The Answer Is... Stefanie Sun 2010 Resorts World Sentosa Chinese New Year Concert

Resorts World Convention Centre,

Compass Ballroom

Tuesday

When local singer Stefanie Sun held her concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium seven months ago, she seemed subdued for much of the time on stage. This time around, the 31-year-old appeared to be much more comfortable and it made all the difference.

It could be the fact that this is essentially a scaled-down rehash of her July show, one she is intimately familiar with by now.

Or perhaps she felt less pressure to dazzle because, as she herself indicated, many tickets were given away by Resorts World Sentosa and attendance was not a direct reflection of her box-office draw.

There were, in fact, several hundred empty seats gaping conspicuously in the choice area up front – they were reserved for the casino’s VIPs who did not turn up.

A paying audience abhors a vacuum, especially if the void is closer to the stage than where they are seated. So the moment the lights went down, fans from the tiered seats at the back of the ballroom surged forward.

The darkened atmosphere also proved to be a boon in other ways. For one thing, the audience no longer had to look at the tacky flower-shaped lights on the ceiling. For another, the stage no longer looked dwarfed by the cavernous hall, which was configured to seat 4,500 people for the show.

The relatively low ceiling of the venue rules out elaborate stages so the vibe of the place is decidedly more Suntec City Convention Hall than Indoor Stadium. This meant that Sun did not have to compete for one’s attention against a set-up with a whole lot of bells and whistles.

Whatever the reason, it was a transformed performer on stage, one brimming with confidence as she delivered hit after hit from 10 best-selling albums.

The choreography was tight on the fast-paced numbers such as Magic and Dreams Never Fail while her distinctively textured voice was in fine form for signature ballads such as My Love and I’m Not Upset.

The acoustics of the hall were clean and clear, and unlike the Indoor Stadium gig, there were no microphone problems to mar her delivery.

A key element that was retained from the previous show was the whimsical and outre costumes, courtesy of Hong Kong’s William Chang, best known for his work on director Wong Kar Wai’s films.

During the 90-minute-plus show, Sun shimmered and glittered in a sparkly outfit straight out of a 1960s sci-fi flick and then preened and posed in a get-up consisting of an origami headpiece and a cream short dress with oversized sequins.

Clearly in a relaxed mood, she gave out hongbao on this third day of the Chinese New Year and, in a reference to media interest over her relationship status, quipped that this did not mean that she had gotten married.

Her easy command of the proceedings was most clearly demonstrated at the start of the joyous First Day.

She simply said “You can stand up now”, and the audience duly obeyed.

I had wondered after watching her last concert whether she would fare better in a smaller setting.

On Tuesday night, she had the songs, she had the voice and, crucially, she had the attitude. The answer was clear.

(ST)

Rainie & Love...?

Rainie Yang

Rashomon

Show Luo

My Love Story

Linda Chung

Actors often feel the need to multitask and pick up a mike as well. It is such a natural progression that it is encapsulated in the phrase “yan er you ze chang”, which means acting well and hence moving into singing.

Too often, though, what triggers that leap is something as prosaic as cheque book considerations.

Two of Taiwan’s hottest stars Rainie Yang and Show Luo are currently starring in the idol drama Hi My Sweetheart. This means the timing is perfect for the release of their new albums, both featuring the obligatory duet In Your Eyes.

The best thing about Yang’s album is that the priestess of cute sounds less whiny when singing than acting and she does a decent job on ballads such as Anonymous Good Friend and Rainy Love, the end theme song from Sweetheart.

But the appropriately named Yao Wo De Ming (It’s Gonna Kill Me) had me stabbing the fast-forward button, while lines such as “Girls need love/In order to become beautiful” do her no favours.

You have to wonder what happens when cute no longer cuts it and the music stops?

Luo, resorting to a different route, tries to be more gaga than Lady Gaga with funky eyewear and adventurous outfits on his seventh album. The nimble-footed entertainer is known for his slick moves and the album kicks off with dance numbers Luo Sheng Men (Lover’s Puzzle) and Ai De Zhu Chang Xiu (The Leading Role). Got You Nailed dishes up some retro disco vibe while closer WOW has him sharing the limelight with label mate Elva Hsiao.

There is an element of campy fun to the fast numbers, which also do a better job of diverting attention from his unmemorable voice. But there is no getting away from ballads, so he ploughs through I’ll Get Used To It, Hazardous Idea and You Won’t Be Alone.

Although he might be the bigger star, there is no question that Alien Huang, his co-host on the variety show 100% Entertainment, came up with the superior album with Love Hero.

Also jumping on the multi-hyphenate bandwagon is Hong Kong TVB actress and former beauty queen Linda Chung. To her credit, she has a hand in composing some of the songs but that does not quite compensate for her reedy voice. Worse, the dated arrangements make the tracks, in particular Sheng Si Ye Wei Ai (Live Or Die, It’s All For Love), sound like theme songs to drama serials of yesteryear.

She messes with the classics on a remake of Fly Me To The Moon and a Cantonese version of Sandy Lam’s I Heard That Love Had Returned but the results are not particularly revelatory.

Sometimes, it is better to just stick with one thing and do that well.

(ST)

Re:Kindle Love

Ko-Nen Creative Arts House and The Arts House

The Hall @ The Arts House

It is hard to put one’s finger on exactly what emotion this Mandarin musical fanned the flames of most, but it definitely was not love.

Was it the incredulity one felt when 20something protagonist Feng Qi (Trey Ho) and single mother Ai Ling (Renee Chua) bump into each other and, in the next breath, are crooning a love duet even though she has barely registered his presence?

