Shermaine Yeo
Jam Hsiao just can’t seem to sing enough about love, love and more love in his latest album, Princess. A third of the 12 tracks even have the word ‘love’ unabashedly in the title, a theme blatantly over used in the industry.
Princess is Hsiao’s second album, following a successful debut about a year ago titled 萧敬腾同名专辑(Jam Hsiao Self-titled Album). That included contributions by big names like Stefanie Sun’s teacher, Li Wei Song, Taiwanese band F.I.R’s guitarist, Real, Malaysian singer-songwriter, Gary Chaw and Mayday’s vocalist Ashin. While this album is no different with works from Li Wei Song, Hong Kong singer-songwriter Khalil Fong and the talented artiste himself, the genres of the tracks are so diverse that there’s no unifying point.
There’s no doubt that the versatile 22-year-old pulls off these songs well with his unique and explosive vocals. However, the album features styles ranging from rock to ballads to jazz and the songs don’t seem to match up to the previous album. Although the pieces don’t seem to have you jumping out of your seat, they’re still decent enough to listen to.
Notable tracks include the main hit, “Princess”, “Pious Man and Woman”, melodies by Li Si Song and Li Wei Song respectively, “Say A Little Something” and “I Don’t Know How To Love”. The title track is full of rock flavour and it gives Hsiao room to flaunt his powerful voice. With raspy singing, Hsiao doesn’t overdo it to fit in with the style of the music. However, halfway through the song, there seemed to be hint of screaming in the background that was somewhat disturbing.
“Pious Man and Woman” features smooth piano and cello background music for most part of the song, complementing Hsiao’s soulful rendition of the ballad. His ability to adequately bring out emotions was also one reason he shot to fame in the singing competition of variety show 超级星光大道 (One Million Star).
“Say A Little Something” distinctively displays songwriter Khalil Fong’s style in the music. The laid-back composition brings something different to the mix, yet it suits Hsiao’s singing. “I Don’t Know How To Love” is ballad-like and Hsiao comes across as honest and simple, which is what suits his emotional style.
In this album, Hsiao also wrote more songs than he did in the previous one. He composed both the tunes and lyrics for “Small Man Big Boy”, “Green Door” and “You Are Still The Lonely One”. “Small Man Big Boy” has a light-hearted beat and a fun tempo to it, but lacks a little maturity in the expression of lyrics, in which Hsiao used simple analogies and language. “Green Door” has a rather laid-back melody and background music, with a tinge of jazz incorporated. The mixture of all the details makes the song slightly unfocused. In this piece, Hsiao also uses a jazz technique known as scat singing, where the singer uses his voice to imitate an instrument. Hsiao’s use of it does showcase his versatility to a higher level.
“You Are Still Lonely” is a simple yet compelling combination of music and lyrics. The song is one of the better compositions by Hsiao and the honest rendition shows what he does best, singing with his heart.
Overall, Hsiao’s performance doesn’t disappoint. He is after all new in the industry and this is only his second album. A little more experience and honing his composing skills should do the trick.
Title: 王妃 Princess
Artiste: 萧敬腾 Jam Hsiao
Language: Mandarin
Record Label: Warner Music
Release Date: 17 July 2009
Tracklist
1. 王妃 Princess
2. 我不会爱 I Don’t Know How To Love
3. 阿飞的小蝴蝶 Ah Fei’s Little Butterfly
4. 善男信女 Pious Man And Woman
5. Say A Little Something
6. 爱游戏 Love Game
7. 小男人大男孩 Small Man Big Boy
8. 会痛的石头 The Stone That Can Feel Pain
9. 爱过了头 Love Over Limits
10.Green Door
11. 给爱人 For My Loved One
12. 寂寞还是你 You Are Still The Lonely One