Time Flies
Eason Chan

Times flies, but not fast enough between Cantonese releases by Eason Chan.
On them, the Hong Kong singer goes for broke in his choice of material in a way that he just does not do on his more mainstream Mandarin releases. Add to the fact that he performs an act of alchemy whenever he sings in Cantonese. Somehow, the timbre of his voice and the tones of the language seem made for each other.
His back catalogue is replete with examples of this magic from the stellar balladry of Guilty Conscience on H3M (2009) and Under Mount Fuji on What’s Going On... ? (2006) to the all-dance album Listen To Eason Chan (2007).
No Man’s Land, the first single from this six-track EP, tackles the unlikely subject of infidelity head-on. And this is after Chan himself was rumoured to have been embroiled in an affair with fellow married Cantopop star Kay Tse.
Wyman Wong’s incisive lyrics cut into the heart of illicit desire: “I want to lie without batting an eyelid, this love is inhumane.”One wonders how much to read into such lines as “If we had met three or five years earlier, there wouldn’t be this struggle in my heart/I believe nothing can develop if we were to continue this entanglement/But I want to be entangled with you”.
The controversial lyrics and a striking video of the singer struggling underwater have turned this into a smash hit in Hong Kong.
Given the brevity of the record, there really are no filler tracks, though the inclusion of the ad jingle for McDonald’s is a little jarring.
Regardless, there is no doubting that Chan is at a creative peak right now, but he is not one to rest on his laurels. Instead, he will dress up as a human salamander for the cover just to show you that he is willing, and able, to go out on a limb.

Shero
S.H.E.

On April 17, girl group S.H.E and rock band Mayday will be battling it out in Singapore with concerts at different venues. But really, it is all good off-stage. After all, singer-songwriter Ashin wrote the lyrics to their 12th album’s title track Shero.
This reviewer though is not convinced by such lines as: “Can’t see, can’t find, can’t wait for your hero/Why not be a shero who props up the sky with her own two hands?” The trio’s message of female empowerment has always seemed too glib and opportunistic.
The highlights are instead the Minnan track I Love Rainy Flower Night which is cloaked with nostalgia and Desert Island, the JJ Lin-composed romantic duet (or is it quartet?) with One Million Star alumnus Judy Chou, Desert Island.
Despite not having the strongest vocals, Selina, Hebe and Ella have proved to be surprisingly resilient with a smart choice of commercial pop and by diversifying into idol dramas and lucrative endorsement deals.
The accompanying DVD of their Taipei concert built around their previous album FM S.H.E (2008) actually shows them up when it comes to live performances but it will probably only serve to whet fans’ appetites for their upcoming gig here.
(ST)