Artist Bio: Ra.D (라디)

Profile

Full name: Lee Doo Hyun
Date of Birth: 1980
Profession: singer-songwriter, producer
Debut Album: My Name is Ra.D (2002)

Career
Ra. D is a Korean R&B singer-songwriter and producer who combines R&B, soul, and hip hop sounds to create a very unique and original style of music. After establishing his own record label (RealCollabo), Ra.D re-emerges on the music scene with his second solo album after a 6 years hiatus. Ra.D also actively participates in the production of many artists’ albums such as Cho PD, Dynamic Duo, and 2PM. He also worked with international artists such as Jose Feliciano, and Amy Pearson through an American Music Label ‘BeLikeWater’. Other artists under his label are Brother Su and Joo Yeong.

In 2010, his second album, Vol. 2 – Realcollabo, won the ‘Best R&B and Soul Album’ at the 7^th Annual Korea Music Awards. 

Ra.D is currently working as a DJ for Daum Music of Korea's website 'Daum'. (2011)

Personal Life
The song "I'm In Love" was written by Ra.D to propose to his wife, Kelley, and together, they wrote "Couple Song".  They also have a son together. 

Discography

Albums

Vol 1     My Name is Ra.D            2002
Vol 2     Realcollabo                      2008
Vol 2.5  Realcollabo + RMX         2009
Vol 3     Soundz                             2014

Mini-Albums
작은 이야기 (Small Story)     2013

Digital Singles
오랜만이죠 (Feat. 신지수) [It's been so long feat. Sin Ji Soo]   2013
어떤 설레임 (Dating Agency: Cyrano Part 3 OST) 2013
Fly Away     2014

Others

Christmas Card From Realcollabo   2009 
Wish Me A Merry Christmas          2013

Collaborations

Kebee - Constellation (feat. Ra.D) (2007)
Dynamic Duo - 어머니의 된장국 [Mother's Miso Soup] (Feat. Ra.D) (2008)

Dynamic Duo - 아버지 [Father] (Feat. Ra.D) (2008)

Standing Egg (스탠딩에그) – 사랑에 빠져본 적 있나요(Have You Ever

                         Been In Love) with Ra.D (Acoustic Ver.) (2011)

Eluphant - 미래로 돌아가자 (2011) (feat Ra.D) (2011)

Lee Seung Gi -연애시대 Time for Love (feat. Ra.D, 한효주) (2011)
IU - Teacher feat. Ra.D (2011)
GaIn - Take Out with Ra.D (2012)
Shin Seung Hoon (신승훈) - 그랬으면 좋겠어 (I Hope) (With Ra.D)  (2013)

Selected Production Credits 
A list of songs he produced can be found here

Source: kbs world, realcollabo.com 

Ra.D - Yoo Hee Yeol's Sketchbook Performances 10/01/29

Ra.D (라디) is a underground Korean R&B/Soul/Hip Hop singer-songwriter that produces very unique R&B sounds. He rarely appears on TV, so it's surprising to see him on Sketchbook (10/01/29). He is a very talented singer/songwriter/producer.

Watch the performances below:

"Goodbye" (from Vol. 2 - 2008)



"Mal Love" (from Vol 2.5 - 2009)




Extra:
There is a clip of Ra.D singing "너와 함께 있음을 (Lullaby RMX)" at his studio. His vocal is very smooth and distinctive. I really like this song! 

Kpop – List of R&B releases 2010

Just summarizing all the R&B (includes R&B/pop, R&B/ballad, R&B/Soul) releases by Korean artists for the year 2010. I hope I didn't miss out anyone...

January             
4Men – The 3^rd Generation (full album)

February          
Brother Su (브라더수) - It Was You (digital single) 

March               
One Way – OneWay Street (mini-album)

4Men – Baby Baby + 4Men (mini-album)

All That (올댓) – Love Jam (EP)

Yoon Jong Shin – Monthly Project Album 2010 April (digital single)

Rain – Back to the Basic (mini-album)

April                 
Yoon Jong Shin – Monthly Project Album 2010 May (digital single)

2NISE – She Said (mini album)

           

May                 
Yoon Jong Shin – Monthly Project Album 2010 June (digital single)

Gummy – Loveless (mini album)

June                  
T-Blue (티블루) – The First Storee (EP)

Code-V – Poisoning (mini-album)

July                  
TaeYang – Solar (full album)

