Break Heart, Black Heart
Alien Huang

Taiwan’s singer-actor- host Alien Huang has deftly avoided the dreaded sophomore slump. While his debut record Love Hero (2009) had a hip, youthful spirit that was irresistible, his ambitious follow-up admirably avoids replicating what had previously worked.
Huang tries his hand at coming up with the lyrics this time. He contributed to the dense wordplay of Black Heart and also paints love as a turbulent affair in the opening synth-rock number Whirlpool: “The enemy doesn’t move, I move; you don’t charge, I charge/Unless you love me, otherwise I won’t leave.”
The disc also features a wide variety of genres, from the winning ballad Who Knows You Better Than Me to the perky pop of Infatuated Man to the unexpected reggae pop of Front Back Left Right. Thank You For Letting Me Be Equal To You is most reminiscent of Love Hero’s vibe. And no wonder, since it was written by the band Fun4, a major collaborator on that record.
On the whole, a heartening follow-up.
(ST)