7.5/10
This is my first Chinese album review but get ready for many more to come this month! Huge Chinese acts all decided to comeback this month, and I couldn't be more excited due to the utter bore this music year was for C-POP. A-mei starts things off with her album "Story Thief" which was recently released a few weeks after her chart topping single "連名帶姓" which is still #1 on itunes, and another single from the album "偷故事的人" is also still in the top 10. With the success of her pre-single releases, one could only be so excited for the release of this album, especially if you've heard how 'Faces of Paranoia' sounds like, her album that was released a few years back.
I'll start off by saying i love faces of Paranoia (who the hell would call that a bad album?), but i really did not like her AMIT2 album at all (her last album) so i wasn't really expecting to like this release much. To my surprised, i'm really loving this album as a whole. Key word, "whole," looking at these tracks individually though... there's nothing much that really stands out! Except for one track ill talk about later in this review.
The album starts off with hit single "偷故事的人," its a very quiet ballad that features her voice and a piano. The piano in this is so lovely, and the minimal instrumental really makes her voice stand out and sets the tone for this album. I think its a great album starter track, although i don't know if i'd listen to this on its own, it's definitely a very nice song filled with emotion.
The next song "壞的好人" starts off with an acoustic guitar which is carried out throughout the song. This song is also minimalistic in it's production like the prior track. I personally don't mind how low key the production is on most of this album, if anything i applaud her for it, especially since her last album was very over-produced. The chorus of this song is very sweet and is nice enough for me to keep this song. The Orchestra added after the chorus also really gives it the perfect amount of depth. A really solid track for me.
Track 3, 裝醉, also starts with an acoustic guitar, except this time its layered with bass and other instruments, still a very natural sounding track. I love the vocal melody throughout this song, the way she sings the verses and then leads to the chorus, its very catchy and perfectly suits the guitar strumming in the background. There's a lot of catchy elements added to this song, both instrumental and vocal melody wise. The more i write about this album, i'm realizing that it is way better than i initially thought, these tracks actually are worthy for individual praise.
你說了算 (feat. 瘦子), track 4, is the first upbeat song of this album. The song is layered with electronics and natural instruments, and has a quite unnatural chord progression at the chorus. I kind of don't like the chorus of this song, but the strangeness and overall production of this song makes me want to keep it... although i kind of want to delete it now that i'm listening to it as i type it. A good try though.
The first electro dance track of the album '戒斷' is really a song A-mei is known to have in each one of her albums. I like this song, but i wish there was something more special, or something catchy, added to it. It's a little bit too common, especially since she's done this genre much better in the past. Still, within this album it's a great addition since this album is ballad heavy.
The next track, 連名帶姓, is the song still charting #1 on several charts (itunes, KKBOX), but unfortunately I like this song the least out of all the ballads on this album. What i do really love about this song is the piano. It's so sad, especially after the chorus with the violin playing in the background. Overall, this ballad is just sounds a little too much like a typical ballad... if that makes sense.
Track 7, '身後,' starts off with a soft piano and shortly after A-mei begins to sing. The chorus of this song is sweet, but it's a kind of typical sweet vocal melody which leaves me a little uninterested in this track.
Finally, track 8! '光.' This is without a doubt my favourite song on this album. It's a ballad, it has a minimal production similar to the first few tracks, what makes it so good? The vocal melody just gives me goosebumps. It begins with piano that also hits your heart strings as the song progresses. The chorus of this song just stays in your heart (and your head.) i listened to this song ONCE for the first time yesterday, and woke up wanting to listen to it. This song sounds like something straight out of her 'Faces of Paranoia' album, and thats probably also why i love it so much, cause that album had some of the most goosebumps infusing ballads i've ever heard. Really a great piece throughout. It never gets boring, the vocal and chord progression is just flawless, simple, and straight to the point.
My second favourite song on this album is this one "到底" and it's mainly because of how it transitions from the last track. i really was confused for a second wondering if this was a separate track or attached to the last one. This is the one upbeat song on this album that goes really hard and is memorable. It's a solid electro dance track, and I love it! 'Let's talk about it!'
The last track "傲嬌 (feat. 艾怡良 & 徐佳瑩)" has a vocal progression i really hate in the pre-chorus. I love the instrumental and layering of this track though, it's just the pre-chorus i really don't care for at all. That and the chorus isn't that satisfying either. It's been done before, especially by her and i've never liked this witch craft esque vocal melody. It's a cool ending track though, i probably will never ever listen to this on it's own though.
Overall, This is a solid album. Although people may not like it due to the fact that it is very ballad heavy, its a easy listen without being utterly boring. It's rare that an album filled with ballads with still be memorable. I think A-mei can be proud of this album, just maybe pick better upbeat dance tracks next time?
偷故事的人 7/10
壞的好人 7.5/10
裝醉 7.5/10
你說了算 (feat. 瘦子) 6.5/10
戒斷 7/10
連名帶姓 7/10
身後 6.5/10
光 10/10
到底 8.5/10
傲嬌 (feat. 艾怡良 & 徐佳瑩 6.5/10
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