Khalil is the biggest loser on the planet and OMG just…this makes me so sad I’m not on the west coast.

It’s a beautiful day today and I’m just going to go out (filming an EMT with Ellie and crew today!) and listen to some good Khalil.

When you really need to chill to light music, you can never go wrong with Khalil. Seriously, his voice and his beats are spring breeze, sunnysunnysunny days, lullabies, GOODNESS — all smushed into one.

	叫我怎麼說 (Tell me how to say) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
	手拖手 (Hand in hand) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
	愛在 (Love is…) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
	黑白 (Black and white) Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Man, “Soulboy” is out of stock on YesAsia and “This Love” & “Wonderland” are out of print. OMG that hurts me. His work should never be depraved of customers! There are only a few artists of mine (yes, MINE!) whose music I will buy, whether or not I’ve listened to them beforehand — and Khalil’s on top of that list.

Two artists that I’ve come to love a lot in the past year have recently come out with new albums — both albums came as surprises to me because I had no idea they were coming out with new ones so fast. These reviews are after about two full listens of the albums, and initial impressions may change after more listens :P

First is the album from Khalil Fong.

Orange Moon upon first listen seems to be less inspired than his previous Wonderland. I think I judge an album harshly based on the first track on the tracklist. If an album starts off really strongly, I have an immediate good impression of the overall album; if not, it takes me a while to appreciate the album as a whole. Orange Moon starts off with “Singalongsong,” which is a sequel to “Love Song,” from his Wonderland album. Singalongsong is very cute but it’s not as dynamic as Love Song. There’s nothing that grips me from the very start of the song, which is something very noticeably present in Love Song. After that, only when the fourth song of the album — “黑白” — started playing did I finally think to myself, “Ah, this is the Khalil I love.” It’s got a great use of instrumentals and the chorus has a lovely lull to it. And unfortunately, that’s about it for this album. The rest of the album is a blur of melodies to me and nothing really stands out, whether it be bad or good. It will probably take me a few more listens to the album for me to more fully appreciate some of the songs, but for now, I can safely say that I loved “Wonderland” a lot more. But Khalil’s one of those artists who are so talented and actually aware of music that it’s hard to dislike any of their work. Hopefully, there are more great things to come!

Second, Leehom.

There’s no song that really stands out to me in this album. The album as a whole is very comfortable and typical of Leehom. “春雨里洗過的太陽” is the “我们的歌” of this album — sunshine, guitars, soothing melody, comfort. “What’s Up Rock” is an experiment gone wrong. “我完全沒有任何理由理你” has the title to kill: it means “I have absolutely no reason to care about you” and it is a terrible song. “心跳” is a typical ballad from Leehom. The only two songs that piqued my interest were “愛得得體” and “競爭對手”. The former has an interesting melody and is something you can bob your head to. The latter is slightly Alicia Keys-esque, but I like ballads that are somber with very assertive and enunciated beats.

What I have learned from this album is that vocally, Leehom should not go for songs that require him to use his falsetto. My ears, dear lord. His voice is best suited for songs like “你是我心内的一首歌” where he gets to sing in his safe zone.

Overall, this album did not have that one defining song that drew me in like his previous three albums. Even if the rest of the albums sort of trotted along without much fuss, there was always at least one song that I really connected to and evoked some kind of emotion from me. Sadly, Heartbeat did not have this song and the album came off as very mediocre.

One last thing — Leehom, if you’re gonna try to be a badass on your cover, don’t wear shades that are framed with butterflies. New stylist, stat.

One of the things I’m surprised and grateful I got into this year was Chinese pop. I never actively stayed away from it or anything, but being involved with Kpop is like being in a long-term (very tedious, time-consuming) relationship. There just wasn’t room for another fascination. But then I randomly downloaded a Wang Lee Hom album and then came this guy, Khalil Fong.

Khalil Fong is a Chinese artist, born in Hawaii, raised in Shanghai. He’s pretty much an ABC like Wang Lee Hom but I feel like he’s less “polished”-ly Chinese than Leehom. I don’t mean this specifically regarding English-speaking skills but he grew up in Asia for the most part and his Chinese feels more genuine somehow. It doesn’t have an obvious American accent, whereas Leehom’s Chinese is painfully American even if he speaks perfectly and pronounces everything correctly. That lack of polished American sounding Chinese is something that adds to the authenticity of Khalil’s songs and sounds, I think. Even moreso, Khalil’s Mandarin accent is a Cantonese one, not an American one. When I listen to Khalil’s songs, I’m not listening to his pronunciation of words but to the music itself. I don’t think I can say the same for Leehom’s music — one, he likes doing English inserts in his songs and two, you can hear his American accent in his singing.

But back to Khalil’s music: “Wonderland” is an amazing album. It’s not an album from 2008 but it is definitely one of my favorites this year. It’s got SUCH a light sound, which manages to be a medley of jazz and acoustics and just . . . flavor. The lyrics are also really simple and uncomplicated but manage to say a lot of things all at once. Some lyrics from the beginning of “Love Song,” the italicized bits are my translations:

Love Song

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

我寫了這首歌　是一首簡單歌
不複雜也不難唱的那一種歌
這不是　那種　只剩下那鋼琴的歌
也不是　那種　不能只是朋友的歌
這不是　那種　兩個人的故事寫在一本小說　
那小說裡有誰在花田裡犯的錯
這就是　一首寫給你聽的一個

Love Song　一直想寫一首　
Love Song　你給了我一首　
Love Song 那DJ會播放　
這也許會上榜　
不過我只想寫出一首

I wrote a love song, it’s a simple love song
A song that is not complicated or difficult to sing
It’s not a “Express through the piano” type of song
Or a “We can’t only be friends” type of song
It’s not a “A novel written about two people” type of song
The kind of novel about someone making mistakes in flower fields*
It is, a song I wrote for you to listen to

Love song, a song I’ve always wanted to write
Love song, a song you’ve given me
Love song, which the DJ will play
Which will also get on the charts
But, I only wrote one

* This line is poking fun at all those fake, silly romantic impasses where the boy and girl have deep, quiet, thoughtful conversations with each other in “flower field” type settings, typical in romantic scenarios.

Two more songs from the album:
够不够 (Gou bu gou, Is it enough)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The first line from this song is great:

你爸爸妈妈不会随便让你嫁
有财能够讲话

Your mom and dad wouldn’t randomly let you get married
If he has capabilities, he can speak

未来 (Wei lai, Future)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Every single song off the album is enjoyable. Pensive, reflective, soulful. ♥