Happiness
Soo Wincci

Say The Words
Qu Wanting

Malaysia’s Wincci Soo is a former beauty queen, but don’t hold that against her as a singer. There is a porous quality to her voice – like ceramic which lets light through – which sets her apart from the crowd. It borders on being fragile, but possesses an underlying sense of strength.
Her pipes are best showcased on ballads and mid-tempo tracks, and the album – considered her second record, apart from some releases meant only for her home market – wisely opens with a few of them in a row. I’ll Be Alright puts a different spin front on the aftermath of a break-up: “Frankly, I’ve been happy all this while/That’s why I feel bad.”
The faster-paced numbers such as Scary Scary Night and the dance number The Whisperer feel a little out of place after that mellow opening, although they do serve to show her versatility in tackling different genres of material.
A more cohesive effort is China-born Vancouver-based Qu Wanting’s Say The Words. If you are looking for more of the lush piano-backed pop of her previous hit, You Exist In My Song, there is Love Ocean and When It’s Lonely.
Love Ocean is already a radio hit and it draws on the singer-songwriter’s own story: “Living in another land, my ambition is aimed far away/Your love makes me strong/You clap for me as the song lingers/Immersed in an ocean of love.”
It is not just more of the same, though.
Opening English track Time, My Friend has a slinky Latin groove to it, while STHU, short for shut the hell up, reveals a feisty side to the singer.
Not everything works here. Joker Needs Laughter, for example, is just too repetitive in its use of the title phrase.
But at least you get a sense that everything on this album is exactly what Qu wants to convey.
(ST)