dear readers and music lovers,
now, the 2v1g's blog and jz8's blog have been merged into one and housed under the pop pop music's blog.
click here from now on to read about all the artistes under the musictoxin and pop pop music label.
there won't be anymore updates to this blog.
there's no doubt that the whole hk cantopop industry is pivoted on mark lui [雷颂德], and mark lui alone. i can't imagine 90s and the new milennium cantopop without him. if mark lui were to die today then the whole cantopop music industry in hk will collapse overnight.
as much as he is a godfather of modern cantopop in hk, he has his fair share of critics and detractors. those who are not discerning may not know why he is criticised all these years but i shall count his sins here.
he is not the most talented producer that hk has ever seen but definitely he is the smartest and most wicked producer of all. he has the ability to plagiarize from western music without people knowing (at least not to the majority of undemanding cantopop followers) and make it into his own. it is like a jigsaw puzzle; he steals a bit from here and a bit from there, and voila! he forms a new piece of art!
from his early days with kelly chen [陈慧琳] , he has been heavily influenced (to use a polite term) by stock-aitken-waterman (SAW), the ace producer trio from UK in the 80s, who was responsible for dance pop darlings such as rick astley, bananarama and kylie minogue. kelly hit the charts with her "unique" brand of dance music but very few know that it is totally unoriginal!
mark lui is the chief culprit responsible for creating this genre of trashy cantopop called "K- songs", which stands for karaoke-friendly songs. this brand of music is shallow, repeatedly and annoyingly catchy and most importantly, forgettable after a few rounds. many cantopop superstars today benefitted from his k-songs. many industry people in hk have told me that "k-songs" are living in dying breath. it won't be long before people realize how cheap it is. just look at the career doldrums of miriam yeung [杨千桦] and leo ku [古巨基] now. they are passe, over the prime already.
having said that, mark lui does have some talents. his is single-handedly responsible for the mega success of leon lai, miriam yeung, leo ku and many others. i am not here to take away his glory from making hk pop music industy sustainable over the last two decades.
4 years ago, he created janice vidal [wai lan, 卫兰], which to me is the most promising singer hk has seen for a while. the debut album "day and night", with its cool mix of jazz and bossa, was such a breath of fresh air to my ears. i still love that album after all these years. i thought i found hope in mark lui again. and i regard janice as the saving grace for hk cantopop.
4 albums later, i picked up this latest album called "serving you". guess what? mark lui copied all over the places! so many familiar tunes in so many places. it is as if mark lui used all his collective best tricks over the years and cooked up this album. there are so many sure-fire ingredients of "k-songs" in this album that it can guarantee a certain degree of success in the market. already, i am told that this album is the top-grossing album in hk in 2008. i have never ever suspected mark's cleverness but he can't fool us over and over again. no doubt, some of the songs sound annoyingly catchy but it could have been done for miriam yeung or leo ku or justin lo [侧田] with the same resutls. if not because of janice's angelic voice, the songs would have been relegated to those despicable "k-songs" again.
to me, all mark lui's releases this year have been bad but janice's album is the best of the worst. i leave you to figure out if that is a compliment or insult.
some singers are destined for greatest but because of certain factors like age and luck, they couldn't make it in the commercial pop scene. it is then for some really sharp-eyed producers to pick them up and make them into audiophile singers. i have been waiting for years for bondy chiu hock-e (赵学而) to release an audiophile album. my wish has come true. i believe i am the first one to pick up this album.
this has the making of the best canto audiophile album of 2008. you can throw away your mimo lo, susan wong, le mon and all those canto audiophile singers in the past.
review to come.
MTX (musictoxin xpress) is an initiative from musictoxin to promote indie, lifestyle-oriented and non-mainstream music in malaysia. musictoxin aims to produce good music which caters to discerning music lovers and our magazine is our voice. we will leave the mainstream media to do their gossips and sensationalistic news; MTX only talks about music and nothing else.
the key contents would be review articles on jazz music, pop/rock, indie, audiophile and chinese pop. we are going to have an audiophile music chart as well. there will be contests every issue giving away free CDs. there is also be an event calendar from performing venues such as no black tie.
