music reviews, with the occasional book and film reviews

I’m not a huge Leehom fan, but I used to have a friend who is a huge fan of Leehom and she was the one who introduced me to him, I think, a decade ago (Oops. Did I unintentionally reveal my age? Haha.)

The first song I heard was 公轉自轉 (Revolution), I think. Throughout the years, I had quite a few favourite songs here and there — like 愛的就是你 (You’re the one I love), 一首簡單的歌 (A simple song) and 大城小愛 (Big City, Small Love) — which were mostly ballads or cheery songs.

To tell the truth, I quite like the way Leehom’s songs seemed to have evolved. They seemed to become simpler as the years went by; simple as in the melody didn’t have too many layers, but opting for one main accompaniment.

I actually meant 依然愛你 (Still in love with you). I came across the music video first, before I knew his album was released. I admit, I hadn’t been paying attention to Chinese music these days. I’m now addicted to the song and the video.

Album: 火力全開 「新歌 ＋ 精選」 (Open Fire)
Artiste: Wang Leehom
Released date: September 30, 2011

Right, since Open Fire is a compilation of Leehom’s greatest hits, I figured I’ll just pick 10 songs from the list of 30.

#01) 火力全開 (Open Fire)

This is a fast-tempo song, which opened with Chinese drums before going into a hip-hop rhythm. I really like the attitude in the lyrics, especially the line: 你說Lady卡卡 我說何必怕她 喔~ 別向她們磕頭 and the English verses.

I also liked how he added gun-firing sounds and the police sirens when he’s singing the words 火力全開 , as if making his point. Then, there comes the auto-tuned, not exactly my favourite kind of sound.

#02) 依然愛你 (Still in love with you)

Ironically, I reviewed this song last, despite it being the song, which had me started writing this review in the first place.

I first watched the music video on Wong Fu Productions and I quite like how the video brought out subtlety of the song and its lyrics. My favourite line from the song is 時間只能往前走 一個方向順時鐘, which is probably why I love the MV.

[edit] I’m typing this a day after the review, without looking at the video. I really like the simplicity of the tune and the lyrics, things people could relate to immediately. The tune isn’t exactly melancholic, but the lyrics added a tinge of sadness to the song.

#03) 你不知道的事 (All the things you never knew)

This was the song from Leehom’s directorial debut 戀愛通告 (Love in Disguise). I wanted to catch the movie, but couldn’t in the end. I chanced upon the song, mostly because friends chose to sing it during karaoke sessions.

I love it. Maybe because the music video was pieced together with footages from the movie, and these scenes enhanced the feelings from the song.

I like the song mostly for its tune and the simplicity of its lyrics, especially during the chorus. Because the song opened with nothing but the piano, you heard the emotions behind Lee Hom’s voice more clearly.

The strings then accompanied the chorus, bringing the song to a slight climax, as if putting emphasis on the angst in the lyrics, especially this line 你不知道我為甚麼離開你. The last chorus then ended with soft accompaniment as Leehom sings 多的是 你不知道的事, expressing his helplessness.

#04) 愛的就是你 (You’re the one I love)

I first heard this song on 蜜桃女孩 (Peach Girl), the drama which starred 吳佩慈 Pace Wu and 吳建豪 Vanness Wu. I fell in love with the song immediately. The mid-tempo melody and the simplicity of the lyrics attracted me to the song. It’s a love song, but it isn’t a sad ballad. I could almost feel that happiness and sweetness radiating from the song and I would smile along each time my iPod shuffled to the song.

#05) 星座 (Astrology)

This song is totally not in my league. It’s rap, it has a weird, catchy tune, so why is it in this list?! I simply adore the lyrics. The lyrics are true, funny and they’re about things people can relate to. It’s easy to understand too, and sing along.

#06) 一首簡單的歌 (A simple song)

I guess the title of the song simply summed the song up.

The song started with a simple piano tune, before the strings enter softly, and then the percussions — always in the background. It was until the instrumental bridge, when all these sounds had a stronger emphasis.

It is easy to understand the lyrics as well, since it’s much like the spoken language. I guess, the main reason I chose this song is because of the first line of lyrics: 這世界很複雜 混淆我想說的話 我不懂太複雜的文法. It struck a chord with me.

#07) 心中的日月 (Shangri-La)

When this song first came out, it was during a time when Chinese-styled music was a trend.

For some reason, it stood out from the kind of Chinese-styled songs Jay Chou or JJ Lin were doing then. It was R&B and Chinese-styled all fused together, I guess and it sounded different, in a good way.

Maybe it was the drum beats in the background; maybe it was the lyrics, it is — till today — one of my favourite songs. I like the instrumental bridge too, where there was a mix of the Chinese flute and the qins.

The amount of layers in this song — not just the tune, but the background vocals as well — we’re so intricately woven together. I especially liked the relaxed and calm feeling it gives off, despite the mixture of sounds.

#08) 愛你等於愛自己

I was a huge fan of Dream Street, so I actually heard the English version first before the Chinese one. Let’s just say back in 1998, I was still listening to Backstreet Boys and Westlife. Listening to it now though, I can’t help but keep hearing Dream Street’s voices.

I like this song because it’s cheery and it screams happiness. It’s a change from those sad, love songs, I guess. Still, I have to admit it’s here because I’m really bias and I like the tune of the song for a long time now, doesn’t really matter if it’s in English or Chinese.

#09) 落葉歸根 (Falling leaves return to roots)

My mum loves this song. She’s kind of ‘in’, I guess, because she listens to pop music (and she’s a huge fan of The Drifters).

The strings opened the song, setting a melancholic atmosphere. Despite the Chinese-feel to the title, the song sounded very Westernised until the chorus. I like the minimalistic feel of the melody, which enhanced the emotions in Lee Hom’s voice.

I think in a way, this song is kind of contradictory — the tune is made of Western classical instruments and the lyrics are very Chinese — and I totally heart contradictions.

#10) 另一個天堂 (Another heaven)

Unlike the other songs, I haven’t heard this one before writing this review. I’m a lyrics person, so the title caught my eye and I decided to choose it. Sucker for duet ballads. Little did I know, this song is a duet by Lee Hom and Chinese singer Jane Zhang. I like Jane’s voice, so guess I got lucky with my choice.

While it was the title which attracted me to this song, it wasn’t the lyrics which had me returning to the song. It was more of the tune.

Overall: For the non-fans who enjoy Lee Hom’s music, this is one compilation you shouldn’t miss. It most definitely contained the best songs in his career and I’m sure, you’d appreciate it.

Oh man! Doesn’t he get old? I watched his videos while writing this review and he looks exactly the same! Now that the review’s done and over, I’m scouring old Lee Hom songs to listen. Awesome.

Side note: I know it’s been some time since I last posted anything. Thank you to you patient readers who are still visiting, I really appreciate that. I’m seriously considering what I should do, with this review blog, with my life, I guess.