Thu, Jun 16, 2005 page15

• CD Reviews

  • By Gavin Phipps / STAFF REPORTER
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  All Star (我華麗的搖滾夢)
  

  Various
  

  Rock
  

  

  Known for its neatly packaged mainstream Mando-pop artists rather than for promoting self-styled indie/alternative acts, Taiwan's Rock Records recently went against the grain and released an interesting double CD compilation entitled All Star (我華麗的搖滾夢).

  Featuring 18 tunes by nine acts of varying styles, influences and musical directions, All Star is an album of contrasts from the get-go. Sure, some of the tunes could do with a bit of ironing out, but for the most part Rock's foray into the alternative scene comes up trumps.

  The album takes listeners on a hurdy-gurdy ride of musical genres. From bubble gum-pop to pub rock and from funk to punk, All Star has something to suit everybody's musical tastes.

  

  The album gets off to a corking start with a brilliant piece of work by Neon and a 10,000 Maniacs-like brand of contemporary folk-rock entitled No Regrets (無悔). Five-piece Tooth Cap (牙套) and its off-center and jerky Tell Me makes for an interesting, although not quite as pleasurable to listen to. Nurse's (小護士) upbeat piece of happy-go-lucky Brit-pop, Happy Heart (甜蜜在心) is another great tune.

  A couple of other bands and tunes of note include Land of Mess (混亂之島), whose basic four-four-two brand of punk/pub rock might be a bit rough at the edges, but is still worth checking out. As is Coach's (教練) part-funk, part-pseudo nu-metal tune, Ballet Girl (芭蕾女孩), which sees the combo creatively flirting with two differing musical genres.

  Along with the predominantly indie/alternative artists, All Star also features a couple of tunes by popular Mando-pub rock star Bobby Chen (陳昇). Neither of the blues-based tunes makes much of an impression, however, and Chen is outclassed by all of the other less well-established artists. The real star of Rock's All Star show is Neon, whose tunes are both perfectly executed and well produced.

  

  Final Fantasy (最後的樂園)
  

  Energy
  

  

  Universal
  

  Released two weeks ago, Final Fantasy (最後的樂園) is the sixth album by Taiwan's leading boy band, Energy. They may not be to everyone's liking and their clean-cut record label manufactured image may be considered loathsome by the more free spirited amongst us, but the Energy boys can hold a tune and can adapt in order to cover many genres.

  The boys from Energy may be musically versatile, but rumor has it that yet another lineup is on the cards even before the act has had an opportunity to take the current album on the road. Founding member A-Di (阿弟) was forced to cut his boy band days short after he injured his back while recording a music video.

  Like the group's previous releases, Final Fantasy is packed with tunes that range in style from hip-hop to the melancholy. There's no real winner as far as picking a best of, but some of the more enjoyable and together tunes include the soul-like Cowboy, the pseudo-nu-metal/hip-hop Heaven and Earth (天與地) and the weepy acoustic ballad Taste of Tears (眼淚的味道).

  Of course, being what it is, the album has moments when you cringe and are forced to wonder just what the hell is going on. Numbers like the truly awful cover version of the Sister Sledge hit We are Family and the easily forgettable pop tune Holiday are two of the worst.

  The bottom line with Final Fantasy is, that if you enjoy well produced, inane Mando-pop/hip-hop acts that can sing and dance, then at this juncture in time Energy is the best Taiwan has to offer.

  J-Game (野蠻遊戲)
  

  Jolin Tsai (蔡依林)
  

  Sony
  

  While it's easy to trash Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), or the "little queen of pop" as nothing but a product of a record company looking to cash in on the nation's love of cutesy doll-faced divas, she's not totally devoid of talent and she does work hard.

  OK, her performance in front of 30,000 screaming fans in Taipei last year was questionable, as was her relationship with Jay Chou (周杰倫) and OK, she doesn't write her own songs. But for the bigger picture you simple have to look at her record sales.

  She constantly releases more albums per year than all of Taiwan's other leading female artists. Last year Tsai released two albums to A-Mei's (阿妹) one and she outlasted her more mature rivals in all of the nation's top-10 album charts. Her latest release, J-Game (野蠻遊戲) is no exception. The album has already taken the music charts by storm and is sitting at the number one spot.

  This time around Tsai has called on the talents of Wang Lee-hom (王力宏), who has stepped into Chou's shoes and is now penning the tunes for her. And while Wang has done a pretty good job of removing nearly all traces of his male Mando-hip-hop peer there are still a couple of Chou-like moments on the album. No doubt these were left there to appease fans of Taiwan's number one musical son rather than for esthetic

  reasons.

  The material on J-Game is an eclectic mix of hip-hop, disco, or "J-isco" as it's being marketed by her label. There are Mando-pop standards, orchestrated love ballads and some awkward moments when it appears the record producers didn't know what direction to take.

  One of the few tunes to really stand out is one of the later. The album's title track is a bouncy affair that sees Tsai using her limited vocal prowess to create a jerky pop/dance number that hums along at a steady rate over computer generated background music. It's not great, but it certainly beats the rocks off many of her other more forgettable tunes.

  Exclusive Code (專屬密碼)
  

  Yida (黃義達)
  

  Sony
  

  When he's not writing his own material, Yida Huang (黃義達) makes a pretty penny penning tunes for the likes of Elva Hsiao (蕭亞軒), which is probably a good thing as his own creations are certainly not much to write home about.

  Quite how he managed to sell 100,000 copies of his self-titled debut from last year is anyone's guess. But then, hey, when you've allied yourself with such Mando/Canto-pop heavyweights such as Karen Mok (莫文蔚) and have a lucrative contract with a major label, I guess success is virtually guaranteed regardless of one's musical ability.

  Yida latest album, Exclusive Code (專屬密碼) is all too predictable. From the onset the pin-up wannabe sets about wooing his listeners with a series of slow and often melancholy Mando-love ballad standards that would bore the pants off of anyone looking for something creative and new.

  This is not to say the actual compositions are bad, as the album is well produced and the numbers are tight and fluid. It's simply that after a very short while they all sound the same. There's little depth and even less in the way of creativity to be found in all bar one of the album's tunes.

  The album's sole saving grace is the title track, which is a simplistic piece of pop oriented folk that boasts a pretty catchy chorus. Sadly the tune is the best of a bad bunch and, while we have to wait an entire year before the next Golden Melody Awards come around, this reviewer doesn't expect to see Yida's name anywhere among the

  nominations.
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