Go South
Super Band

Four veteran musicians, one limited-edition super-group.That was the conceit which brought Lo Ta-yu, Jonathan Lee, Wakin Chau and Chang Chen-yue together in 2008.
It resulted in them touring for 10 months and playing to more than one million fans, and also led to the release of two EPs, North Bound and Go South.
I have never found them fully convincing as a band, however. There are a handful of tracks on which they come together as a cohesive whole, including Desperado from North Bound and Coming Home from Go South.
The rest of the time though, be it on stage or on disc, it is about each singer-songwriter doing his own thing. And hence Hand Holding is very Lo Ta-yu, Art Of Love is very Chang Chen-yue, There’s Light is very Wakin Chau and Jonathan’s Song is, well, very Jonathan.
Sure, they wrote songs for one another but that is a form of collaboration that could easily have taken place outside of the framework of this grouping.
They have since officially split up, but is this really the last we’ll see of Super Band? I wouldn’t bet on it.

55:38:7
Serene Koong

We all know how important that first impression is and newbie Singaporean singer Serene Koong gets it right with opener Charlie. A jaunty piano riff, a breezy cascade of whistling and then a voice that swings: “I like your Chaplin-esque black humour/ I’m about to burst into flames like a poem”.
The tune was composed by Koong, a contestant in the inaugural Singapore Idol in 2004, while Xiao Han wrote the lyrics. There is a lightly quirky vibe and welcome sense of playfulness to their collaborations which also include Voodoo Doll and Like A Freak.
The TV drama theme songs such as Knowing and Protected are more conventional but, to Koong’s credit, the album is consistently listenable thanks to her inviting pipes.
Despite it being a jingle for a soda, Lala, the duet with label-mate Wu Jiahui, is effectively effervescent. I prefer it to her ballad with Jaycee Chan, To:, even though that too has its charms.
All in all, a promising debut. One suggestion though – ditch that Lolita-esque styling.
(ST)