The whole topic of covers gets me all excited as I came across several fantastic ones but never got a chance to share. This is likely to be new feature in this blog beyond the usual new song offerings.
A-lin is singer who is rather under-rated in my view. She has a great voice and her nominations in Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards/ 金曲奖 as Best female singer award/最佳女歌手奖 is a way of affirming her capabilities.
In 2011, she covered a total of 5 songs in 7 odd minutes which are the songs of those nominated in the Best male singer award. This includes;
说了再见\ 周杰伦 (Jay Chou)
她说\林俊杰 (JJ Lin Jun Jie)
你不知道的事\王力宏 (Wang Lee Hom)
离开我\齐秦
慢慢等\韦礼安 (Wei Li An, William/Weibird)
I have heard of Crowd Lu for some time now but I never really got around listening to his music. My impression of him is strong, well namely because his image is striking/memorable (in a good way) and his indie offerings are refreshing. As I tend to be biased towards ballads, I never got to explore his works beyond those I hear occasionally on the radio.
Incidentally, I chanced upon a few of his covers (as per covered in previous postings) and was blown away by his vocals. His performances are solid and engaging and he is definitely someone whom you would want to see sing live with a backup band and him on his guitar.
Digging through his songs, I found two that I really liked, 听见了吗? in his 2009 album <<七天>> and 不想去远方 in <<慢灵魂>> released in 2011.
听见了吗?
我只想看着你 用任何距离
非常安静 飘过一片云
你的关心 变成灰色墙壁
我没能力 抵挡攻击
该如何告诉你 我的心情
我还想陪着你 任何天气
我还盼望 可以传达给你
唱给你听 在秋天里
那你听见了吗 我不安的心脏
听见了吗 要送给你的花
我所有能量 只能让这首歌与你分享
听见了吗 你在想着谁吧
听见了吗 我拥有的快乐 悲伤
不用回答 你听见了吗
不用回答 给我一个微笑
Loosely translated as "Can you hear me?", this is a sweet confession song. Love can be simple; it is the feelings you have that really counts.
Rather than the traditional MV version I usually post, catch Crowd Lu's live rendition of it. He is one singer who sounds much better live.
不想去远方
经过云的时候 我吞下一大口
你有没有感同身受 和我一样在天空
我的黑色行李 装太多不愿意
如果可以让我学会瞬间转移
我要用我的念力
把地球变成一颗微小星星
不用费力气就可以
跨越海洋找到你
别带我去远方 我不想去远方
我只想待在家 陪你说说话
然后一些生命 就这样平安的消耗
暂时没有 想到其他的愿望
Another soothing song which I guess we can relate to in one way or another. If only physical distances can be shrunk with will-power.
Catch the live version and skip to 0:43 for the full song.
Covers are always interesting to me because a song can be interpreted in many ways; more ballad-ish or rock-ish. They also show-off a singer's talent and versatility. My favourite covers tend to be acoustic versions and today I will share with you a classic song by S.H.E, 恋人未满 and covering this song is 卢广仲, Crowd Lu.
恋人未满 is S.H.E's hit début song/album which made them household names and one the top girl groups in the industry. This acoustic cover by Crowd Lu is really nice, despite the slips in lyrics here and there. A different feel for a song recorded more than 10 years ago (2001). I really liked how he interacted with the audience and how they sang along with him. Crowd Lu has a charming stage presence and I'm sure you will find yourself smiling and singing along with him.
Skip the first three minutes and start at 03:00 for his rendition of this 家喻户晓 song.
Lovely song by local artists 插班生 \ The freshman. As my thoughts for this song are neatly reflected on a penned piece on their blog, I would direct you to here (refer to song number 3). Listen to it here (YouTube link as I can't seem to find the same video via blogger YouTube search)
Credits: Music Baidu http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/341374684.html
The title of this song, 填空, leaves plenty of room for imagination. Loosely translated as, "fill in", it indicates a white space and a potential to fill it with anything you desire. This song is about recovery from a failed relationship and encourages one to focus their energies on themselves once again.
直到眼看遭遇捉弄 \ 很莫明 对自己怀疑; It's feels almost incredulous to be teased at but that makes you feel doubtful of yourself
挣扎了 选择了 然后归零; After you struggle, come to turns with your decision, let everything return to ground zero
可不可以 交出自己全放弃; Can I surrender myself and give up on everything I have now. When things seem too dim, its perhaps more liberating to start anew.
可不可以 别再要多清醒; Can I don't have that much clarity. I guess sometimes, deep down we all what the truth is like but we don't want to face that ugly truth,
脑中的空白空洞了空心 \ 再填空 还比较容易; With an emptied head and heart, it is easier to fill them up with new things
我可以了 关于没过去; I can deal with having a lack of a past
也可以了 生命再 变成 填空题; And can deal with my life returning to a new empty slate
再填空 我会填上自己 \ 答案是 我自己; Filling up that space with a renewed focus on me
A soothing and refreshing song by new singer 家家, this song is bound to stick around in my playlist for some time.
Credits: Music Baidu http://music.baidu.com/song/33465742
JJ Lin's 10th anniversary album <<因你 而在Stories Untold>> is due to be out on 13 March. But before the official release, we can already have a chance to listen to two song offerings, 修炼爱情 and 因你而在. The latter, a chirpy upbeat tune dedicated to JJ's fans did not leave a big impression so I am giving that a miss to talk about 修炼爱情, loosely translated into Practice of Love.
I have always enjoyed majority of JJ's works (mainly ballads) because he's a great composer and he sings well. Some of such memorable ballads range from 翅膀 to 学不会, 不存在的情人 . This latest offering, Practice of Love, isn't as "ballad-ish" and carries a more encouraging and positive tone. Frankly, I have been sitting on this post for more than a week since the lyrics aren't so clear-cut and I am trying to understand the story-line (if there is one). Watching the MV didn't help much since it was a animated story and its contents were not easy to relate to. Some of lyrics (chorus and bridge) stood out and I would be selectively covering this song.
修炼爱情的心酸 \ 修炼爱情的悲欢; Love ain't easy and the practice of love is one long arduous journey. It brings along happiness and sadness and I love the contrast/irony of the term 悲欢.
学会放好以前的渴望 \ 我们那些信仰 要忘记多难; Expectations are something we all have and it is never easy learning to let them go.
远距离的欣赏 近距离的迷惘 \ 谁说太阳会找到月亮; Appreciation from far, perplexity when near. It is always good to see other couples happily in love but when experienced first-hand, you may not have the same sweet pleasant relationship.
几年前的幻想 几年后的原谅 \ 为一张脸去养一身伤; The years before spent fantasying about love, the years after and the forgiveness. All the injuries incurred for a lone person.
笑着说爱让人疯狂 \ 哭着说爱让人紧张; Laughingly saying that love makes one go crazy, cryingly saying that love makes people nervous.
忘不了那个人就投降; Admit defeat if you can't forget that person.
Credits: Music Baidu http://music.baidu.com/song/34201134
