Jolin, Sammi, Vivian, Fish aka Jasmine Leong Song..
Jolin Tsai - Du Zhan Shen Hua
Album/Single: J-Game
Language: Mandarin
Jolin Tsai, the princess of Taiwanese pop is back with a brand new album, J-Game. Only this time, after all the drama involving her good friend Jay Chou and his confirmed girl friend, Taiwanese talk-show host Patty Hou, this album is unfortunately Jayless. To be quite honest, most of my favourite Jolin songs were her collaborations with Jay. Say what you like about Jolin, but I think their musical chemistry is undeniable. Anyway, so how does Jolin fare without Jay? Personally, I think it's a nice and solid album. There may be a lack of Jay, but Lee Hom composed a great song for her instead. You can definitely hear Lee Hom's latest sound in 'Du Zhan Shen Hua,' I must say that Jolin's voice goes surprisingly well with the traditional Chinese instruments.
Vivian Hsu - Better Girl
Album/Single: Hen Hen Ai
Language: Mandarin
Two years after her latest Mandarin album, this is Vivian Hsu's latest offering, 'Hen Hen Ai.' Vivi's actually pretty active in both the Chinese and Japanese entertainment scenes. She did the second OP for the original Gundam SEED series under the moniker 'Vivian or Kazuma,' was in a photobook with Gackt, and also dated LUNA SEA member Sugizo- she's now rumoured to be dating F4 member Vanness Wu. 'Better Girl' is probably my favourite track off this album, and I'll be honest, I have no idea why. It's a catchy hip-hop inspired pop track with some obscured vocals, English, and some nameless guy who I must learn the identity of... watch it be Vanness or something horrible xD
Jasmine (Fish) Leong - Yan Wei Die
Album/Single: Swallowtail Butterfly
Language: Mandarin
Jasmine Leong, also known strangely enough as 'Fish,' is one of my new favourite female Chinese singers, though she is actually from Malaysia. Anyway, 'Yan Wei Die' is the title track off her latest album, 'Swallowtail Butterfly.' It's a gorgeous pop-rock track that, much to my horror, was composed by my mortal enemy David Tao. Regardless, I won't let my jihad against David Tao get in the way of my liking his music. 'Yan Wei Die' is my favourite song from Jasmine and has managed to re-instill my faith in female CPOP artists.
Sammi Cheng - ParachuteLanguage: Cantonese
I have a soft spot for Sammi Cheng, I absolutely adore her. She's actually my favourite HK actress, and as you may or may not know, in Hong Kong, you've got to do it all. Unfortunately, Sammi is victim to the "release atleast two albums a year" disease most HK artists suffer from, which leaves their work susceptible to more than the occasional mediocre song every now and then. Regardless, I think Sammi's voice has a very sweet and genuine quality, and 'Parachute' really embodies that feeling for me.
