Nine Must-Listen-To Chinese POP Albums of 2007

1. A Yue: OK

张震岳：《OK》

In the end of last century, A Yue and his band Free Night totally rocked Chinese teenagers’ world with their rock ’n’ roll. In 2007, he suddenly turned tender, releasing this album of 11 love songs, honestly recording his feelings and life during these five years. And the sales justify the move to something tenderer, yet more powerful.

 

2. Jay Chou: Jay Chou on the Run

周杰伦：《牛仔很忙》

As the most popular male singer in China, it’s impossible to review the 2007 showbiz world without mentioning Jay Chou. The title Jay Chou on the Run describes Chou’s 2007 when he was so busy with making movies and advertisements that he hardly had time to make any improvements or to experiment with this new album. Still Jay Chou on the Run is one of the best Chinese pop albums of the year, which somewhat reflects the decline of the business.

 

3. Edison Chen: Let Me Reintroduce Myself

陈冠希：《让我再次介绍我自己》

Signing with a new company, Chen had more freedom in making his own album with a more complete musical concept. Though his vocal part remains unsatisfying, Chen’s persistence in making Chinese hip hop is worth all the support and cheers he gets.

 

4. Candy Lo: Process

卢巧音：《Process》

Lo is a rare singer in Hong Kong, because she can write songs and sing brilliantly. This themed-album portrays a person’s life with five songs, from birth and growing up to falling in love and turning old.

 

5. Kay Huang: Spring and Flowers

黄韵玲：《春暖花开》

This is the only album Huang, who is generally considered as a gifted composer and producer, has produced in ten years. The title song, Spring and Flowers, comes from the movie Flower Girl, with three pieces of stringed music completing a picture of warm spring.

 

6. Tanya: Goodbye & Hello

蔡健雅：《Goodbye & Hello》

2007 meant a lot of changes to Tanya: leaving the agency with which she worked for the past ten years, moving from Singapore to Taiwan, finishing a heart-breaking relationship, producing her album  first…. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the warmth and comfort she delivers in her music.

 

7. Yuan Quan: Lonely Flower

袁泉：《孤独的花朵》

The success of this album proves two things: the first is that the success of a pop singer doesn't necessarily depend on vocal ability; the second is that if an actress wants to become a singer, concern for human nature and private feelings is always the best approach. Yuan’s sensitive vocals, backed by electric music, bloom into a stunningly beautiful flower on the mainland music scene.

 

8. Vic Chao: Angle Suitcase

赵薇：《天使旅行箱》

With success as with Yuan Quan, Chao became more fashionable by adding more electric music in the background. Though her performances still beg for improvement, the album created an atmosphere that was most welcomed by urban women: casual but sensitive and warm.

 

9. Yi Fung Lam: The Private Life

林一峰：《思生活》

With the success of his first Putonghua album, Lam is widely well-received among mainland's growing middle class. This Hong Kong singer/songwriter leads a poetic life, travelling with his guitar all around the world and writing songs about his journeys and his private life and feelings.