myo_infarc
09-16-2003, 07:08 PM
This review of Ye Hui Mei is from Galaxie, an english language-based magazine available in Malaysia and Singapore. (Pin yin, spellings, and other glaring mistakes are as printed, I didnt edit anything)
Flawed Vibrations
Jay Chou
Yie Hui Mei
Following the deserved artistic and commercial success of his three previous albums, it must have been tough for Jay Chou to replicate his old form. Yie Hui Mei, made less than a year after Jay's third studio album, Third Dimesion, certainly signifies that the Taiwanese singer/songwriter (no matter how incredibly gifted he may have been) is slowly burning out.
Nine out of the 11 tracks on this album are actually rehashes of Jay's past works.A Gutless Man (Nuo Fu) for instance, sounds like a remixed version of Nunchunks (Shuang Jie Gun), Jay's old hit that earned him praise from music critics for successfully blending traditional Chinese drumming with commercial hip-hop. The only difference here is that Jay has invited a little girl to rap along with him on the song. And whatever happened to his flexible but consistent vocal performance? Sounding flat each time the tempo dips, Jay turns sad, melodious ballads like Sunny Day (Ching Tien) , The East Wind Has Broken (Tong Fung Puo), Can You Hear Me ( Ni Ting De Dao), and Your Eyelashes (Ni De Jie Mao) into emotionless, rather than deeply personal and moving songs.
Perhaps the only moments of sheer brilliance you'll find on this album are provided by the opening cut, In The Name Of My Father (Yi Fu Zhi Ming), and the fourth track, Year Three, Second Class (San Nian Er Pan). Heavily laden with hip-hop beats, Western opera, traditional Chinese music and the sounds of ping pong balls bouncing on a table, these two are the only Jay masterpieces here worth treasuring.
By Noorsila Abd Majid
Rating : 2.5 out of 5
And as a footnote, they added:
Why listen to this, when you can listen to : Jay Chou Fantasy [Alfa Music], Jay Chou Third Dimesion [Alfa Music], Lee Hom Impossible To Miss You [Sony]
*This review also carries a Jay picture, garbed in blue Tee and jeans...Though he looks yummy enough, the pic ain't all that flattering cuz it looks as if he's wearing too much lipstick..*gasps*
Personally, I think somebody hasn't been doing her homework that well...I mean...c'mon...Third Dimension?
That being said, I do agree with her to some extent, that Jay sounds pretty tired in East Wind...my mum heard it the other day and she said he sounded as if he's being forced to sing...
Oh well, each to her own..
But then again , she did single out two of the best and most creative tracks in the album...at least she didnt diss the whole album..
And how can she say that Coward sounds like Nunchunks???
Flawed Vibrations
Jay Chou
Yie Hui Mei
Following the deserved artistic and commercial success of his three previous albums, it must have been tough for Jay Chou to replicate his old form. Yie Hui Mei, made less than a year after Jay's third studio album, Third Dimesion, certainly signifies that the Taiwanese singer/songwriter (no matter how incredibly gifted he may have been) is slowly burning out.
Nine out of the 11 tracks on this album are actually rehashes of Jay's past works.A Gutless Man (Nuo Fu) for instance, sounds like a remixed version of Nunchunks (Shuang Jie Gun), Jay's old hit that earned him praise from music critics for successfully blending traditional Chinese drumming with commercial hip-hop. The only difference here is that Jay has invited a little girl to rap along with him on the song. And whatever happened to his flexible but consistent vocal performance? Sounding flat each time the tempo dips, Jay turns sad, melodious ballads like Sunny Day (Ching Tien) , The East Wind Has Broken (Tong Fung Puo), Can You Hear Me ( Ni Ting De Dao), and Your Eyelashes (Ni De Jie Mao) into emotionless, rather than deeply personal and moving songs.
Perhaps the only moments of sheer brilliance you'll find on this album are provided by the opening cut, In The Name Of My Father (Yi Fu Zhi Ming), and the fourth track, Year Three, Second Class (San Nian Er Pan). Heavily laden with hip-hop beats, Western opera, traditional Chinese music and the sounds of ping pong balls bouncing on a table, these two are the only Jay masterpieces here worth treasuring.
By Noorsila Abd Majid
Rating : 2.5 out of 5
And as a footnote, they added:
Why listen to this, when you can listen to : Jay Chou Fantasy [Alfa Music], Jay Chou Third Dimesion [Alfa Music], Lee Hom Impossible To Miss You [Sony]
*This review also carries a Jay picture, garbed in blue Tee and jeans...Though he looks yummy enough, the pic ain't all that flattering cuz it looks as if he's wearing too much lipstick..*gasps*
Personally, I think somebody hasn't been doing her homework that well...I mean...c'mon...Third Dimension?
That being said, I do agree with her to some extent, that Jay sounds pretty tired in East Wind...my mum heard it the other day and she said he sounded as if he's being forced to sing...
Oh well, each to her own..
But then again , she did single out two of the best and most creative tracks in the album...at least she didnt diss the whole album..
And how can she say that Coward sounds like Nunchunks???