21st December, Sunny
Bell Yu Tian
Sweetie pie Bell Yu Tian gazes pensively into the distance on the album cover. And a quick glance at the song offerings takes in titles such as Softly & Tenderly and I Honestly Love You.
While it might seem like a triumph of packaging, there is happily more than meets the eye on the Malaysian newcomer’s disc.
Opening track Sweetness In The Rain is a radio-friendly ballad that does well to introduce her clean and light vocals.
Faded Away is another slow track that showcases her pipes to even greater effect. Over a cello-and-piano arrangement, she sings tenderly: “If loving me is a form of torture/Why do you insist on enduring this bewilderment?”
She also ventures into rock territory with the title track and Tale Of The Red Bean. The latter even plays around with vocal effects for a slightly edgy effect.
Given that she can write and sing and is open to trying different things, the prognosis for her future is, in a word, sunny.
(ST)