MTX is going to be distributed free-of-charge at all major record stores in the klang valley. those who are from other states, rest assured, we will have pdf download facility at this blog.
this is roughly how it is gonna looks like for our first inaugural issue!
this is the first time an indie label produces its own magazine.
the moment i stepped into esplanade's dome, i knew i was in for a treat. this is a different hall from the one where sheila majid held her concert last year. the dome is smaller but gorgeously built. i sat in the 6th row, exactly the same row and distance from the stage as my last DFP concert where nah youn sun performed.
it was such a treat to listen to emi fujita in this kind of acoustic environment. i really have to thank my lucky stars that i got so many chances like this in my life to listen to world-class performances in a world-class halls.
emi's peformance was good, steady and sweet, without the technical supremacy of nah youn sun. it just goes to show all you need is a good song and a good voice; technicality may not be everything. you would never expect emi to do vocal acrobatics; she is the kind of singer who will sing a good song in a down-to-earth way. all the songs she chose for the night are golden classics - the rose, tears in heaven, annie's song, all my loving, daydream believer, somewhere over the rainbow etc etc. at times, emi's voice is just too flat to carry the song, like in the chirpy "daydream believer" but the audience just lapped it up. emi even did "singapura, singapura" much to the delight of singaporean fans.
to be absolutely frank, the dome's acoustics are not as great as DFP. the bass, from where i sat, is slightly boomy and a lot of details and nuances were lost in emi's voice, unlike my experience with nah youn sun where i could even hear her breathing. and the big speakers flanking the stage were too directional; one could not feel the sound coming from the centrestage. my anti-audiophile friend was complaining "see, there's no soundstage in live performance?? all the sound was coming from the two speakers!" i just couldn't rebutt him.
a little bird to me that emi's cds sold a whopping 30,000 copies in singapore alone. that's an incredible figure considering that most best-selling audiophile cds sold an average of 2,000 copies. (note: 2v1g sold close to 1,000 copies in sg) it speaks volume of emi's popularity in tiny dot.
the autograph session is overwhelming (as can be seen from the photo), the queue was building up fast as soon as the concert finished. the sales of emi's cds was brisk too with another long queue forming at a different counter. poor me had to wait for the autograph session to be over before i got to talk to emi.
i finally got to meet with emi at around 11:00pm at the backstage and all her crew were rushing to get out of esplanade by then. apparently, esplanade has to be closed by 11:00pm. emi looked tired and but nevertheless she is nice and sweet. her event organizer, ms shirleen jong, actually invited us for supper but we felt that we were intruding so we turned down their invitation.
this ranks as my best singapore trip in recent years.
how lucky can one get?
some kind soul is flying me to SG this weekend to cover the emi fujita acoustic live concert in esplanade!
not only will i get the best seat, i also get to interview her!
the interview article will appear in the first issue of MTX (musictoxin xpress), slated to be out in mid-jan 2009.
btw, the january gig at NBT has been postponed due to exhaustion on the part of the two voices, who are going to finish their first musical (magic mirror) stint at genting this sunday. months of preparation has taken a toll on their health. we apologize to those who have made reservations. rest assured, we will be back stronger and better!
i have been waiting for this for the last ten years!
finally, evelyn hii, the boss of NBT, got it done in time too for 2v1g's gig in jan 2009.
hooray, the best performing platform in kl has finally got a home!
please guys, if you call yourself a music lover, you owe it to yourself to visit this place.
starting january 2009, we are converting our hifi magazine av xpress into a music bulletin called MTX (musictoxin xpress)!
av xpress has been in the market for 2 years now. it is distributed for free in all the record shops in kl, mainly victoria music and rock corners. while it concentrates mainly on hifi, the music review section is very popular with the record stores' buyers and their customers.
our intentions to launch musictoxin xpress are two-fold:
1) to promote musictoxin label and its artistes (2v1g, jz8 and more)
2) to promote good music thru album reviews and good articles on music.
musictoxin xpress is a bilingual, once-in-2-month bulletin which covers topics like album reviews (chinese pop, english pop/rock, audiophile and jazz), music industry updates and up-to-date info on musictoxin's stable of artistes like 2v1g and jz8.
our artistes like roger wang, tay cher siang and chow kam leong are going to contribute articles on music.
since mainstream media doesn't quite bother with indie label like us, it is high time we take matters into our own hands.
trust me, MTX is going to be really cool bulletin for the discerning music lovers!
watch out for it in january 2009 at a record store near you!