Or perhaps it was the bewilderment one experienced when Feng Qi buys a bracelet with the words Zai Jian Ai for the one he loves? The show translates the phrase awkwardly as Rekindle Love but the first translation that popped into mind was actually Goodbye Love.

When not engineering convenient run-ins between characters, film-maker Gloria Chee’s script merrily marries old-school melodrama with eyebrow-raising inanities. We get an orphan with a terminal disease, three women entangled with one man and a confrontation at the cemetery that had even the unusually forgiving 60-plus members of the audience tittering.

Add to the mix the heavy-handed direction by Jalyn Han and it is little wonder that the fresh-faced cast, including Ho, Regina Tey as Feng Qi’s good friend Mei Qin and Lee Qian Yu as Ai Ling’s rebellious daughter Ai Ai, never stood much of a chance despite some promising singing.

Given that singer-songwriter Jiu Jian was part of the 1980s xinyao movement and has also penned compositions for the likes of Jacky Cheung, his musical numbers in the show should have been engaging.

Unfortunately, they were not always cogent to the admittedly challenging plot.

The best number was The Seventh Day In The Desert, which was previously recorded by Taiwanese singer Cyndi Chao. But alas, given that most of its lyrics were too location specific to be shoehorned even into this show, we had to be content with just the chorus as Ai Ling mourned her late husband.

This musical purports to be an earnest exploration of love but it falls far short of its lofty intentions.

In the end, it was the English surtitles, with their cavalier attitude towards punctuation, grammar and meaning, which proved to be more entertaining.

(ST)

True Legend

Yuen Woo Ping

The story: Su Can (Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo) is the creator of the legendary martial arts skill Drunken Fist. What lies behind this achievement is a tragic tale of betrayal and loss set in China in the late 19th century.

Like a wooden pillar struck by Su Can’s sword, this movie splits neatly into two.

The first part deals with Su’s betrayal by his adopted brother. Yuan Lie’s (Andy On glowering scarily) father was killed by Su senior for his evil ways, so he holds a grudge against the Su family.

He eventually exacts a terrible vengeance and while Su Can and his wife Xiaoying (Zhou Xun) survive, their son is held hostage by Yuan Lie.

The unfolding of all this presents many opportunities for tightly choreographed fights and the fluid mayhem is a thing of beauty.

One scene that stands out is the showdown sequence between Su Can and Yuan Lie in a well. One can only marvel at the athleticism on display as they manoeuvre for advantage and balance while scuttling up and down the wall of the well with limbs outstretched.

Then again, one would expect no less from Yuen Woo Ping. Despite helming the classic Jackie Chan gongfu flick Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow (1978), he is probably best known for being an action director non pareil and his choreography can be seen in such diverse films as the Wachowski brothers’ sci-fi dystopia flick The Matrix (1999) and the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

Zhao handles the action adroitly and while he is a more expressive actor than, say, Donnie Yen, he seems more suited for playing the debonair, gentlemanly warrior that Su Can is at the start of the film rather than the drunk and unkempt beggar he later becomes.

Still, there is at least a degree of believability to him and Zhou Xun being a loving couple.

True Legend though is not content to leave well enough alone after the climactic showdown between Su Can and Yuan Lie as the film has yet to account for the creation of the Drunken Fist.

This is where things get out of whack and we are suddenly watching an Ultimate Fighting Championship in Heilongjiang which pits Chinese fighters against towering Caucasians.

It gets even more surreal when the late David Carradine, best known for his 1972 TV series Kung Fu, inexplicably shows up as Anton, the dastardly manager of the Westerners.

Despite some competition from music star Jay Chou as the God Of Martial Arts and actress Michelle Yeoh as the kindly Sister Yu, Carradine wins hands down for the most distracting cameo.

When Su Can finally comes up with the Drunken Fist, it feels more like an afterthought than an integral part of the story. Instead, it is the bizarre turn taken by the film that will floor you.

(ST)

Little Big Soldier

Ding Sheng

The story: A foot soldier from Liang (Jackie Chan) and a general from Wei (Wang Lee Hom) are the sole survivors of a bloody battle between the warring states in China (3rd to 5th century BC). The soldier plans to take the wounded general back to Liang for a reward but he soon finds that there are others on their trail.

After the dismal Hollywood detours of recent years – some griped that The Tuxedo (2002) was a limp rag – it is a pleasure to see that the Jackie Chan of old is back.

It used to be that having his name above the title of a movie would guarantee healthy returns at the box office. Each new movie from the action-comedy superstar was eagerly awaited in the 1980s and early 1990s, as he sought to outdo himself with ever more elaborate death-defying stunts.

The daredevil fell from a clock tower and crashed through a series of cloth canopies in Project A (1983), and leapt into the air and slid down a pole of twinkling Christmas lights in Police Story (1985). But he always sprang back no matter what he was put through.

Just as important as the action was the comedy. Chan’s goofy underdog persona endeared him to one and all and had audiences rooting for him.

So meeting the Liang soldier Chan plays in this movie feels a little like meeting an old rascally friend.

He is a bit of a trickster and he survives the battle by pretending to get shot by an arrow, a gag that gets recycled to better effect later on in the film.

The pragmatic fellow seizes the opportunity when he comes across the wounded Wei general and decides to lug him back to Liang for a reward.

One wonders what could have been if Chan had acted opposite his own son Jaycee, a casting choice that was nixed by Mrs Chan, 1970s Taiwanese screen idol Lin Feng-chiao, as they were too similar in character. She may be right as there is some engaging odd-couple chemistry between Chan and actor-singer Wang Lee Hom, happily much improved in his first big-screen outing since the racy espionage thriller Lust, Caution (2007).

