Lullaby
Tracy Huang
Fourteen years after her last album Crazy For Love (1998), Taiwan-born Tracy Huang has decided to put out a new album. Her 51st release is not a record of new material but, as the title points out, a collection of tunes to soothe and comfort.
It is a kind of benediction as well.
She writes in the liner notes: “I hope and pray that every child with a lullaby will grow up happily with the accompaniment of singing. For the child without a lullaby, I send him one as a gift to comfort all his unease.”
At 60, Huang’s voice can still sound as gentle as a caress and the effect is buttressed by the dreamy reverb as she sings a selection of Mandarin and English folk and pop classics.
Illustrator Jimmy Liao’s whimsical drawings add to the child-like vibe of innocence here. Huang’s take on The Mamas & The Papas’ Dream A Little Dream Of Me even features the voice of her then six-year-old niece.
A highlight here is the Minnan number My Sweet Baby, composed by feted singer-songwriter Lo Ta-yu.
Huang might not have biological children of her own but her hopes and wishes for the child in the song are touchingly moving.
Rest assured, grown-up fans, this is not just for children but also for the child in you.

On My Way
Jane Huang
After two albums as one-half of rock duo Y2J, Taiwan’s Jane Huang goes solo with a clutch of strong songs, courtesy of a stellar group of lyricists and composers.
Slightly left-of-centre electro-pop opener Run Run Run by Sandee Chan serves as a good introduction to what is on offer here – Huang as a spirited indie musician who is trying to find her way forward.
Make no mistake, she might have a bright open voice but there is an edge to it that tips her over into rocker rather than sweet-young-thing territory.
Chan is also responsible for the ballad Good Enough, which begins with the evocative couplet: “You’re good to me, the coldest winter has left behind your jacket/Your jacket, has imbued even my shadow with your scent ever since.”
Power rocker Wu Bai contributes three tracks. His strong personal style can sometimes overwhelm the material he writes for others but the surprisingly understated alt-rock vibe of I Won’t Cry proves to be the perfect fit for Huang.
The album’s title track, meanwhile, is radio-friendly pop fare and the idol drama theme song for Ti Amo Chocolate should serve to attract a wider audience to her debut.
On My Way suggests that Huang might not have all the answers regarding her destination but she knows that the journey itself is meaningful.
(ST)