Friday, December 29, 2006

Andy Hui's "In the Name of..." Brief Review

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I had promised that I would write a review of Andy Hui's (許志安) newest CD, In the Name of... (2nd version), so here it is. I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!! Well, let me re-phrase. I LOVE HALF THIS ALBUM!!! There are a total of 12 tracks, 2 of which are remixes. There is also a DVD containing 5 music videos. This CD is more on the mellow side, so it's nice for a drive out in the country when you're pensive, or when you're hiding in on a rainy day.

To start, the songs that I LOVE, which are
listed in RED below. Myolie Wu (胡杏兒) makes an appearance on this album, dueting with Andy in the theme song "Beautiful Unattractiveness" (Track #1) for their TV series "To Grow with Love" (肥田囍事). Myolie has a wonderfully bright and sparkling voice that I think actually outshines Andy's. I love how this song is about loving someone even if they are not the most beautiful. We all need love, so it's a very sweet message, if not idealistic at times. Track #12 is the remix for Track #2, and I think the string quartet version is really beautiful here (better than the original arranged with piano). The haunting notes remind me a lot of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. "Mr. Piggy" (Track #4) is the sub-theme for "To Grow with Love." I can listen to this song forever, it's just such a pretty song. Myolie sings the female version, titled "Ms. Piggy," but I'm still waiting for them to release the entire song on CD! The rest that I like, they are just soothing when it comes to the music, very catchy and easy to sing along (perfect for karaoke!).

The songs that I didn't like weren't because they were awful, but because they were bland. Track #5 wasn't bad, but Andy was practically singing off-key here. Didn't anyone think to use a pitch processor to fix, oh, the entire set of vocals?!? Maybe this track is the draft version and they accidentally left it in. Track #8 sounded like an old song they dug out from the early '90s. Filled with synthesized music and a faster tempo, I think Andy rises to the occasion more when he's singing with his heart, and not with a dance routine in mind. You should just skip this song entirely.

As much as I love his songs, I sometimes wonder if Andy really is trying too hard with his vocals. I wish he'd work on his lungs and high notes. He actually has a really nice, sexy, deep speaking voice, so instead of ~barely~ hitting the high notes, it would be nice if he worked on the timbre of his voice, and try to sing with his diaphragm.

It turns out that the songs I picked were actually written by well-known songwriters in HK, so half the battle in a beautiful song is not only the voice, but really, the melodies and arrangement.


All songs in this album are connected to the notion of "name" in one way or another. Composed by talented Hong Kong musician Pong Nan, the song "Mr. Piggy" (Track #4) will strike a chord of resonance in people in love. Another popular song "Great Love" (Track #2), written by the rising singer-songwriter Khalil Fong and with words penned by the famous lyricist Lin Xi, conveys an obsession with love which is the greatest love of all.

I would say that this album is only worth it if you love at least half the songs enough. I've listened to this album over and over for days now, so even if I had to go through some rotten apples, the diamonds I found in the midst were the brightest gems, so for me, I only have good thoughts about this album.

CD
01. 醜得漂亮 (無線電視劇 <肥田囍事> 主題曲)- 許志安 胡杏兒 (Beautiful Unattractiveness)
02. 大愛 (Great Love)
03. 任白
04. 豬先生 (Mr. Piggy)
05. 何慧愛
06. 陳大文
07. 孫果與了因
08. 諾貝爾的名單
09. 你是我的銀河
10. 李張聯婚
11. 豬先生 (Piggy Mix)
12.大愛 (Larger Than Life String Quartet Mix)

DVD
1. 醜得漂亮 (MV)
2. 任白 (MV)
3. 大愛 (MV)
4. 豬先生 (MV)
5. 何慧愛 (MV)

If anyone knows how to translate the song titles for the ones I have missed, please email me or leave me a comment. Much appreciated.

I have also included some of his videos so you can hear the songs.

Beautiful Unattractiveness


Mr. Piggy (TVB version)



Mr. Piggy (original version)



Great Love (TVB version)


Great Love (original version)



If you have heard this album, what do you think? Let me know your thoughts!


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