At first, there seems to be little in common between the principled general and what he sees as a snivelling foot soldier who dreams only of having his own plot of land where he can grow crops and settle down with a family.

But the two bond, inevitably, as they try to escape from the general’s dangerously ambitious brother Prince Wen and when they fall into the hands of a fierce tribe of warriors.

And by the end of the film, the yearning for peace and domesticity achieves an unexpected poignancy.

The movie, by China director Ding Sheng, moves along fairly briskly. This also means that discordant elements – the lines of Korean actor Steve Woo (Prince Wen) are not dubbed over – do not get too annoying.

Do stay for the out-takes, which are something of a Chan trademark. He may no longer be risking life and limb to thrill audiences but it still takes precision and ingenuity to choreograph a seemingly simple scene of him and Wang fighting over a sword.

Perhaps it is time to start looking forward to Jackie Chan movies again?

(ST)

While I

Shin

Let's Smile!

F.I.R.

Chris Lee

Chris Lee

Magic Power

Magic Power

Do Chinese people have rock? If they do, what should Chinese rock be like?

Singer Zhao Chuan posed this query in the song Fen Mo Deng Chang, meaning “to put on make-up and go on stage”, back in 1991 and it is something that artistes still grapple with today.

On his third solo offering, Shin, previously of Shin Band, takes the rock ballad route and topped the Taiwan album charts for his pains.

Come Back and Can’t Be Without You exemplify this approach: dramatic mid-tempo songs that have him wearing his heart on his sleeve as he wails and scales his falsetto range.

It gets wearying, with the growling and snarling coming across as so much posturing and the musical arrangements merely a recycling of the most hackneyed rock cliches.

Zhui Gan Shi Jie (Chasing After The World) provides a brief respite from the theatrics but is buried deep in the album. Shin should take his own advice when he sings: “I’ve never been afraid of change, bravely challenging what’s new.”

So should pop-rock trio F.I.R., who smile determinedly in the face of familiarity.

The whiff of deja vu on opener Find My Way only grows more pronounced over the course of the album. The trio are stuck in a rut they cannot seem to get out of.

When they do try something different on the summery Surfing Season, they end up sounding like Won Fu instead. Mostly though, the conundrum for F.I.R. is how to create music that does not sound like what they have done before.

Chris Lee has the opposite problem as she struggles to create a distinctive sound. Better known as Li Yuchun, the winner of China’s singing competition Super Girl in 2005 tries everything on her third, self-titled album.

The end result is a scattered effort that goes from the dance-rock of A Mo to the breezy pop of See You, Next, Corner to the cutesy Little Universe.

She even throws in snatches of Cantonese on Serves You Right and also tries her hand at rap. She has always stood out for her androgynous look and voice but the material she writes does not always gel with those singular qualities.

Which leaves newcomers Magic Power to cast a spell with their energetic debut.

These six guys in their 20s may look like a boyband but they write their own material, with most of the compositions from vocalist Yen Yen.

Purists may sniff, but this refreshing record mixes rock, dance, rap and hip-hop into an irreverent and irresistible whole. Check out Busy Man where the boys have fun with a jokey use of falsetto as they take a dig at the bustle of modern life and then give advice to take it easy.

Their optimistic outlook on tracks such as Be OK, Going Back In Time and New World is a welcome ray of sunshine, though Get Out strikes a contrarian note by railing against society’s injustices.

Still, the lads get what Zhao Chuan sang about: “You said rock can sometimes be an attitude towards life/Do as you please with the melody but the rhythm must be clear.”

(ST)

14 Blades

Daniel Lee

The story: When the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty falls into the clutches of evil eunuch Jia, Qinglong (Green Dragon, played by Donnie Yen), head of the Jinyiwei elite squad of secret agents, becomes the most wanted man in the country. He seeks the help of an escort agency to smuggle him out of the capital and strikes up a tentative romance with Qiao Hua (Zhao Wei), daughter of the agency’s chief.

There are as many elements simmering away in this potboiler thriller as there are blades in the title. This makes for a long and clunky exposition in which the background has to be laid out.

The audience learns about the unscrupulous Xuan Wu (Qi Yuwu) who is in cahoots with eunuch Jia (Law Kar Ying) and is part of Prince Qing’s (Sammo Hung) conspiracy to overthrow the court.

Then, in a lengthy aside, it is told about the titular blades. Given to Qinglong, eight of them are for torture, five for killing and the last one for committing suicide if the mission fails.

It takes a good while before the film settles down into the pursuit of Qinglong by rogue agents.

And there is still more to come with the introduction of Tuo Tuo (Kate Tsui), a highly skilled femme fatale who is the adopted daughter of Prince Qing, and The Judge (Wu Chun), the warrior leader of a band of desert brigands.

Given director Daniel Lee’s professed love of, and previous experience in, martial arts flicks, the pay-off is that the moviegoer gets a number of stylishly executed fight scenes. But there are too many jarring ingredients for the whole thing to come together as a whole.

Yen is a reliable action leading man and he has been on a roll in recent years with hits such as cop thriller Flash Point (2007) and biopic Ip Man (2008). He is equally adept at wielding a gun or sword but still seems uncomfortable when a role demands more than fisticuffs.

Despite Zhao Wei’s best efforts, the blossoming romance between Qiao Hua and Qinglong is not very convincing and instead of providing the film with its emotional centre, is just another plotline to be accounted for.

There is also the snigger-inducing name of Tuo Tuo (which means to undress) who actually disrobes as she darts about in so-fast-the- viewer-needs-to-see-this-in-slo-mo fashion around her hapless opponents.