爱死了！
魏如萱的<甜蜜生活>是继陈绮贞2005<华丽的冒险>之后我最喜欢的专辑。
清新脱俗的唱腔和曲风，美丽的编曲，娃娃魏如萱是陈绮贞和陈姗妮的结合体。
she is the perfect amalgamation of cheer chen on electronica and a sunnier and more accessible sandee chen!
这是一张越听越有味道的专辑. 它不像一般的華語流行音樂 (yeah, those typical trashy chinese pop music!)，聽一陣子之後就膩了!
"we are menstruating, we are menstruating... the pills will keep us alive" 听一听娃娃唱出女人月经的痛苦吧！
你还等甚么呢？
the kind boss of NBT, evelyn hii, has invited us back again for a CNY gig at NBT!
she suggested to make the gig a charity event. she would be inviting top chinese calligraphers in town to contribute their "dui lian" (chinese calligraphy written on red papers, which comes in pair, for auspicious occasions). patrons can buy the "dui lian" for as low as RM10 a pair and all proceeds will go to a charity foundation.
roger, winnie and regine - who are extremely busy with various engagement at this moment - have all agreed to accept the gig invitation! we would be coming up with a new repertoire with some "classy" CNY songs thrown in for good measure. rest assured, there won't be the "dong dong qiang" kind of CNY songs! and certainly we won't have lion dance to grace the occasion!
the dates are 19th & 20th of january 2009. well, it is still early days, but please block your calendar in advance and invite your friends like you did the last time.
oh, btw, if luck has it, we are going to introduce another new act from musictoxin during the gig - the soon-to-be-launched JZ8 (pronouced as "jazzy eight"), a piano-and-vocal duo that plays chinese pop classics with a jazz flavor.
we are looking forward to a roaring good time again!
since we do many cover versions, we have to be good at it. btw, chinese music industry treat cover versions with disdain because they don't understand that many good singers can give a new lease of life to covers. on the other hand, western singers get credits for reviving oldies and doing good covers. examples are diana krall, michael buble, jamie callum and many others.
we are not ready to do an album with 100% original compositions yet. our standards are very highs; if we don't have good compositions to showcase, we rather sing other people's songs and sing them well.
there are 3 major things to bear in mind when doing covers:
[1] if you can't compete on singing (e.g. if the original version is already definitive and can't be surpassed), then re-arrange the song innovatively. when the arrangement is creatively different, people tend not to compare that harshly. a prime example is when singing cai qin's (chinese audiophile queen) songs - never never compete with her on singing because she is way way up there!
[2] inject personality into the song as if you are the original singer. when you sing as if you own the song, critics will shut up.
[3] if you can't compete on technique (against the original singer), enhance on the emotional delivery and vice versa. most singers are good in either technique or emotional delivery, seldom both at the same time.
now, some excellent videos on how to do a fabulous cover version...
[1] video #1 is a cover version by aska yang. this chap pours so much emotions into the song that everyone who hears the song for the first time (me inclusive) has wet eyes throughout. of course, some critics say aska is overbearing and too pretentious. but i personally think he is great and this is a definitive way of doing a cover version. btw, the judges gave aska full marks, 25/25!
[2] video #2 is by the real mccoy, stefanie sun. stefanie has a great tone and her rendition is beautiful, perhaps a bit understated in terms of emotional delivery, but very touching no less. stef is natural, without the overpouring of emotions of aska. i like this original version very much.
JZ8 and 2V1G projects are starting soon and i have to keep reminding myself and my arranger(s) to excel in doing covers. it is a daunting task to emulate the original version but if you can do it, the results are immensely satisfying!
