Good Rogue
Eric Lin
Unless you are a fan of televised singing competition shows, you are not likely to be familiar with Malaysia’s Eric Lin.
Even though he released his first EP in Malaysia back in 2002, it was his stints on various contests, including the popular Chinese Million Star, that have raised his profile in recent years. It has even paved the way for him to release his first full-length album, Good Rogue.
As the title suggests, the persona here is one of a sensitive tough guy. He sings on the Percy Phang-composed title track: “I just keep loving/Keep loving/You can criticise as you wish/Even if it’s arrogance/I’m a good rogue”.
Lin has a decent set of pipes and he is versatile enough to handle faster-paced tracks and even take on English, as Like A Love Song proves. But he could do with more distinctive material. It gets hard to tell apart one mid-tempo ballad from another after a while.
Instead of this album, it might well take another television appearance to boost his profile once more.
(ST)