Wu Chun takes the cake, though, when he turns up looking like a reject from the Pirates Of The Caribbean sequels in his dreadlocks, chunky earring, bandanna and a vest two sizes too small in order to flaunt that taut midriff.

Having introduced all these disparate components, Lee then follows through on all of them, making it seem as though the film would never end.

With 14 Blades at his disposal, he could have considered using one or two to cut the movie down to size.

(ST)

Amit Live First World Tour

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Friday

What’s in a name? Plenty, it seems, when it comes to Taiwanese diva A-mei. The 37-year-old singer released an album under the moniker of Gulilai Amit last June, and in so doing liberated and energised herself to make music with a more adventurous sound.

In a way, the exercise was about going back to fundamentals since Amit is none other than her Puyuma aboriginal birth name.

The album sold well enough for the singer to launch a world tour in the guise of her new-yet-old persona. At her Singapore stop, she made her entrance in a winged and feathered concoction of black and white, holding court as she performed the Puyuma track, Amit.

From the start it was clear that this was going to be a rock concert. Black and silver outfits were de rigueur and long-haired male guitarists flailed away on stage.

Some of the best moments were her delivery of the thrillingly fast-paced Black Eat Black and the exhilaratingly brash Minnan track Come On If You Dare.

I actually wished for ear plugs at some point, a rare and not altogether unpleasant thought at a Mandopop concert.

Score one for Amit.

Her new identity did not reject the old entirely, as the album also included several slow-burn ballads such as Alter Ego, Falling and After The Sentimental Love Of Animals, harking back to the A-mei that the near-capacity crowd of 7,500 knew and loved.

She acknowledged that, as Amit, she did not have enough material to put on a full concert and so she proceeded to borrow songs from A-mei’s back catalogue.

The power balladeering on Can I Hold You?, Can’t Cry and especially on the lesser-heard gem, Chen Zao (While It’s Still Early) enthralled the crowd.

The obliging singer also proceeded to take requests and sang, a cappella, the classics Listen To The Sea and I Want Happiness. In addition, she crooned Jie Tuo (Release) as it was composed by Singaporean Xu Huaqiang, who had turned up for the show.

Score another for A-mei.

Was it A-mei or Amit, though, who donned a billowing leopard print cape and then wowed the fans with the Turandot aria Nessun Dorma in a drama queen moment? It showcased the vocal prowess of the versatile artist who had performed in a production of that opera in 2008.

And was it Amit or A-mei who drew on her bottomless reserve of strength and kept up the energy level right till the evening’s rousing final number, Kai Men Jian Shan (Straightforward)?

But really, what’s in a name? A-mei, or Amit, by any other name, would be just as entertaining.

(ST)

Simple, Or Not

Tiger Huang Hsiao-hu

Aftertaste

Karen Mok

Slowness

Kay Tse

I am woman, hear me roar. This could well be the rousing cry of Tiger Huang Hsiao-hu.

Best known for her 1990 hit Not Just Friends, her rich, husky vocals have grown only more evocative, burnished, one imagines, by nights in smoky pubs and the vicissitudes of the passing years.

Not So Simple sounds like the 46-year-old’s manifesto as the lyrics by Daryl Yao are tailor-made for her. She is by turns strong, “The things others say, just take a listen, the decision is still mine”, and vulnerable, “Don’t love loneliness, but you get used to it”.

Ultimately, she comes to terms with who she is at this stage of her life: “Past the age for dreaming, I would rather have peace and quiet than blazing glory.”

The tough-but-sensitive contrast is a little predictable on Shell but Huang makes you feel her pain when she asks: “Who would know?/It’s only a protective coat of colour.”

This class act blows every 20something pop idol out of the water.

There is more good news with a covers album that finally gets things right. With a delicate dusting of electronica, producer Zhang Yadong transforms stodgy folk ditties and dusty oldies and makes them cool once more. And Hong Kong singeractress Karen Mok brings to the table her distinctive vocal stylings.

There are highlights aplenty on this disc which was first available as a digital download in June last year.

The joyful whimsy of the Xinjiang folk song Playing Hand Drum Singing Song is irresistible and the music video complements the track perfectly.

Shanghai songbird Zhou Xuan’s Blooming Flowers And The Full Moon gets updated with a jazzy arrangement and Mok drawls and scats her way through this classic.

Even the eyebrow-raising mash-up of Half A Moon Rising and a snatch of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni as well as the re-imagining of Kangding Love Song work.

Also hailing from Hong Kong is Kay Tse, Cantopop’s unlikely star.

She is the mother of a two-year-old boy and her big 2008 hit Wedding Street Invitation came three long years after her 2005 debut. The late bloomer has taken the slow and steady route to stardom and she continues to do things her way on her new album.

Slowness luxuriates in one of the loveliest voices in Cantopop right now and avoids the route of obvious radio hits. There is a luminous sweetness to Tse’s vocals, and the fact that they are edged with throatiness only adds to the allure.

On the first track Alive, she bemoans the rush and ruckus of modern life: “Hurrying about for a living, it’s like stepping onto the highway/Pressing forward without being able to take a pause/Burying our heads in work, we finally forget how to live.”

The lyrics also evoke the glacial majesty of Iceland, where she went for the CD’s photo shoot. If even such breathtaking vistas fail to inspire us to stop and stare, then something is seriously awry.

And if these singular offerings fail to find an audience, it would be a crying shame. So go ahead, linger over Slowness, savour the Aftertaste and brace yourself for Tiger’s roar.