「卡奇社」，是前衛花園唱片繼「魏如萱」之後，所推出的第二組華語藝人。魏如萱的專輯「甜蜜生活」在博客來音樂館創下了超過七千張的歷史紀錄。因此對於卡奇社我們也是充滿了高度的好奇與期待。
初聽「卡奇社」不經令人想到年輕時的王菲。年僅二十歲的「卡奇社」卻超齡的融合了迷幻、搖滾、電子甚至傳統京劇等多種樂風， 他們水乳交融的把玩東西異國情調，在成人的現實世界裡，尋求最後一絲的浪漫與純真。耽溺於中國古典文學的女主唱，在詞曲方面的表現令人讚嘆；與時下的流行 音樂相比，卡奇社的首張專輯「日光傾城」質樸而感人，充滿了一種渾然天成的美感。 (文/博客來影音館經理 林士民)
前衛花園即將於年底推出令人震撼的雙人組合「卡奇社」，這對年紀只有二十歲的男女，主唱的嗓音有一種不經意的自然灑脫，搭配上強烈的歐陸節拍編曲，帶來了一種全新驚豔感的，很高興除了陳綺貞與張懸這樣的清新創作才女之外，現在我們有了「卡奇社」！
一種與眾不同、清新沁人的幸福味道！前衛花園首次呈獻本土女聲，前「自然捲」女主唱娃娃魏如萱甜蜜演出。結合了西班牙、德國、日本、中國等多方優秀音樂人跨國合作、打造華語歌壇前所未見的清新甜蜜浪潮！
聽膩了一成不變的華語流行歌曲了嗎？前「自然捲」樂團女主唱魏如萱（娃娃），將於11/8發行首張個人專輯《 La Dolce Vita 》（甜蜜生活），帶給所有愛樂者一種與眾不同的幸福味道！
once in a while, a concert performance comes along that completely blows your mind away. i just couldn't get enough of tonight's concert at DFP (dewan filharmonik petronas).
anyone who was at DFP last night and tonight must have come out from the hall, like us, totally mesmerized over the superlative performance by korean jazz princess, nah youn sun. for the five of us, we went completely ga-ga. how could anyone who's into jazz music could possibly afford to miss such a stunning performance?
i went with winnie ho and her friends who are all in the music line and all of us had nothing but the highest praise for nah and her band. everyone of us thinks we had the best concert ever for the year. for me, it is one of the very best concerts in the last few years, a few notches above diana krall's concert last month.
nah has the silkiest of voice i have ever heard. it not so much of her tone but he extraordinary voice control. some singers can be soft and velvety; some can be power-packed and explosive but nah has everything. she could be tender and sweet one moment, the next moment she could be hitting the high notes and power-packing the song with so much energy. every singer (like my winnie girl) would be envious of the talents of nah. she has the most perfect of pitch; i couldn't find any faults in her singing eventho' it is a live performance. and her scatting, wow, is absolutely out of this world, i am telling you.
another thing worthy of mention is nah sang many original compositions, which normally would not elicit instant response from the crowd because they are not familiar with the tunes but nah's compositions are so good and packed a pop sensibility that even first-timers could appreciate it instantly.
nah sings a few songs in spanish, cuban and french and she even sang a convincing malay classic "jauh jauh" just to please the malaysian audience.
we met our distributor, interglobal's boss, cheah mun kit there, who distributes nah cd in malaysia (see the cover above). ever the jovial guy, cheah introduced me to nah's producer, who is also called nah. i showed cheah two thumbs-up sign after the concert and cheah the joker jested "i finally met a singer who could sing as well as me!". cheah, you can't sing la!
concert like this enriches our musical life and leaves a permanent mark in our memory. i couldn't believe that i didn't invite all my friends (like jin liang and regine) to this memorable occasion. and audiophiles who are always talking about how good music and good singer should be - you really need to watch out for DFP's programme for future performances of nah youn sun. you can bet that i would return for her future performances.
another note. DFP's acoutics are as usual fantastic but i would prefer a bit more midrange thickness and density. i sat on the 6th row and i did feel that the mid-highs were a bit emphasized. but that's the neurotic audiophile in me talking la!