Se7en – Digital Bounce (EP)
Jay Park – Nothing on You (EP)
Yoon Jong Shin – Monthly Project Album 2010 August (digital single)

August              
Hwanhee – H-Hour (EP)
Yoon Jong Shin – Monthly Project Album 2010 September (digital single)
Wheesung – Realslow is Back (EP)

September       
4Men & E-Tribe – You (EP)

G.O. & Nassun – O-IWI-O (digital single)

October            
4Men – Sorry (EP)

2AM – Saint O’Clock (full album)
Yoon Jong Shin – Monthly Project Album 2010 October (digital single)
Yoon Jong Shin - Vol. 12 行步2010 (full album)

November         
T-Blue – Transform (digital single album)

Lena Park – Cover Me Vol. 1 (full album)
Brown Eyed Soul – Vol. 3 Brown Eyed Soul (full album)

December         
Gummy & Bobby Kim – Love Recipe (digital single
Joo Yeong (주영) – Same as You (digitial single album)

All That – Vol. 2 Love Me (full album)
One Way – Rainy Days (digital single album)

Wheesung – Winter Night (EP)

T-Blue – Blue Christmas (digital single album)  

BEAST – My Story (EP) 

Z-Chen & Fish Leong - '一家一 (One plus One)' (2010)

Yeah!! Something new by Z-Chen. It's a slow-tempo R&B love ballad with sweet lyrics about love and marriage as they sing smoothly, "Addition of love:/ one plus one equals infinity/ increase in love with love.../ one plus one equals to our home."

This duet is in Fish Leong's new album 'What Love Songs Didn't Tell You'.  Z-Chen also mentioned that this song is a gift to people that are getting married in 2011.

Note: 1+1 in Chinese is actually written like this: 一加一, but 加 sounds exactly like 家, which means home. So yea, smart word play.


Listen here:

Album Review: All That (올댓) – ‘Vol. 2 Love Me’

Album release date: December 2010
Genre: R&B, Kpop

Rating: 4/5       
Review by: jct

Note: All That (올댓) is a Korean R&B duo consisting of Kuan (vocalist) and EachONE (composer, song writer, producer).
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On their second album, All That continues to release more smooth and sensual love songs that are well-sung. All That and Vol. 2 Love Me are a breath of fresh air compared to some Kpop artists who are simply R&B poseurs. All That is definitely a true R&B artist.

Smooth and Sensual 

On their second album, All That delivers music that’s made to swoon the ladies. The album is filled with a variety of ballads: love, lust, and pain, such as “You’re So”, “Take It Off (Feat.Bom-B, CEEJAY Of Fresh Boyz)”, and “Pouding Luv”, respectively. The album’s title track, “Still You feat. Gilme” is mid-tempo R&B song about a broken heart as they sing, “Do you remember walking down the street hand in hand/ Do you remember where we first met/ Do you remember where you confessed/ It is still vivid the day we broke up, no longer in love”. However, the title track doesn’t seem to stand out as much as the album’s other romantic and sensual songs such as “You’re So”, “Closer”, “Pouding Luv”, and “Erase (Feat.J’Kyun)”.

The album contains smooth and romantic materials that fit perfectly well with the tone of the album and some even sound sexy. All That is a perfect R&B duo with Kuan as the vocalist, singing with confidence and purpose on each and every track, and EachONE’s excellent songwriting and production skills on almost all the songs. One possible flaw with the album is the abundant amount of guest appearances which may take away the shining moments of the original artist's vocals. Although the hip hop component is a nice blend with R&B, the rap seems to be too excessive on some parts and the foul language in the rap is simply not necessary. However, the other R&B guest appearances certainly fit well with the songs as they help bring out the emotions of the songs nicely.

It’s rare for Korean artists to deliver a well-rounded album filled completely with R&B music, but All That’s second album is just such an album. It’s charming, sensual, original, and most of all - truly R&B. Overall, Vol. 2 Love Me is recommended for those who enjoy R&B music.