(ST)

The Boys Are Back

Scott Hicks

First there was Korea’s Mother and Hollywood’s Motherhood, now it is time for fathers to have their turn in the spotlight.

After the death of his second wife from cancer, sports writer Joe Warr (Clive Owen) has to learn to build a connection with his five-year-old son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty).

His parenting skills are further stretched when Harry (Rupert Grint-lookalike George MacKay), his 13-year- old son from his previous marriage, comes to visit him in Australia.

Joe has a stubborn, reckless streak and can be as petulant as a child himself, but Owen brings a rough-round-the- edges, roguish charm to the role. Some might consider his child-rearing philosophy rather slack though he himself proudly proclaims: “I run a pretty loose ship.”

There is some late drama when an episode of child-sitting by Harry ends badly and he scuttles home to England but this sweet, low-key film, based on journalist Simon Carr’s memoir, is ultimately an ode to unconventional fatherhood.

(ST)

20th Century Boys 3

Yukihiko Urasawa

The story: In the year 2017, masked world leader Friend prophesies that aliens will destroy humanity on Aug 20 and claims that only those who believe in him will be saved. Among those trying to stop him are Kenji (Toshiaki Karasawa), his niece Kanna (Airi Taira) and old schoolmate Occho (Etsushi Toyokawa).

Fret not if you did not catch the previous two instalments of this trilogy based on the popular Japanese manga. There is a quick recap at the beginning to bring you up to speed.

In Part One, catastrophic events described in The Book Of Prophecies, an innocent schoolboy concoction by Kenji and his mates back in the summer of 1969, inexplicably start coming true. It ends with cult leader Friend engineering the destruction of Tokyo via a virus- spewing giant robot on Dec 31, 2000.

Part Two picks up 15 years later as Friend plots to ascend to godhood, and hope for humanity rests on Kenji’s niece Kanna and his mates who survived Bloody New Year’s Eve.

While the summary is helpful in getting the major plot points across, it cannot change the fact that those who had previously missed out would be less interested in the fate of the characters.

This seemed to be no major hindrance as the movie was a huge hit in Japan. Released last August, this live-action adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning manga went on to spend six straight weeks at the top of box office charts.

Some may wish to debate the symbolism behind 20th Century Boys and its themes of power, control and heroism. But really, there is only one thing that the rest of us want to find out – who, exactly, is Friend?

Director Yukihiko Urasawa knows this and teases us by cutting to another scene every time it seems as if the mask will be ripped off.

Before we get to the final revelation, there is also the sprawling cast of characters to account for and their stories to delve into.

But whenever the film veers away from Friend, Kenji, a much-missed Karasawa in Part Two, or the stylish outlaw Occho, you get the feeling that it is merely treading water.

There is even one last feint as the rolling credits signal – not the end of the film, but the start of a 15-minute coda that lays it all out.

This ending, which is different from the manga’s, was so closely guarded that it was cut from press screenings in Japan.

Over the course of the movies, the director has pointed us to the pivotal events that took place in 1969, and all signs indicate that Friend is, in fact, someone from Kenji’s boyhood.

Suffice to say that those who sat through all seven hours-plus of the trilogy will not feel cheated by the denouement.

(ST)

Super Band 2010 World Tour Final Voyage In Singapore

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Saturday

The long and winding road has led Mandopop’s Super Band back to Singapore, six months after their last concert here.

Since their first gig in Taipei last March, the fab four have been touring constantly, trekking as far afield as Vancouver and Las Vegas, and performing for more than 1.3 million people.

In the process, they have honed their act and, last Saturday, before a near-

capacity crowd of 7,500, they presented a slicker show compared to their early gigs.

Dressed in coordinated outfits of black and white, singer-songwriters Lo Ta-yu, 55, Jonathan Lee, 51, Wakin Chau, 49, and Chang Chen- yue, 35, stepped on stage from a train carriage mock-up and launched into their new song, Return.

The lyrics were a reflection of their life on the road and also captured the spirit of the group: a few wanderers chasing their dreams.

After an opening medley of songs, each performer had his turn. Lo rocked out on East Wind and Shaking Hands, his distinctive voice pitched halfway between growling and singing.

Chau, best known for his easy-on- the-ear hits, obliged with three ballads in his clear and warm tenor and had the whole stadium singing along when he crooned Hua Xin (Flower Heart) and Friends.

Chang played the harmonica and upped the tempo with the party-hearty Malasang. Vocally though, he seemed the least assured and his twang was a little too flat in The Feeling That I Want. He did provide, though, some of the night’s highlights with the down-to-earth, slice-of-life lyrics on He Jiu (Drinking) and The Experience Of First Love.

Lee showcased his songwriting flair by taking on hits he had written for others. The guitar and violin arrangement worked best for Zhao Chuan’s I Am A Little Bird, while Lee’s gruff-voiced interpretation of Winnie Hsin’s Understanding and Sylvia Chang’s The Price Of Love came across as flippant.

You began to wonder where Super Band were and this was not helped by the fact that they did not perform much of North Bound Mega EP. This was their sole release as a short-lived band as they will break up after their final two shows in Taipei on Friday and Saturday.

One is tempted to be cynical about the entire enterprise and see it as a gimmicky attempt to revive flagging careers rather than a musical labour of love.

However, the project has been fruitful for those involved.

Chang has taken to drumming and intends to pursue it seriously, while musical collaborations have sprung up among them and are likely to continue even if the moniker of Super Band is retired.

The time together has clearly strengthened their camaraderie. A video presentation had them taking the mickey out of one another by mimicking one another’s gestures.

