ANG 5.0
Angela Chang
(Universal Music)

THE Taiwanese songbird with the powerful vocals (but alas, weak heart) is back with Ang 5.0 and she does not disappoint. It may be the safe route that she takes — catchy tunes with a tinge of rock in some places, soulful ballads, cute ditties — but hey, why not? Those are the type of songs her fans love anyway.

Tsai Chin in Concert: Hong Kong 2007.

Beyond - 25th Anniversary.

One Million Star 2 - Top 10 Contestants Compilation.

Some may say her songs are cutesy, even childish, but I say give her a chance. I am confident her voice and her songs will grow on you.

Ang 5.0 is, if you have not guessed by now, her fifth effort, following Over The Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower In The Wonderland.

Four of the songs — I Am In Love, Don’t Want To Understand, Can You Talk About Love Bravely? and Paradise — are from her latest drama Romantic Princess and album sales are sure to go up because of the connection.

Most of the songs are cheerful and uplifting, with a sprinkling of emotional ballads she is popular for. My favourite, Darling, That Isn’t Love, is quintessential Angela, her searing vocals as usual lifting the song beyond the mediocre. Certainly, with her unique voice, she can only get better with each subsequent album.
The bonus DVD, needless to say, should clinch it for her fans. There are six MTVs and they are very clear and full-screen, so please, there’s no reason to wait for the inferior pasar malam version or worse, take the title of this album as an excuse to rip or download from the Internet.

Performance: ****

TSAI CHIN IN CONCERT: HONG KONG 2007
(Universal Music)

Veteran Taiwanese singer Tsai Chin is almost a legend, standing tall amidst such luminaries as Paula Tsui, or even the late Anita Mui and Roman Tam.

She is known for her evergreen classics and her voice has a haunting yet timeless quality. Her successes over the past two decades as a singer included 38 albums and numerous chart-topping singles, amongst them Just Like Your Tenderness, Your Eyes and Endless Love.

With reports of her eyesight deteriorating, this collection, a recording of her concert at Hong Kong’s Coliseum from Jan 24-28 last year, will be much treasured by her fans.

All in, there are 34 tracks, covering most of her hit songs including such classics as When Will You Return, Evening Fragrance and Seems Like Your Tenderness.

Tsai also does justice to a couple of Teresa Teng hits, namely Honey Sweet and Moon Representing My Heart.

Three DVDs containing nothing more than a splendidly dressed lady with a magnificent voice commanding rapt attention from a packed concert hall audience. But oh, what a voice...

Performance: *****

BEYOND — 25TH ANNIVERSARY (3CD)
(Universal Music)

Has it been a quarter century already? These young rockers had a great impact on the music scene in Hong Kong and in the region back in the 1980s and early 1900s. However, it all came to an abrupt end with the untimely death of its talented lead singer Wong Ka Kui during the filming of a game show in Japan in 1993.

Without Wong, who wrote most of its hits during its heyday, the group struggled on with limited success, surfacing only occasionally.

Sure, there are many “Best of Beyond” albums around but this 25th anniversary edition does offer some rare studio (live) tracks, demo tracks and alternate versions, making this surely a must-have copy if you are a true-blue fan.

They include Brain Attack and Building, two songs from Beyond’s early vinyl disc release, the rare remix Wait Forever and a live track of Metal Madman.

If you had always wanted to buy a Beyond collection album but procrastinated, this should be it. Don’t expect pristine, solid recordings though. It has been more than two decades hence, remember?

Performance: ***

ONE MILLION STAR 2 — TOP 10 CONTESTANTS COMPILATION
(Universal Music)

Oh, no, not another talent search contest. This one is from Taiwan, with the success of the first season, bad grammar notwithstanding spawning yet more warblers and fame-seekers from the younger, mostly prettier set.

In this compilation, the finalists of Season Two have unleashed their vocals in a group effort, hoping of course to cash in on their moment in the spotlight.

Season Two is almost an all-girls affair, and the first track has their brand-new song You Are Our Starlight. Many of the songs they sang during competition can be heard again here, including Wei Ru Yun’s rendition of Faye Wong’s Sky and Lai Ming Wei’s version of If There Is Still Tomorrow.

Only if you love pretty faces, young talents and reality shows from beyond our shores.

Performance: *½

FOUR SEASONS
(Universal Music Indonesia)

They call themselves Four Seasons and you would have assumed they are just another boy band from Taiwan or Hong Kong. Well, guess again: they are Indonesia’s first-ever Mandarin boy band.

Way to go, I say. Sporting names such as (what else) Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, they are packaged following the same formula for boy bands the world over: young, good-looking and preferably able to carry a tune.

No need to worry about the songs — the record company will source some catchy ones for them. If anything, they do sound a lot like Taiwan’s F4, especially on Wanna Say Sorry and Angel.

Close to 10,000 copies of their debut effort were apparently snapped up in Indonesia in less than two months. Not bad considering the small market for Chinese songs there.

But then again, never discount the good-looks factor when it comes to the teens market.

Performance: **

ERIC SUEN
In The Name of Love
(Universal Music)

This is a sleeper hit. The unattractive cover of a pensive Eric belies a nice surprise inside — a 90-minute DVD movie titled Love Care, co-starring the very attractive Vivien Yeo. In it, Eric is a “breakup expert” who helps people end their relationships amicably but is unable to let go of his own past love.

From music to acting, Eric has earned his stripes in Hong Kong and Taiwan. This album, In The Name of Love, follows the success of So Far So... Close, released last year.

It features 12 tracks including the soul-stirring songs titled, what else, I’ll Teach You How To Separate and Here I Go. My only grouse is that his nice voice notwithstanding, some of the tracks begin to sound alike after a while.

The DVD movie itself is worth the price of this new effort by Eric. Well-shot, conceptualised and touching, it is better than a lot of Hong Kong movies these days.

Performance:: ** (album); **** (DVD mini-movie)

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Pump Iron

IRON MAIDEN
Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of: 1980-1989
(EMI)

There is always life after death and the Grim Reaper has given us a chance once again to hear and relive your favourite moments of Iron.

No introduction needed for this collection. This is it: 15 true gems from the first decade of the band’s extraordinary career.

These are the holy gospels for those who are into metal — a piece of history. The roots, the blue print, the cult and most definitely the lust.

Of course, the songs from Somewhere Back In Time is also on a world tour’s playlist that will take us back, back to the era of Powerslave, Somewhere In Time and beyond.

Those were the days when Iron Maiden gave birth to anthems likes Wrathchild, Aces High, 2 Minutes To Midnight, The Trooper and Run To The Hills.

It’s very much staple stuff but it remains special and mandatory for Maiden fans and not forgetting future worshippers. Gird up your Iron!

Performance: ****½

- Review by K.B. Murale