On The Way Home
Penny Tai
On her milestone 10th album, Malaysian singer-songwriter Penny Tai sounds refreshed and revitalised.
She apparently wrote the songs while taking a break in the United States and there is a relaxed vibe to the material here.
On the jangly opener On The Way Home, she has an epiphany: “On the way home, I realised I hate the bustle of the city/During these free-and-easy days, I kissed the earth”.
Bare My Feet continues in this breezy folksy vein: “I want to bare my feet and dance on the streets/Counting the faces in love, moving step by step”.
Another highlight here is the mid- tempo Beautiful Times which finds Tai in a reflective mood: “There’s a stretch of road I’ve walked that I won’t forget/A person I’ve loved still in my heart/Although I’ve fallen along the way, that’s growing, too/I’m not afraid, it’s not just bravado”.
It all points to a renewed sense of purpose, which bodes well for her journey as a singer-songwriter.
(ST)