fabulous, superb, memorable, breathless, stunning, what a night!
p/s now go and get the album "memory lane" from interglobal!
is atilia - current protege of roslan aziz - another sheila majid in the making?
we have the story....
many people have been asking - when is the next gig?
if (only if) we were to do a special st.valentine's gig next year, what songs do you want us to sing?
this romantic gig is not only for the love birds, mind you, even the singles, unattacheds ,broken hearteds are all welcome to attend. but we would refrain from singing sad songs because afterall this is supposed to be a sweet and happy occasion!
or should we add more drama to the gig by creating several stages of relationship: boy meets girl, boy falls for girls, boy gets the girl, boy courts the girl, boy proposes to the girl, boy marries the girl .... in every stage, there will be songs specially chosen for the occasion? isn't this a great idea?
for sure, we will sing kit chan's "xi huan ni", track #9 in the album! some said that is the only happy song in the album!
so please cast your vote now!
a certain company (obviously with good tastes) has decided to appoint 2v1g to endorse one of its product, which is targeted at discerning adults with refined tastes and who value lifestyle living.
the client chooses 2v1g because they think 2v1g's music is classy and appeals to both the chinese educated as well as the english educated crowd. they also think 2v1g's image is healthy and clean. more importantly, 2v1g is an all-malaysian product!
this is the first time that the client is associated with music in their marketing and branding.
when the time is right, we will reveal the client's name!
this year is the 50th anniversary of the musical genre called bossa nova and record labels are rushing to cash in on the popularity of this genre.
one of the best-selling albums in cd shops in malaysia for the past few months is this album called "back to love in bossa moments". it is a cover version album of pop classics done in bossa nova style by unknown singers.
i picked up a copy and was quite horrified by what malaysians like to listen today. while "bleeding love" (leona lewis) and "you are beautiful" (james blunt) were quite successfully re-arranged into bossa nova, the rest of the songs sound decidedly contrived and out-of-place. can you imagine kylie minoque's "i should be so lucky" and elton john's "your song" done in bossa nova? i shudder in disgust.
let me tell you, not every song is suitable for bossa nova or jazz arrangement. the problem with this album lies on the weak arrangement, wrong choice of songs and ordinary performance by the singers.
but this is what the malaysian market wants, i suppose :-(
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christmas is just 2 months away and we've got an excellent christmas gift idea for you to give away to your friends and loved ones!
double take's (roger wang and mia palencia) "one voice, six strings and 12 days of christmas" album, autographed and all wrapped up in the prettiest festive packaging, ready to be sent right to your doorsteps.
please place and confirm your order here (by leaving a comment and contact) before december 1, 2008 and we will send it anywhere in the world for you.
price is RM29.90 only before poslaju charges which depends on which part of the world you are in.
for the audiophiles among you, yes, the recording is very good, typical of the high standards of all double take's recordings!
you can preview the album here.
please support our 2v1g's guitarist!