Tracklist
1. All That 2010 (Feat.Carry Diamond)
2. Take It Off (Feat.Bom-B, CEEJAY Of Fresh Boyz)
3. You’re So
4. Luv U Girl
5. Closer
6. Poundin Luv
7. Interlude 1
8. 참을게 (I’ll Resist)
9. I Need Ur Luv (Feat.DirtyBlood)
10. Break Up (Feat.Eunice)
11. 여기까지야 (Up To Here)
12. 아직도 널 (Feat.길미) (Still You feat. Gilme)
13. 지워 (Feat.J’Kyun) (Erase)
14. Interlude 2
15. 보내고 (Feat.Soulman) (Sending You Away)
16. 아직 Remix (Not Yet)
17. 늦었지만 (Even Though I’m Late)

About R&B

R&B (rhythm and blues) is a popular genre of African American music originated in the 1940s with singers who sang jazz, blues and gospel music. The "rhythm" part of the term comes from the music mainly depends upon a four-beat measure or bar, and employs a backbeat (beats two and four accented in each measure). The "blues" part comes from the lyrics and melodies of the songs, which were often sad, or 'blue' which is related to the music's emergence in the World War II era. Over time the name was shortened to R&B.

The typical instruments are, but not limited to, drum kit, double bass, saxophone, horns, piano, organ, and electric guitar. However, R&B has developed significantly since the 1940s. In 1950s, R&B was applied to more blues, gospel and soul music. By the 1970s, it covered soul and funk. From 1980s and onwards, we have a newer style of R&B which is known as contemporary R&B.

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of pop, funk and soul, and originates from North America in the early 1980s. The typical instruments include synthesizers, keyboard, and drum machine. In the beginning, the beats had a more jazz feel with smooth and distinct vocal arrangements. However, today, electronic influences and hip hop are becoming an increasing trend.  

A subgenre within contemporary R&B is the Quiet Storm. It is a broad term given to an array of mellow, and slow tempo contemporary R&B, soul and smooth jazz music. It also includes Neo-Soul and more mellow and soulful side of smooth jazz.

Glenn Lewis - 'Good One' (2010)

Glenn Lewis is a Canadian R&B/Neo-Soul singer-songwriter. He recently released a new single called 'Good One' which will be on his new album that is due in early 2011. It's a really nice song about being fortunate to have a special person in his life.

Aside: He had a hit single, "Don't You Forget It" back in 2001, which you might remember...

Listen to "Good One" below:



Lyrics: 


Said I know I got... 
Said I know I got... 
I got me a good one (repeat x4) 


Whenever I need you you're always there 
You're even there the times I didn't even know you better 
And whenever I call girl you answer 
Damn girl you're so good I think you can be the cure to cancer 


Girl ohhhh sometimes I can't believe that He sent you to me 
Ohhhh I get this feeling I never had it in my soul 
As sure as the the sky holds the sun 
Said I know I got me, I got me a good one. 


So baby whenever you need me, don't hesitate to call 
'cause I'm your friend when you feel you've got no friends at all 
Lay your head on my shoulder & tell me all about it 
& when we're done talking we can make love all around 


Ohhhh sometimes I can't believe that He sent you to me 
Ohhhh I get this feeling I never had it in my soul 
As sure as the the sky holds the sun 
I know I got me, I got me a good one 


Said I know I got... 
Said I know I got.. 
I got me a good one (repeat x4)


Lyrics credit: onlylyrics.com

New Music: Wheesung & Cloud - 'Winter Night (EP)'

Wheesung recently released a Christmas EP entitled "Winter Night" on December 22, 2010. The album features other artists as well including Abby, and Steve Barakatt. Wheesung covered Michael Jackson's  "You Are Not Alone". The original song is definitely the best, but Wheesung's cover is still a good effort. Also deserving mentioning is Cloud's cover of "All I Want For Christmas Is You", which is a much slower version compare to the original, but it still sounds nice.


Track list:
1. You Are Not Alone - Wheesung and Cloud
2. You Are Not Alone
3. You Are Not Alone - Wheesung and Steve Barakatt (Fraktal remix)
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Cloud
5. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Abby and Steve Barakatt
6. All I Want For Christmas Is You (east4A remix) - Abby
7. All By Myself (junjaman remix) - Abby


Listen to some of the songs here:

"You Are Not Alone" - Wheesung



"All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Cloud

New Music: T-Blue - 'Blue Christmas' (single album)

T-Blue recently released a Christmas single album entitled 'Blue Christmas' on December 22, 2010. The second track, "Christmas Again", is a song from their first album. Both songs are R&B/ballad song that display their vocals nicely.

Tracklist:
1. Blue Christmas
2. Christmas Again


Listen to "Christmas Again":

Album Review: Z-Chen – ‘May I Love You’, ‘3a.m.’, ‘Listen To Me’

Album release date: 2002, 2003
Genre: R&B, Cpop     
Review by: jct

Note: This is a review for Z-Chen’s first 3 albums since debut in Taiwan. All in 1 review!