The concert ended with Desperado, the first song they wrote together, which is a rap-rock collaboration fusing their individual strengths as musicians to deliver something different, and lending some credibility to the notion of the band.

Just do not announce a comeback tour six months down the road.

(ST)

Love Hero

Alien Huang

The third time is the charm for actor-singer Alien Huang.

The host of the popular Taiwanese variety show 100% Entertainment was once part of two short-lived groups.

Both TV Asahi’s Japanese boyband HC3 and Taiwanese boyband Cosmos disbanded after releasing one record each.

His hip, catchy solo effort has topped the album charts in Taiwan.

It has attitude to spare, with compositions from popular band Mayday’s Monster and Ashin, rocker Chang Chen-yue and up-and-coming band Fun4.

The titles Toy Gun And Roses, I Don’t Want To Live Forever and Losers In Love Club place the album firmly within the youthful zeitgeist.

It calls to mind another debut, Achord Hsieh’s Nothing But Achord. While that singer’s vibe is more indie hip-pop, this Alien wants to rock your world.

Poetic Rock

Wu Bai and China Blue

Wu Bai has such a distinctive sound that he often leaves his stamp on material he writes for other people. His collaboration with pop queen Faye Wong for her 2001 self-titled album, for example, was not quite a success for that same reason.

(Incidentally, Wong has made her long-awaited comeback with the theme song to the upcoming film, Confucius. Next, a full-length album please.)

Sometimes, though, Wu Bai manages to surprise. Who would have thought that the polished pop of If This Is Not Love by God of Song Jacky Cheung and starlet Cyndi Wang’s I’ll Be Fine came from his pen? Then you hear his take and it all makes sense.

The album works best if you have heard the versions by the singers the songs were written for.

Otherwise, it just feels like a haphazard collection of songs by Wu Bai.

Forgive Me, I Didn't Say...

Sam Lee

The gymnastics theme of the photos featured in the lyric sheet is misleading because, instead of energetic offerings, you get mostly ballads on Sam Lee’s sixth album.

The first plug, My Grandfather’s Clock, is the Mandarin version of Japanese singer Ken Hirai’s take on the American oldie of the same name. And it had already worn out its welcome then.

Things don’t improve with the bland lyrics on Sorry: “Why only after losing someone does one understand/Does one realise that you are most important to me.”

It is the heartfelt Minnan track The Most Agonising Feeling which saves the day while the karaoke metaphors in Cut Off The Song are at least a sporting attempt to try something different.

(ST)

Crowd Lu 2010 Singapore Live

Dragonfly, St James Power Station

Last Saturday

The crowd embraced him like an old friend the moment Taiwanese singer-songwriter Crowd Lu stepped on stage.

He was togged out in his signature geeky look – bowl-cut hairstyle, oversized black-rimmed glasses, T-shirt, shorts, socks pulled up to mid-calf and canvas shoes, and he hailed the audience with his favourite interjection, an animated “Yeah!”.

As the 24-year-old did at the Esplanade in February last year, he again delivered a feel-good show that had people singing happily along. If anything, it was an even more intimate performance this time, as 800 standing fans were packed into the cosy venue that was Dragonfly.

Backed only by a percussion musician, Lu played the guitar and took on songs from his two albums, opening with the new record’s title track, Seven Days.

His voice was bright and brimming with sincerity, drawing you effortlessly to his heartfelt tales about love and life.

His optimistic brand of tuneful indie pop has won him a fervent following, particularly among the young, and the fans at the show were mostly in their 20s with several sporting “Oh Yeah!” T-shirts. They sang along with gusto, even though the lyrics were not displayed on screens as they usually are at Chinese pop concerts.

The 75-minute gig felt less like a performance and more like a gathering of friends as the endearing Lu engaged his fans. He invited those with questions to raise their hands and ask away and also shared stories about his life and the inspiration behind the songs.

We learnt that his optimistic streak came from his family and when he started writing songs, he wanted people listening to them to feel the same positive vibe. He urged: “When you smile, your heart opens up, just try it.”

This led into I No, on which he declared with conviction as his falsetto soared: “So it’s decided, we want to use smiles to face what’s ahead/Even if nightmares surround the entire world/Please don’t leave, love is always/By your side”.

The obliging singer also sang Happy Birthday to one lucky fan and, on request, tossed off a couple of Minnan tracks, including the anthemic To Win You Must Fight and rock band Mayday’s classic ballad Zhiming Yu Chunjiao (Peter & Mary).

Fans were treated to a new song as well, Come With Me To Qingkang To The Highlands, a lovely ballad about escaping to a beautiful spot 5,000m above sea level.

The set ended with the joyous Zai Jian Gou Gou (Goodbye, Pinky Swear), which triggered exuberant dancing from a few fans who had mastered the moves from the music video.

Lu came back for two encores and ended the evening with the title track of his debut album, 100 Ways For Living.

Looking at the sea of rapt faces, it was hard to tell who was more wrapped up in the moment, Crowd or the crowd.

(ST)

Jump

Stephen Fung

Sometimes, just sometimes, a film will surprise you when you have few expectations of it.

In the first place, the storyline did not seem promising. Kitty Zhang plays country lass Cai Feng who heads for the bright lights of Shanghai to realise her dream of becoming a hip-hop dancer.

The plot might be conventional but the treatment was anything but. You realise that something different is going on with the first musical number that takes place amid the fields.

The film was produced and based on a story by funnyman Stephen Chow and it bears his fingerprints all over.

Actor-turned-director Stephen Fung seems to have channelled Chow’s mo lei tau (nonsense) sensibility with sight gags such as Zhang’s becoming fuzz on her upper lip.