自知的魅力---给2V1G
从事演艺、创意和领导的人们，首要事件是：自知。
从来没有一个不懂自知之明的人，可以在大事业上得以达到大成就。
一个真正名留千古的名字，在世时，是永远和忍辱负重、卧薪尝胆相依为命的。
因为自知，所以自信，因为自信，所以坚强，因为坚强，所以勇敢，因为勇敢，所以无惧，因为无惧，所以能为人之不能为，成人之不能成，完人之不能完。
2V1G的小成就到底还是小成就，不需激昂如斯，两个晚上的喧哗也只不过是两百人的宣泄，当然，这一棵投入湖中的小石子，肯定会有涟漪，但能否掀起汹涌波涛还得看后续的力量。
既然身为2V1G一员、我们必与之息息相关，一切给予2V1G的荣耀都是我们的荣耀、所有降临到2V1G身上的耻辱都是我们的耻辱，因此2V1G是我们的幸福，也会是我们的痛苦。
Leslie写了那么一篇文字，基本上是正面的，但要如何消化这篇文字，需要智慧和胸怀。不应该有任何人会因为这一篇文字而感到被伤害或膨胀。
芸妮的付出和努力是我从事这一个行业以来所见的一个最杰出的例子，她对自己的要求和期许都让人感到欣慰；而丽津一路走来的尽责和忍辱，是她的风格，因为性格上的差异，导致芸妮和丽津在舞台上的角色可以显示各尽其责的搭配，芸妮的理性主动、丽津的感性迎向相互争映，都为2V1G冠上漂亮的花环，二者缺一则色彩尽失。
NBT两晚的演出之最扣人心弦的地方，皆来自对比：歌曲的选择、芸妮和丽津钢柔并济、Roger的吉他和人声的相互冲击，再加上环境和歌手历年来在舞台上的磨练等等，这一切的一切，绝对不是偶然，而是必然，既然是必然，那就更不应该过于陶醉其中。同志们，请记住，成功的路还有很长，大家尚待努力。
自知本来就是人的一生中最难掌握的智慧。当你有了自知，你就会是那个不为一切外来因素所掌控的可怜的被动者；当你有了自知，你的骄傲将会是你最具魅力的风采。
没有人可以打败你，除非你自己放弃。
[金亮 chow kam leong]
click here to listen to widuri.
if you were not at the gig, you would have missed how great winnie sang p.ramlee's "getaran jiwa" and pan xiu qiong "lover's tears" (qing ren de yan lei) and how fabulous roger's arrangements are for these two songs!
following the theme of asian love songs, we may include another great one from indonesia. there are so many great love songs from indonesia and "widuri" is one of the greatest.
you can bet that roger is gonna come out with another winner again, and we would leave it to regine to convince us with her vocals.
there are more surprises for the 2nd album but we are not letting the cat out of the bag yet.
enjoy and tell us if you like this song!
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终于圆满的结束了 2V1G 的第一次两晚的售票演出，忽然有一点点的惆怅......
是不舍？是心情的激动？只知道一早醒来，脑里还回荡着你们给予的掌声、喝彩，甚至陪我们落下的眼泪。
观赏过演出的朋友纷纷给金亮老师和Leslie 留言，谢谢 2V1G 给了他们一个难忘的夜晚，我们亦然，深深感激你们成全了 2V1G 第一回的演出。若有不足的地方请你们见谅，我们一定会求进。
很快的， 2V1G 就要投入第二张的专辑制作了，我们幕前幕后的班底无时无刻期待给你们更好的音乐和表演。
谢谢云妮，Thank You Roger ，让我感受到音乐无私的分享和投入。
It is PASSION that never dies :) ...
2V1G 有一种默契在滋长着, 我期许世界会慢慢的听到...
[regine tai]
[unforgettable moments- regine delivering tempting hearts, with winnie tearing up]
[many thanks to horng yih and see fei for the amazing shots!]
一直以来，都是以观众的身份拜访 No Black Tie。这一次，却要站在舞台上唱歌。那种兴奋和雀跃，我大概没办法具体的形容。
紧张吗？是的，紧张。比起迎接室外大型的表演还要紧张。可是，当音乐响起的那一刻，我只记得，我要唱歌给大家听。
到场的人，是全心全意来观赏我们的表演的。台下是何等的安静。每一个人，都在专心聆听我们的每一颗音符。仿佛随时都会随着歌者的情绪，高涨与坠落。谢谢大家如此的尊重我们的音乐。
有许多做音乐的朋友也到场了。让我们一起加油吧！但愿不久的将来，你们也能站在梦想的舞台，呈现属于自己的乐章。
我是如此的幸福啊。有那么多的人在聆听和祝福我的音乐。
[芸妮 winnie]
the ambience in NBT at the end of the 2nd gig at 12:30am this morning, before we said goodbye to this magnificent stage, was one of unreal peace and serenity. it was a great contrast to the electrifying atmosphere just 2 hours ago. when the lights are switched off and curtain drawn, what is left is fond memories of a great performance that one would cherish forever.
