable, though still easy on the ears. The standout track here is oH! aH!.

He had me at: “Bomb-Bomb-B Bomb-Bomb-B Bomb-Bomb-B Bomb-B-Bomb Yo”.

Park mixes it up slightly. The mawkish Tears Of Happiness is thankfully followed by the more uptempo tracks Walk Away Walk Away and Not Alone.

The seasonal-sounding Every Day With You Is Christmas, complete with sleighbells, is the more successful ballad.

In the battle of heart-throb pictures that come with the musical offerings, Kim looks a tad chubby in some poses, while Park boasts sharper cheekbones and more liberal use of lipstick and eyeliner.

(ST)