Something strange happened at the recent Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.
Taiwanese-Korean singer and songwriter Sun Shengxi, also known as Shi Shi, was a dark-horse winner for Best Mandarin Album with Shi's Journey.
In a strong field, she beat the likes of Best Male Mandarin Singer Leo Wang, Best Female Mandarin Singer Sandy Lam and Jolin Tsai - even though Tsai's Ugly Beauty was the overall Album of the Year.
Oh well, award ceremonies are more of a murky art than a science. And Shi's Journey is not without merit.
The piano-backed loungey-jazzy opening track Meng You (Flyaway) champions escapism: "Troubles at the back of my mind/Enjoying the view before me/Need you here, can't do without my beloved music and you."
The effortless R&B groove of Nuan (Tensions) is a definite highlight. It features Golden Melody Award Best New Artist OZI and dwells on an attraction, one still in the fragile nascent stage: "Can't say it out loud, don't want to break/This tender and sweet feeling."
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POP
SHI'S JOURNEY
Sun Shengxi
Rock Records
3.5 stars
Ren Yang (Love Me Like A Liar) shakes things up with an excursion into rock territory, though Sun's voice does not quite have the required edge as she berates a lover for not keeping her under the illusion that things are just peachy.
It is a varied album, which is easy to get into, though this reviewer is not quite convinced it is superior to Lam's intimate and introspective 0 or Tsai's edgy and playful Ugly Beauty.