2v1g gave a stellar show on the 2nd night. the first night was great too but it was filled with a bit of tension and nerves, and there were mistakes throughout. but the 2nd night, the 2nd night, oh my god, was absolutely fabulous, a near-perfect performance by the 2v1g trio. they were so natural on stage; the chemistry between regine and winnie was so good, as if they have been singing together for ages. i don't have to say much about roger wang because he is god, a guitar god. there were many young guitar players among the audience and they were all speechless after seeing the way roger played his guitar.
my clients who were there on the 2nd night, were all enthralled by such a superlative performance. one actually ushered me to one corner and tell me "i want them to do my show next year".
there were some defining moments on the 2nd night. time stood still and many people cried (yes, they told me) when regine belted out her tear-jerking "tempting hearts", even winnie shed some tears. and when it was winnie's turn to sing "coming home", the last song before the encore, she packed the song with such emotional intensity that the entire audience was totally absorbed and went completely silent. the silence from the crowd during these two songs were deafening - everyone is so engrossed in their performance. and when she ended her last note, the audience was already spent emotionally. such is the power of ballads.
there were so many definite winners in the repertoire. regine's "i have a date with spring" was tailor-made for her. winnie's "lover's tears" & "what a difference a day made" were so good that it won't embarrass the original singers. roger's arrangements and guitar solos in "oblivious time" (cai qin's classic), "getaran jiwa" and "lover's tears" were sublime; it gives me goose bumps everytime i listen to his arrangements. very likely, i will include these few songs in the 2nd album.
there are so many things that amazed me. the girls and even roger were only "good" during the practice but when they went on stage, they were totally transformed and sang like there's no tomorrow. they love the stage and they belong there. roger's focus and concentration are truly amazing; he played a near-perfect performance on the 2nd night. even he admitted that the chemistry within the trio is so rapidly build-up that they already feel like good friends having fun on stage. worthy of mention is how well the girls rendered english numbers; they harmonize beautifully on "you needed me" and "always on my mind". vocal training sessions with mia palencia have certainly paid off handsomely for the girls.
24 hours later, the euphoria of having watched 2 superb performances by 2v1g has somewhat died down and i am back to "normal" life again.
i wouldn't say it was once-in-a-lifetime but it was close to me because they are my babies. i was nervous on the first night because i am afraid that my first-born would screw-up. but after witnessing how they commanded the stage on the second night, i can say that they are ready for the world.
i am so proud of you, 2v1g!
some famous blogger beats me to writing a review on 2v1g's gig last night.
check it out here!
we just finished our first round of rehearsal tonight and i can tell you, 2v1g's maiden gig is gonna be a cracker.
many people, especially roger wang's fans, who bought the 2v1g cd commented they didn't see the true roger wang at play. this is partly true because it was roger's first foray into chinese ballads. he needs time to familiarize himself with this genre.
it is a different story this time. some of his arrangements we heard tonight are simply gorgeous. song like lover's tears and oblivious time (bei yu wang de shi guang, cai qin's classic) are all given a cool jazz/bossa treatment; they sound totally different and refreshing. we were nodding our heads in total approval of his superb arrangements.
frankly, if you are a mandarin pop lover, you must not be miss this gig. it is gonna be a really good one.
p/s there are still some "staircase" seats left for the two gigs. the seats offer good view of the stage but you have to sit on parquet flooring :-(
mrs. costello has visibly gained some weights since she became a mother, something which she proudly declared during the concert in kl last night. she even mentioned about her famous husband but i guess not many people know who her husband is. and yes, krall has the most beautiful blonde hair i have ever seen ;-)
the acoustics in plenery hall are good, tho' nowhere approaching the dewan filharmonik petronas (DFP). from where we sat, the sound did not have enough volume. anthony wilson's guitar came across louder than diana krall's piano but it doesn't matter, the quartet played a tight set throughout the entire night.
what impressed me is how seasoned krall's voice has become. it has a kind of tone that is akin to the best of wine reserved for the connoisseurs. many people dislike krall because they think her voice is technically perfect but lacking of real emotions and this i have to disagree. listening to her rendition of joni mitchell "a case of you" with just the piano with pin-drop silence from the audience, i could feel my goose bumps raised and my heart stopped beating.
