Endlessly
Lin Yu-chun
Taiwanese reality singing show star Lin Yu-chun is back with his third album, made up mostly of English tracks, and it opens on a promising note.
Opening track Saving Grace is surprisingly low-key and restrained, and is all the better for it. Lin croons gently: “Lonely corner/In deep water/You are always my saving grace.”
It is a pity that his English pronunciation makes it sound like “in dip water”, marring the effect.
Several numbers – Stay For Awhile, Good Isn’t Good Enough – fall into an adult-oriented middle- of-the-road groove that seems too old and dated for the 25-year-old.
It is back to business on the title track Endlessly though. It is a song tailor-made for fans who adore his take on dramatic ballads, in which he scales those high notes.
Also included are covers of the Carpenters’ Close To You and Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love Of All. After all, he first caught the attention of the public with his rendition of I Will Always Love You. Unfortunately, the covers themselves are reverent and unexciting affairs.
It is something of a relief to have him singing in his native Mandarin tongue on the last few tracks. They are not quite the saving grace of the album, but at least he has no problems with diction on them.
(ST)