If You LuVVVVV Me
Eve Ai

Yellow Jacket
Rachel Liang

It seems British singer- songwriter Adele has become a favourite point of reference for Taiwanese female newcomers. First there was Jia Jia, who made her solo debut with Unforgettable (2013), and now there is Eve Ai.
Ai, the fifth champion of the singing competition Super Idol (2010-2011), certainly has a set of alluring pipes. She is also versatile enough to handle a variety of material from the sassy swing of Dark Angel (“I’m a dark angel, dark angel/ Observing which girl is too accommodating towards love”) to the lovely ballad Critical Juncture (“The critical juncture when love comes/See a sunny day I haven’t seen in a while”).
There is even an English track, Metal Girl, which she co-wrote. It is a jazzy number about toughening up in the face of heartbreak: “Like I said, when you’ve been through it, then you’re a metal girl/Lift your pride, girl wipe your eyes, girl let it shine.” Ai is definitely one to watch, Adele comparison or no.
Taiwan’s Rachel Liang, another star from the singing competition reality show circuit, is onto her fourth album.
I could not recognise who it was on Yellow Jacket’s cover when I first saw it – and that is a good thing. She was in danger of becoming too predictable with sweet vacant poses paired with records dominated by love ballads. The new disc sees her taking on upbeat numbers and she has had a styling makeover as well.
The title track is a cheery song about a cherished piece of clothing: “If god lets me bring just one item to a desert island/And I have 15 seconds to decide/I think I only have this quality product I can’t bear to leave behind.”
There are still ballads here, of course, and the standout is songwriter-producer Adia’s What Is Love with its slow-burn chorus: “I miss you, I miss you/Unable to break away/I love you, I love you/Unable to hold back.”
Yellow Jacket’s direction is a good fit for her.
(ST)