__

Z-Chen is truly a talented R&B artist as his vocal is natural regardless of fast or slow songs. Despite being underrated, he always delivers smooth and romantic love ballads that are well-sung. In these albums, he does a great job of establishing the emotions in all the songs, and it never gets dull.

Subtle Romantic Charm

One of Z-Chen’s trademarks is hopeless romantic and broken heart songs, as can be seen from the title tracks of all three albums, “May I Love You”, “3 a.m.”, and "Listen To Me". The title track of the first album, “May I Love You” is a hopeless romantic R&B/pop song, where he sings smoothly, “ After giving the key to you, you turn and lock me up/ into a door called ‘waiting’/ You have already tried so many ‘lock of heart’, why don’t you come and open my love?/ Love you, love you, may I love you, tell me what to do?/ How can I let you and myself not be alone, finding happiness together/ when the world slowly become from luxury to a wasteland/ please don’t worry, I’m still your believer”.   The title track of the second album, ‘3 a.m.’ is a slow-tempo R&B song about a broken heart as he sings: “However, after a heart is broken, how to put it together/ Baby, baby, love can be so beautiful/ Can only blame that moment, the words were too harsh/ Everything was out of control/ baby baby, love should be so beautiful/ You give too much and now I understand.” 

The title track of the third album, “Crossing the Line” is also a slow-tempo song about a broken heart as he sings: “The sky will only leave behind the spiral of soundless loneliness/ Will time be able to rewind a little/ And stop at your smile on a clear day.” Some notable tracks from the three albums include “時間剛剛好 (Perfect Timing)”, “Forever”, “重返寂寞 (Return To Loneliness)”, “刺心 (Barbed Heart)”, “請問愛情 (Please Ask Love) “,“很想妳 (Thinking of You A Lot)”, “說 (Speak) “, “回憶錄 (Memories)”, and “傷心換日線 (Sadly Crossing the Line)”.

There are also some upbeat songs, like “Cap Girl” and “完美 (Perfection)”. However, they aren’t quite as good as the slower material, but to Z-Chen’s credit he manages to sound comfortable on these songs and not awkward or out of his element at any time.  

In all of the songs, his vocals are on-point and he’s able to tell a story through his music. If you take the time to listen to the albums, his music with its subtle romantic charm will grow on you. Overall, 3 a.m. is more of a solid album compare to the other two. However, all three albums are definitely enjoyable and demonstrate Z-Chen’s strong and smooth vocals.

Overall Rating

May I Love You – 3.5/5

3 a.m. – 4.5/5

Listen To Me – 4.5/5

Tracklist

May I Love You
1. Intro
2. May I love you
3. 梁祝 (Butterfly Lovers)
4. 沒有你 (Without You)
5. 完美 (Perfection)
6. I Need Love

7. 後來才知道 (Realizing It Later)
8. Easy Come Easy Go
9. 忘年 (Miss The Year)
10. 時間剛剛好 (Perfect Timing)
11. 名字 (Name)

3 a.m. 1. 凌晨三點鐘 (3 a.m.)
2. 在KTV過夜 (Overnight At KTV)
3. 下次再見 (See You Next Time)
4. Forever
5. 重返寂寞 (Return To Loneliness)
6. 愛情 (Love)
7. 明知故問 (Asking the Obvious)
8. 不夜城 (Never Sleep)
9. 刺心 (Barbed Heart)
10. 耿耿於懷 (Brood)
11. 請問愛情 (Please Ask Love)
12. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton’s cover)

Listen To Me
1. 換日線 (Crossing the Line)
2. 詩人 (A Poet)
3. 莫非定律 (Following Rules)
4. 完全明白 (Completely Understand)
5. 三千 (Three Thousand)
6. 很想妳 (Thinking of You A Lot)
7. Cap Girl
8. 老歌手 (Old Singer)
9. 說 (Speak)
10. 回憶錄 (Memories)
11. 傷心換日線 (Sadly Crossing the Line)

New Music: One Way - 'Rainy Days'

One Way is a Korean R&B/Hip Hop male group consisting of three members, Chance, Peter, and Young Sky. They released a digital single album called 'Rainy Days' on December 13, 2010. 'Rainy Days' is a slow-tempo R&B song with a rap segment. The vocals are very calming and nice, and the background sounds of raindrops fit the song very nicely. Lyrics-wise, it's pretty typical, but overall, it's a nice song.