At the same time, the humour is not mean-spirited and even a fellow villager with a mysterious gender gets to make a point about diversity and acceptance.

The film is also lifted by Zhang’s buoyant performance. Looking like another Chow ingenue, Cecilia Cheung, she gives a star-making turn as the enthusiastic girl with the indomitable spirit.

Cai Feng subsequently falls for a playboy entrepreneur played by Singaporean Leon Williams, who filled in for Edison Chen after the sex scandal broke. The film’s romantic detour is less than convincing though, and worse, it veers away from the madcap antics.

Still, there is such a cheery vibe emanating from the film and Zhang’s performance that even a somewhat pat finale fails to dampen the mood.

(ST)

David Tao In Space – The Talk & Rock Show

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Friday

Singer-songwriter David Tao was happy to show his age at his concert.

The video introduction solemnly listed the momentous events of his year of birth, 1969 – the premiere of popular children’s TV show Sesame Street, the seminal music festival Woodstock and man landing on the moon.

The last segued into his appearance on the stage, which was decorated to resemble the cosy living room of his youth, complete with lampshades and a television set from the 1970s.

His first song was David Bowie’s Space Oddity (1969), with the lyrics tweaked to “Ground control to major Tao”.

Welcome to the world David Tao grew up in. The American-centric slant of the narrative is a little strange since he was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Taiwan and only attended high school and college in California.

No matter, it gave him the frame to delve into Western pop songs of that era such as Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade Of Pale (1967), the Commodores’ Easy (1977) and Soft Cell’s Tainted Love (1981).

It was for Tao’s songs, though, that the 5,000-odd audience saved its biggest cheers. He sang his Mandarin R&B hits such as his first single Airport In 10.30, crowd-pleaser Regular Friend and the jangly Rain.

He seldom did just straightforward renditions of his songs, preferring to play around with the arrangements to offer something new for his fans.

So, Small Town had a rock makeover while the bombast of A Big Mess was upped a notch with a backing children’s choir.

While he had no problems with belting it out, the elegiac Seasons Of Loneliness could have done with more delicacy. And perhaps his falsetto was not quite what it used to be and he skirted the highest notes, most noticeably on Regular Friend.

It was also telling that his most popular songs were from his earlier albums rather than from his latest, Opus 69, which provided one of the evening’s high points. RE: DT (Regarding David Tao) worked better in a live setting rather than on disc, where it can sound a little indulgent.

On the clear-eyed number, he rapped about his career, “It’s okay even if I’m not number one now” and added “This time I’m really gonna make a movie”, taking a dig at his own oft-stated proclamation to go off and make films.

Between songs, the personable singer shared anecdotes of his youth. He jokingly recalled that he used to be traumatised at home by the clashing strains of Elvis that his father listened to and the Peking opera his mother sang.

He also showed a cheeky side when he urged “Come on, Singapore, let me hear you” when the line “We don’t need no thought control” came up for Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall.

While the classic rock detours were mostly welcome, Tao’s Guitar Hero moment with the Eagles’ Hotel California came across overdone.

On the whole, this was a fairly entertaining show that offered some unexpected surprises even if it was not exactly one for the ages.

(ST)

Music Life

Anson Hu

It is rare indeed for the hermetic world of Chinese pop to tackle current affairs, which is why Shanghainese singer-songwriter Anson Hu’s latest album, his sixth, stands out.

Over the slinky synth lines of opener You Pay The Bill Or I Pay The Bill, he laments: “The financial crisis has forced me to take a loan from happiness.”

Unemployment Love Song is about a man under siege at work and in his love life. The only escape he has is in denial: “I can only pretend that my boss will change his mind tomorrow/Pretend my girlfriend will love me more than that trinket.”

This promising start to a concept album gives way to a more loosely knit offering with tracks such as the R&B-tinged Roman Holiday, the whimsical Sister Lin (referring to A Dream Of Red Mansions’ Lin Daiyu) and a remake of folk-rock singer-songwriter Lo Ta-yu’s Brilliant Days.

Still, this is one young man who need not worry about being out of a job.

review asian pop

You Talkin' To Me?

Leo Ku

Hong Kong singer Leo Ku is a survivor. Since his first album came out in 1994, he has chalked up more than 20 releases. Ku’s slightly nasal tone and falsetto forays are now a familiar part of the Cantopop soundscape.

For a while, though, it seemed that the distinguishing feature of his output was the elaborate packaging and gimmicky themes of albums such as Games (2003) and Nobita (2004).

The first release on his new label shows some welcome restraint on the packaging front. The running theme remains – the album name is a quote from the film Taxi Driver (1976) and all the song titles are inspired by memorable lines.

The sense of playfulness extends to the music as well. On I’m Not Well Educated, the pairing of piano chords and a disco beat works surprisingly well.

Earth Is Dangerous sounds more like a conventional ballad, with master lyricist Lin Xi lifting it a cut above the norm with poetic lines such as “When it’s difficult for a thousand paper cranes to fly with you/Toss them towards the starlight.”

It is in the tale of an ill-fated romance on A Bird Without Feet that Ku finally soars.

review asian pop

H2H

Cyndi Wang

Having done sweet, Taiwanese popster Cyndi Wang has decided to try her hand at sexy. There she is with tousled hair and a come-

hither glance on the album cover and the first words she purrs are: “Coffee, tea or me?”

On Heart 2 Heart, she trills: “Kiss my forehead, bite my left ear/A strange hormone is making my face red.”

