In Love With...
Z-Chen Chang

Most Wanted
ThomasJack

Several Malaysian singers have been experiencing a second wind in their music career. There was Nicholas Teo with the gorgeous ballad Let’s Not Fall In Love Again and a revitalised Penny Tai shone on the album On The Way Home.
Now, Z-Chen Chang makes three.
The album opens with the Percy Phang-penned Invaluable Advice. As with Teo’s showstopper, an encounter with an ex sets off a rush of emotions: “Talk about memories, too shamefaced, mention tomorrow, too risky/Unless there’s a chance for us to pick up the pieces/Want to date again, too casual/Painful words as if in my ear/Goodbye is the best invaluable advice”.
Met Too Soon, also by Phang, is another ballad shimmering with regret and brought to life by Chang’s smooth emotive croon.
Impressively, the singer also grooves along on the more uptempo R&B tracks, such as 2013 and Loneliness Is A Crime. The glaring mis-step here is the electrosynth of, yikes, Toy Boy.
Meanwhile, new duo ThomasJack are hoping to catch their first wind.
The songs by Thomas Guo and Jack Chen have a sunny youthful vibe and even Tears Of Earth’s green message is set to a light-hearted melody.
But they need material that is more distinctive, or pushes the envelope a little more, to stand out from the crowd.
They are already stars in their native Malaysia, but achieving Most Wanted status in the region and beyond will not be a breeze.
(ST)