A designer of kitsch theatrical costumes, an artist, a musician and more recently a cult clothing manufacturer, Chen Bo-wei (
Chen's debut longplayer, which was released last month and is aptly titled Mr. Eyeball
Instead of trying to recreate the sounds of yesteryear Chen sets out to woo listeners with an interesting blend of easy listening numbers that incorporate elements of jazz, folk and pop. The tunes are all pleasant enough and Chen manages to create a wide range of original and differing musical atmospheres.
Chen takes the listener in a series of musical directions that include the slow, moody, orchestrated and moving My Ears
While all very interesting, the ever-changing musical moods appear so haphazard at times that Mr. Eyeball is a difficult album to access and one that has the feel of a concept album as opposed to a collection of well-balanced and free flowing tunes.
Although not on the cutting edge of the Hong Kong music scene, power pop act Shine has received more than its fare share of accolades from the Hong Kong music industry since it debuted in 2002 with the mini-album, Movie Boys
Long a favorite with Hong Kong's commercial guitar pop/rock oriented breed of music fan, the combo recently crossed the Taiwan Strait in the company of Canto-pop bad boy, Nicholas Tse
While Tse's name continues to be dragged through the mud in the gossip columns of magazines and newspapers [including this one], Shine is busy making friends and clawing its way to the top of the local pop charts with the single We Are ...
Packed with some great riffs and plenty of punch, Shine's self-titled Mando power pop debut longplayer packs a lot of clout and grabs the listeners attention from the outset with the jerky brass-section infused Assuming You're Next to Me
Mando power pop performed by Canto power pop stars might not be everyone's cup of tea and local rebel rockers will, no doubt, dismiss Shine simply for their cutesy boy band looks. This would be a mistake, however, as many local bands could learn a valuable lesson from Shine's polished
performance.
Influenced by lounge/electronica/fusion jazz acts such as Saint Etienne, Pizzicato Five and St. Germain, local dance combo, Swingjack has released a staggering 10 albums since it was formed in 2002 by two ex-music industry buddies disenchanted with the local dance/trance scene.
Like many bands formed by people proficient in recording studio know-how, Swingjack is an intangible mish-mash of ideas and concepts rather than simply a group. The combo's dance-styled art-rock esthetics incorporate elements of Mando-pop, dance-pop, jazz, funk, bossa nova, lounge-pop, movie soundtrack and 1970s disco, as well as modern electronica.
For the group's latest studio venture, Level 5, Swingjack has once again brewed up a heap of hypnotic and well-looped rhythms with melodic, at times moody and yet always mesmerizing singsong vocals. Level 5 follows the same musical path as the combo's previous Level projects and is packed with a variety of musical creations that touch on contrasting genres.
From the album's downbeat influenced opener, Devil Queen
Love him or loath him, you have to hand it to TV host and master of the natty one-liner, Chang Fei
Famed for his risque humor, his tight perm and garish outfits Chang is also a pretty capable crooner when vocalizing in Mandarin or Taiwanese. Sadly he tackles his latest album in English and, needless to say, this is where it all comes unstuck.
Chang's somewhat dubious command of the language means that he sounds more like one of those embarrassingly tune deaf and inebriated blokes you hear at a Karaoke bar in the early hours of the morning rather than a respected and talented all-round entertainer.
The backing musicians are spot-on and don't miss a beat, but Chang's delivery of the moody lounge love tunes is somewhat slurred. Vic Damone, Dean Martin or any one of a number of well-balanced crooners, Chang is not. With the exception of a couple of tunes the album has an intoxicated feel to it.
The album does have its moments, though, and Chang manages to pull off two masterstrokes. He hits all the right notes on his renditions of Percy Faith's Theme from A Summer Place and the Frankie Valli hit, Can't Take My Eye off You.
Although hard, if not impossible to take seriously, When I Fall in Love, the album, is still worthy of at least a 7/10 for its sing-a-long value.
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