Really, though, it is the same mix of cover versions of dance hits and treacly ballads the wannabe sex-kitten has been peddling before. Wang is at her best on disposable, light-hearted fare such as I Like You What Can I Do?, the theme song for her idol drama series Momo Love which has her pondering: “How should I dress/So as to leave a good impression on you?”

How about focusing on the music instead?

(ST)

Motherhood

Katherine Dieckmann

Eliza Welsh (Uma Thurman) is the frazzled mother of a six-year-old girl and a toddler boy. She is trying not to lose her identity by writing and she needs to come up with a short essay on motherhood for a shot at landing a column.

Naturally, the deadline is on the day she has to put together her daughter’s birthday party.

Thurman (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, 2003) manages to look good despite being harried by her husband (Anthony Edwards) and harassed by a movie shoot taking place on her street. She even makes the sometimes selfish Eliza sympathetic.

Writer-director Katherine Dieckmann also uses the New York setting to good effect. She works in celeb-spotting (Jodie Foster in a game cameo) at a public park playground and gently pokes fun at neurotic parents. However, she does not have much to offer beyond generic motherhood statements and Hallmark sentiments on the subject of parenting.

For a more rewarding exploration of the maternal instinct, check out Bong Joon Ho’s Mother instead.

(ST)

The Wild Things

Dave Eggers

Book adaptations of films are often rushed hack jobs with a shelf-life as short as that of the movie’s run. Not this one.

It all started with Maurice Sendak’s seminal 1963 children’s picture book Where The Wild Things Are, about the adventures of a young boy named Max.

That was adapted into a well-received feature film by director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, 1999), who co-wrote the script with Dave Eggers, author of the feted memoir A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius (2000).

Which brings us to this book, which takes the story in the movie and develops it in different directions. Max here is “some combination of Maurice’s Max, Spike’s Max, and the Max of my own boyhood”, explains Eggers in his acknowledgements.

Happily, all that pedigree has led to a worthy work in the notoriously tricky genre of child-centric fiction. It is often all too easy for writers to be condescending or be guilty of simplifying their protagonists, thoughtlessly equating childhood and childishness.

The best books, however, tap into the rich emotional lives of youngsters and Eggers’ portrayal of seven- year-old Max has the ring of truth about it as the boy struggles with an often confusing world that leaves him feeling powerless.

Dressed down by his mother for deliberately flooding his older sister’s room and frustrated by what he feels to be the injustice of it all, Max dons a wolf costume and sails away to a strange island.

He finds a group of rambunctious giant beasts there and declares to them that he is their king. They could be seen as the id of the psyche made manifest and one of them declares: “We want what we want. We want all the things we want. Oh, and we want no more want.”

Max has to think of a way to satisfy all these desires and live up to his responsibility as king in a chaotic world that is sometimes frightening, sometimes exhilarating and often unpredictable.

It turns out that growing up can be the wildest adventure.

If you like this, read: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle. This 1993 Booker Prize winner looks at the world of Barrytown, north Dublin, through the eyes of its 10-year-old protagonist.

(ST)

Hundred Days

JJ Lin

OK Man

Huang Jinglun

A Whole New World Of My Music Journey

Maggie Theng

Sang Penyanyi

Hady Mirza

Here’s a cheery start to 2010 with offerings from four local singers.

On his seventh studio album, JJ Lin seems to have found a comfortable groove.

He delivers a canny mix of hip, urban tunes (X and Go!) and big, sweeping ballads (Hundred Days and Back To Back).

The title track, a chart-topper here, is paired with poetic lyrics by Daryl Yao: “I let my heart turn into flames/So that you, afraid of the dark, can embrace the warmth as you sleep.”

It is the slinky R&B tracks that prove to be more alluring, though. Go!, with its upbeat message of encouragement, is a standout and features a rap by MC Hotdog.

It is also the only set of Chinese lyrics written by Lin though he composed all the music.

He has been making a mark in the competitive Taiwanese scene along with the likes of Huang Jinglun.

Even though Huang came in sixth in the third season of One Million Star, he was voted the most popular contestant.

With his foray into acting in idol drama Momo Love, his stock has risen even further.

The follow-up to his 2008 debut, Jing’s Note, sees the singer’s wellknown sense of humour intact. He declares in the title number: “Want to eat supper and not get fat/Leave it to me, Ok! Man.”

He plays up his geeky image with Our Show, rapping about not knowing where to place his hands when seated next to a girl he likes in a cab.

The cheekiness disappears in sad-sack ballads such as Old Wound and, unfortunately, we are left with the clunky duet Can’t Win as the closer.

Far more consistent is Maggie Theng’s album of jazzed-up covers which includes her own hit Qian Yin (Leading Along) as well as takes on Tracy Huang’s Spring Light and Eason Chan’s Your Backpack.

The intimate recording makes you feel as though you have wandered into a small, smoky joint with a lone light focused on the singer.

While you wish there was a little more oomph to the voice, it is still heartening to find a covers record done with imagination and passion.

With more than 50 albums to her name, she certainly has a thing or two to teach the younger singers about staying power.

On album number two, Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza guns for the regional market with a largely Malay- language release. He wrote eight of the 10 tracks, with fellow champ Taufik Batisah contributing two songs.

Hady also served as producer and the material here has been picked to showcase his emotive vocals.

The first plug, Angkasa, is a gorgeous showstopper that gives him space to soar and swoop.

There is a preponderance of ballads, though, and it would have been nice to see Hady rock out more often.

With the dust just settled on another season of Singapore Idol, we can expect to see more home-grown debuts down the road.

So here’s to a vibrant and exciting local music scene in the year ahead. Cheers!

(ST)