Hong Kong pop-diva, Joey Yung, marks the decade milestone in her singing career with a line-up of album releases and a concert. The first to come our way is a CD titled A Time For Us, which exudes a sense of safe musical style by Yung, with nothing too fanciful or surprising. In an interview with Xin.sg, Yung commented that her wish for the future is to further her studies now that she has been in showbiz for 10 years.

The release of the recording comes after a successful concert held in Singapore, on Apr 18, coincidentally the same night as the Weisong Sisong “Garden of Music” Concert 2009. Despite the star-studded cast, which included Jolin Tsai, Stefanie Sun and Daniel Chan, at the concert, Yung’s charm held up well as Xin.sg reported that 90% of her “Starlight” performance venue was filled up.

You’d expect no less of the superstar who has won the most popular female singer award at Hong Kong’s prestigious Jade Solid Gold Awards four times since 2004 and swept the best-selling female artiste and top ten best selling artistes awards issued by the International Federation of The Phonographic Industry(IFPI) in Hong Kong in 2008. The IFPI provides accreditation to singers with the highest record sales.

A Time For Us, surpasses her previous albums, In Motion and Glow, hitting platinum in Hong Kong the first week it was released.

The 10-track largely Cantonese album is a testament to the 28-year-old’s popularity with the masses, as it includes 3 theme songs for some major advertising campaigns. All 3 tracks stand out with their distinct styles.

‘可歌可泣’ (translated as with songs and tears) draws you with a ballad-like feel, unlike the usual advertising themes that are upbeat to attract attention. The song is one of my favourites with its infectious melody and descriptive lyrics. The words present a surface meaning to bring out an underlying sentiment that may resonate with listeners. For example, the lines “经过当做未抹的脚印 将心痕当做 肌肤敏感”(translated as consider the past as footprints that haven’t been wiped away, view the scars in the heart as a skin allergy) reveal a person trying to cover up the hurts in life, passing them off as something less significant.

The other two advertisement themes are more upbeat and light-hearted.‘我所知的两三事’(translated as the two or three things I know) is for the McDonald’s advertising campaign and has a techno vibe to it. Although the melody repeats itself several times throughout the song, the heavy beats somehow make you want to bob your head a little and you might start singing “Let’s shake it” halfway through.

‘开动快乐’(translated as happiness powered up) is yet another cheerful tune from the advertising campaign of Coca Cola. The song starts with a catchy whistling that reappears in the background music throughout the track. The foot-tapping melody might just get you to hum along. Be warned, it can get stuck in your head for quite a while.

The rest of the album consists mainly of slow numbers, with “搜神记”(translated as legend of exploring divine) being one of the more prominent tracks, delivering a fairly memorable tune coupled with lyrics that brought out the emotions. On the whole, while easy on the ears, there wasn’t any song that jumped out and Yung could certainly have more diverse musical styles.

One thing was disturbing in some of the songs like “时不与我”(translated as time against me) and “搜神记”. The background music was ear-piercing near the climax of the songs, for example, “搜神记”started out promising with soothing violin and piano sounds, however halfway through, the violins gave a sharp and shrill solo to bring the song to a peak.

Yung’s singing doesn’t sound any different from her previous albums, serenading us with smooth and mezzo-soprano vocals. There was one part in “It Doesn’t Matter” where she showed vocal prowess worthy of a diva. Well, this UrbanWire reviewer finds it amusing that the powerhouse singing came out only when Yung sang the title of the song “It Doesn’t Matter” in English.
If you’re a fan, you won’t need urging to add on to Yung’s platinum record, but even if you’re not, the album is worth a listen. This year, look forward to more of Joey Yung as she releases one more Cantonese album and a Mandarin album to celebrate her tenth anniversary.

Title: A Time For Us
Artiste: Joey Yung
Language: Cantonese
Release Date: 30 April 2009
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing
01. 可歌可泣: With Songs and Tears (electronic retail outlet advertisement theme)
02. 我所知的两三事: The Two or Three Things I Know (Mcdonalds advertisement theme)
03. 搜神记: Legend of Exploring Divine
04. It Doesn’t Matter
05. 心贼难防: Defenseless Against Thief of the Heart
06. 花城: Flower City
07. 开动快乐: Happiness Powered Up (Coca Cola advertisement theme)
08. 圆谎: Concealed Lies
09. 时不与我: Time Against Me
10. 两面: Double sides