There are two versions of the song, Korean and English. The English version sounds really nice, especially since all three of them speaks fluent English (Peter and Young Sky are both raised in Australia, and Chance in the U.S.).

Tracklist:
1. Rainy Days (Feat. Junsu of 2PM)
2. Rainy Days (English Unplugged Ver.)


Listen here:

Rainy Days (Feat. Junsu of 2PM):


Rainy Days (English Unplugged Ver.):

New Music: Joo Yeong - '그대와 같아 (Same As You)'

Joo Yeong (주영) is a new Korean R&B/Soul male artist signed under RealCollabo. He was discovered by R&B singer-songwriter, Ra.D. Joo Yeong releases his debut single, 그대와 같아 (Same as You), on December 7, 2010. His voice is very nice and calm, and well-suited for R&B/Soul music. However, there is still room for improvement.

Tracklist
1. 그대와 같아 (Same as You)
2. 그대와 같아 - Rhodes RMX


Listen to '그대와 같아' here:




He also covered Glenn Medeiros' "'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You" a while ago, and it's pretty good -

AI feat Boyz II Men - 'Incomplete' (2010)

Lyrics: 

‘Be yourself’ is what you used to say 
But I don’t know me anymore 
Cause since we walked away from love 
There’s a big hole right in my heart 

‘Don’t be late’ is what you used to say 
Staring at your number on my phone 
But now I’ve run out of excuses, no need to prove it 
Cause you don’t pick up anymore 

(hook) 
Thought I would be better on my own 
Never knew the meaning of alone 
Tick tick tok, tick tick tok 
Time doesn’t wait for love 
Counting all the reasons in my mind 
Feeling like I’m running out of time 
Let me know if you’re missing me too 
(chorus) 
Incomplete 
Like a rose without a thorn 
Incomplete 
Like a heart without a home 
Trying not to look back, but I can’t get over you 
I’m so incomplete 
Like a song without a verse 
Incomplete 
Like the skies without the earth 
All I need is your love 
Slow down and rewind the time, 
And turn the clock to when I was complete with you

Turn the key to an empty room 
Trying not to stumble in the dark 
Remember how we’d light the candles 
And I would melt in your arms?

New cologne, new relationships 
There ain’t a thing that I could change 
That wouldn’t stop my heart from beating 
It’s you that I’m needing, 
So come back in to my life, my life

(hook) 
Thought that I’d be better on my own 
Never knew the meaning of alone 
Tick tick tok, tick tick tok 
Can’t take it anymore 
Counting all the reasons in my mind 
Feeling like I’m running out of time 
Cause we both know there’s love to be true

(chorus) 
Incomplete 
Like a rose without a thorn 
Incomplete 
Like a heart without a home 
Trying not to look back but I can’t get over you 
I’m so incomplete 
Like a song without a verse 
Incomplete 
Like the skies without the earth 
All I need is your love 
Slow down and rewind the time 
And turn the clock to when I was complete with you 

I bet you’re happy now 
No I’m not; I’m still crazy in love with you 
I bet there’s another one 
There’s no way that somebody could ever replace you 

Think of the heart ache and dim all the lights 
Let’s start it all over and write a new life 
I miss you (I miss you) 
I need you (I need you) 
Don’t care all the pain in my heart

(chorus) 
Incomplete 
Like a rose without a thorn 
Incomplete 
Like a heart without a home 
Trying not to look back but I can’t get over you 
I’m so incomplete 
Like a song without a verse 
Incomplete 
Like the skies without the earth 
All I need is your love 
Slow down and rewind the time 
And return the clock to when I was complete with you


Lyrics credit: azlyrics 

Album Review: Brown Eyed Soul – ‘Vol. 3 Brown Eyed Soul’

Album release date: November 2010
Genre: Soul/R&B, Kpop

Rating: 4/5       
Review by: jct

On November 2010, Korean R&B/Soul male group, Brown Eyed Soul, returns with their third album with more smooth and soulful music. They manage to sing a range of ballads from traditional R&B to modern jams with skills and dexterity. Perhaps Vol. 3 doesn’t break much new ground musically or lyrically, but it’s still a very smooth and enjoyable listen.