and anthony wilson's is a gem, his guitar is so soulful and sensitive. i actually mentioned to my producer (chow) that how i wished roger wang is here. i am not saying that roger is not as good as anthony wilson but he could learn a thing or two from anthony. what i love about anthony's guitar is the contrast in his playing between the fast numbers and the slows numbers. there is a good mix of slow and fast numbers in the set and when it comes to the slow (really really slow) ones, krall (and her piano playing) sounded so very seductive and sensitive; it touched and moved the soul. and anthony's guitar playing complemented very well, like hand and glove.
a lot of local musicians i know do not have enough of contrast in their playing, this much i can tell you. most of them revel in playing fast dynamic numbers but when it comes to slow ones, they lack sensitivity and delicacy.
overall, krall and her quartet delivered a night of quality jazz. but i wished the venue could be smaller with more intimate crowd. i was told that krall and entourage adjourned to no black tie (NBT) after the concert to jam with local jazz musicians but it was too late for me to go to NBT.
talking about NBT, yes, two of 2v1g's gigs are full house next week! yay, give me five!
Roger，Winnie和Regine好，
我不是樂評人，只是一個喜歡用「心」聽音樂的平凡小民。找到了您們的Blog，想告訴您們，有幸買了2V1G這張CD，真是美麗的緣分。
當天只是匆匆路過CD店，突然想買張高音質的CD，就進去轉了一轉。架上雖擺滿了琳瑯滿目的CD，但卻只有這張看來樸實無華的CD吸引了我的視線，感覺裡面所鐫刻的音樂，會有如封面一樣，充滿清新的感覺。CD店裡有得試聽，我也抱著期待的心情戴起了耳機。
一 聽之下，我都忘了當初是為了什麼走進店裡的了，傾聽著Winnie投入演繹著當年曾經讓我迷了順子好久的回家，Roger那手輕快但充滿了抑揚頓挫的吉 他，還有Regine那甜入人心，繞樑不絕的歌聲演繹情雪；入耳，不，入心的已經不再是音樂，而是三位在演繹每首歌時所注入的那一份深情，那一份心意。當 天離開CD店的時候，除了手中的CD之外，心中還洋溢著適才試聽時被牽動了的那一份喜悅。
在翻版及過度商業化的音樂充斥市面的今天，真的 非常高興還能見到仍然有像三位對音樂如此有熱忱的人，用心和誠意打造出了這一張動人心弦，値得擁有的專輯。也謝謝所有幕後的工作人員：大家對於力臻完美的 努力和要求，我這位市井小民都聽到了。希望2V1G能夠在不久的將來，再與我們分享更多好聽的音樂。
昨晚與內人相約在客廳欣賞這張CD（第一次正式邀請太太在家裡客廳約會，挺有意思的），雖然有些歌詞略帶一絲落寞，但對於聽歌聽其意的我們而言，三位所帶來的悠揚旋律為我們的小小的斗室注滿了甜蜜的感覺，在此再次向三位說聲謝謝！
最後：
1. 新不了情太棒了，Roger的Bossa Nova編曲編得恰到好處，琴聲挑動著心中每一分的情感，既沒有濫用的感覺，也不落於俗套。Regine甜美的音色和Winnie成熟的唱腔互相交織，帶出了絕美的意境，真的讓人回味無窮。
2. 由於以軟體進行簡繁體互換易有錯誤，在歌詞的文字校對這方面尚有改善的空間，但瑕絕不掩瑜，這只是我個人的一個小建議，請勿介意。
3. 在此也希望向唱片業者以及音樂人抒發小民的心聲。唱片業如今前景低迷，實不應完全歸咎於翻版。如果每張唱片，每一首歌都能夠用心和誠意製作，為其注入靈魂和値得典藏的價值，相信社會上願意收藏高質音樂的消費者，是絕對不在少數的。願與各位共勉之。
patrick, you made our day! thanks for such brilliant comments. we are so happy because we have an appreciative fan like you!
我们都给你正面的评语感动了。 是的，2v1g 会做更多更好的音乐！
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