One Way Ticket

Wu Bai & China Blue

Leehom New + Best Selections

Wang Lee Hom

Don’t let Blue Moon, the title of the opening track of his new album, fool you: Veteran Taiwanese singer-songwriter Wu Bai has been releasing albums far more consistently than that.

This marks his 16th studio release since 1992’s Loving Others Is A Happy Thing.

Over the years, there has been a distinct shift in his sound as well.

The earnest rock of hard-luck tales in the early releases has evolved into more playful shades.

The ballad Knot ties together a plaintive synth line with guitars: “Late night, perhaps you don’t want to sleep/Dawn breaks, the corners of your eyes still have tears/Maybe it’s like I imagined from head to toe/I know there must be a knot in your heart.”

I Was Wrong pairs woe-is-me lyrics with an unexpectedly breezy melody: “When I’m awake/Tears keep flowing/I think I’m already used to being very lonely.”

Wu Bai’s twangy vocals don’t work with all of the material here.

And the rock ballad version of Sarah Chen’s Dream To Awakening makes one yearn for the Wu Bai of old. Still, you have to respect him for trekking on.

Without quite looking it, Taiwan- based Wang Lee Hom is now a veteran of the music scene as well, with a total of 14 studio albums since 1995’s Love Rival Beethoven. This two-disc release compiles tracks from his Sony years from 1998 to the present.

The R&B-flavoured hits such as Revolution, Shangri-La and A Sun That’s Been Washed In Spring Rain are still a treat to listen to, as are the emo ballads such as Kiss Goodbye and The One And Only.

There are also some pleasant surprises such as the jazzy vibe of the less familiar Love Love Love from 2003’s Unbelievable. What has not improved with time are his self-described “chinked-out” tracks, which attempt to meld hip-hop with Mandopop – the irritatingly pompous Heroes Of Earth even features elements of Chinese opera.

There are two new tracks included here: maudlin ballad Still Love You and the campily fun Fire Power To The Max.

But with the omission of the exuberant Impossible To Miss You and the groovy logic of Loving You Equals Loving Myself, this collection is definitely not firing on all cylinders.

(ST)