A Solid Album

The album has a total of 15 tracks, which includes previous singles, “Blowin’ My Mind,” “Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Never Forget,” “Love Ballad” and “I’ll Move Aside” which were released earlier this year. It also includes solo tracks from the individual members such as Jung-Yeop’s “Miss Cigar Store”, Seong Hoon’s “With Chocolate” and Na-eol’s “You”.  The title track, “If It’s the Same” is a mid-tempo R&B ballad with smooth vocals. However, it sounds like your typical contemporary R&B ballad, and doesn’t really stand out as much as some of the other tracks, such as “I’ll Move Aside” which is a slow-tempo R&B ballad about leaving a loved one’s side coolly. The brass instruments flows beautifully with the members’ smooth vocals and the emotions are carried out perfectly. Also deserving mentioning is “Blowin My Mind” which is a mid-tempo ballad that showcases their strong and emotional vocals with a 1970-1980’s era soul and jazz vibe. The album ends off with “He is Real” and “Your Song (Gratitude)” which they sing completely in English.

The album certainly demonstrates the group at their finest as their resonant and smooth voices are perfect for expressing the sensitive aspect of soul music accompanied with some R&B and ballad melodies. However, Vol. 3 falls off quality-wise on a couple of songs, particularly “Miss Cigar Store” and “Can’t Stop Loving You”. These tracks just don’t seem to be as strong as the album’s other materials, mainly because they give off an overly vintage feel. Actually, the entire album has a retro feel, but it is nicely balanced with some modern materials. Other than those couple of bumps in the road, Vol. 3 is a solid album, and it is recommended for those who enjoy Soul music and traditional R&B. 

Tracklist
1. Soul Breeze
2. Blowin’ My Mind
3. 똑같다면 (If It’s the Same)
4. 그대(You)
5. Can’t Stop Loving You
6. Rainy
7. With Chocolate
8. 담배가게 아가씨 (Miss Cigar Store)
9. Never Forget
10. Love Ballad
11. You
12. 비켜줄께(I’ll Move Aside)
13. Gone
14. He Is Real
15. Your Song (Gratitude)

Album Review: Z-Chen – ‘暗戀 (Secret Love)’

Album release date: 2009
Genre: R&B, Cpop
Rating: 4/5                   
Review by: jct

After a three year hiatus, R&B singer Z-Chen comes back fresh and energetic with his 7th album, 暗戀 (Secret Love). Z-Chen is one of the smoothest and most consistent singers in R&B; and in his latest album, he continues to provide more love ballads, and at the same time demonstrating a greater range of vocals. For the most part, his music sounds the same as what his fans have come to enjoy and love.

Love and Relationships

The album starts off with an upbeat dance single called “Enchanted” which is about a loved one having opposing emotions from one moment to the next. This song is quite different from his usual style as he sings with a much higher pitch. However, it is refreshing to hear Z-Chen sing an upbeat song, and it sounds quite good after a couple of listen. The rest of the album is pretty much what you’ve come to expect from Z-Chen: sweetly sung songs about love and relationships. This time, the album emphasizes more on the difficulties experienced in a relationship. The title track, “Secret Love”, is a slow-tempo love ballad about lacking the courage to confess to his crush: “Oh good friend, only a good friend/ If accidentally told you, I would laugh it off/ We stand on both sides of the window/ and have limits even to touch/ If cross over the border to each other/ would it become closer or more distant.” Another highlight is the song “The Key of Love” as he sings smoothly in both Mandarin and English, with romantic lyrics: “Every door has a key/ Let me open your heart/ and lead you to the skies behind/ If we try, we will find our paradise.”

If there’s anything that detracts from the album, it’s that some of the songs are somewhat cliché as he has already covered some of these topics before such as “Pieces of Love” and “The Key of Love”. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot of new ground covered on the album, but Z-Chen is the type of artist who doesn’t need to reinvent himself to deliver smooth and comforting R&B music.  Overall, Secret Love is a solid package and recommended for those who enjoy R&B/pop.

Tracklist
1. 迷魂陣 (Enchanted)
2. 愛來的剛好 (Love Comes Just In Time)
3. 暗戀 (Secret Love)
4. 愛與罰 (Love and Punishment)
5. 第四者 (Party of Four)
6. 可愛可不愛 (To Love or Not To Love)
7. 殘骸 (Pieces of Love)
8. The Key of Love (Bonus Track)

Marques Houston feat. Immature - 'Good For Life' (2010)

This song was released in Sept 2010, and I really like it!! It's a slow-tempo R&B song with sweet lyrics. He should of included this in his 5th album since the song was released around the same time as the album. This track reminds me of his older music, which is better than what he is offering these days.

