Rainie & Love...?

Rainie Yang

Rashomon

Show Luo

My Love Story

Linda Chung

Actors often feel the need to multitask and pick up a mike as well. It is such a natural progression that it is encapsulated in the phrase “yan er you ze chang”, which means acting well and hence moving into singing.

Too often, though, what triggers that leap is something as prosaic as cheque book considerations.

Two of Taiwan’s hottest stars Rainie Yang and Show Luo are currently starring in the idol drama Hi My Sweetheart. This means the timing is perfect for the release of their new albums, both featuring the obligatory duet In Your Eyes.

The best thing about Yang’s album is that the priestess of cute sounds less whiny when singing than acting and she does a decent job on ballads such as Anonymous Good Friend and Rainy Love, the end theme song from Sweetheart.

But the appropriately named Yao Wo De Ming (It’s Gonna Kill Me) had me stabbing the fast-forward button, while lines such as “Girls need love/In order to become beautiful” do her no favours.

You have to wonder what happens when cute no longer cuts it and the music stops?

Luo, resorting to a different route, tries to be more gaga than Lady Gaga with funky eyewear and adventurous outfits on his seventh album. The nimble-footed entertainer is known for his slick moves and the album kicks off with dance numbers Luo Sheng Men (Lover’s Puzzle) and Ai De Zhu Chang Xiu (The Leading Role). Got You Nailed dishes up some retro disco vibe while closer WOW has him sharing the limelight with label mate Elva Hsiao.

There is an element of campy fun to the fast numbers, which also do a better job of diverting attention from his unmemorable voice. But there is no getting away from ballads, so he ploughs through I’ll Get Used To It, Hazardous Idea and You Won’t Be Alone.

Although he might be the bigger star, there is no question that Alien Huang, his co-host on the variety show 100% Entertainment, came up with the superior album with Love Hero.

Also jumping on the multi-hyphenate bandwagon is Hong Kong TVB actress and former beauty queen Linda Chung. To her credit, she has a hand in composing some of the songs but that does not quite compensate for her reedy voice. Worse, the dated arrangements make the tracks, in particular Sheng Si Ye Wei Ai (Live Or Die, It’s All For Love), sound like theme songs to drama serials of yesteryear.

She messes with the classics on a remake of Fly Me To The Moon and a Cantonese version of Sandy Lam’s I Heard That Love Had Returned but the results are not particularly revelatory.

Sometimes, it is better to just stick with one thing and do that well.

(ST)