Listen here:



Lyrics:

If you're ever feeling tired
or you need someone to fall on
ever feel afraid or you need someone to call on
I am here for you
and I don't care what we go through
cause we laugh and cry
and we ride till we die
and when time passes by
still our love will survive
and you don't have to ask
all you have to do is break the glass
in case of emergency
all you gotta do is call on me

if you ever need someone to talk to
(that's all you gotta do)
don't you ever hesitate just call through
(don't hesitate just call through)
cause whatever it is I got you
and I promise till the end of time
we good for life (ay ay)
we good for life (ay ay)
we good for life (ay ay)
and I promise til the end of time
we good for life

If you ever get weak and you just need a little massage
I'll drop what I'm doing
I'll be there on the double
cause I'm here for you
and I don't care what you're going through
cos we laugh and cry
and we ride till we die
and when time passes by
still our love will survive
and you don't have to ask
all you have to do is break the glass
in case of emergency
you can always call on me

If you ever need someone to talk to
don't you ever hesitate just call through
(don't hesitate just call through)
cause whatever it is I got you (I got you)
and I promise til the end of time
we good for life (ay ay)
we good for life (ay ay)
we good for life (ay ay)
and I promise till the end of time
we good for life

I'll kiss your pain and fear gone
never leave you all alone
give you everythang, even change your name to mrs. jones
truth lies in my bones
mr. right not ever wrong
if you ever need me holla on and you know it's on

If you ever need someone to talk to
don't you ever hesitate just call through
(don't ever hesitate just call through)
cause whatever it is I got you (yeah yeah)
and I promise till the end of time
we good for life (ay ay)
we good for life (ay ay)
we good for life (ay ay)
and I promise till the end of time
we good for life

we gone be good till the end of time
we gone be good till the end of time
we gone be good till the end of time 


Lyrics credit: sweetslyrics.com
Lyrics reviewed: jctmusicnotes

Taebin - Performances - Cover Songs

Taebin's cover of songs sung by American artists such as Usher, Mario Winans, etc. I put all the performances together here:

Cover of Usher's "U Got It Bad" - I can never find a good quality of this performance, but this is the performance that first got me interested in Kpop. Taebin really has a unique style when he performs.




Cover of Mario Winans' "I Don't Wanna Know" -



Cover of P.Diddy's "I'm Missin You" -



Cover of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting" - Only the first part of the performance is the cover

Album Review: Khalil Fong – ‘Timeless’

Album release date: 2009
Genre: R&B/Soul, Cpop

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by: jct

R&B/Soul singer Khalil Fong’s fifth album, Timeless, is essentially a tribute to the artists and songs that inspired his music. He covers a range of artists and at the same time adding something new or incorporating his style to the songs. Thus, the album isn’t entirely retro as it somewhow manages to expertly and easily walk the line between classic and modern day R&B/Soul music.

Classic/Modern Day

If you’ve ever wondered how Khalil Fong has an overflowing amount of soul, a large part of the answer is within the songs in this album. He clearly covers the songs that he felt had influenced his music style and lyrics. The artists he covers range from Stevie Wonder to Faye Wong.  The opening track is Stevie Wonder’s “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”, in which he kept the music the same as the original, but adding his own distinct sound to it. Maybe the album’s best song is Glenn Medeiros’ “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” as Khalil kept the song simple but at the same time, updating the song to appeal to the younger generation. Not to mention he sings it smoothly with true genuine emotions. Also, deserving mentioning is the cover of Susanna Kwan’s “Frenzy (狂潮)” in which he adds an R&B flavour to it which makes it sound less classical. At the same time, he kept it clean and crisp. This version is certaintly unique as the vocals and style is different from the original. Also, the cover of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” is an impressive remake as the song is in Spanish and although he doesn’t speak the language, he delivers it very well. If you did not know better, you’d think he can actually speak Spanish. He also adjusted the music and beats of the original song to fit his style and vocals, and the result is impressive.

However, the album does falter slightly on some songs. Although the songs itself are good and well-sung by Khalil, some songs simply doesn’t fit his style or nothing new was added, such as the songs “Bad” and “Remember”.  Overall, the album lives up to its title, as he embedded the idea of timeless, and doing justice to the artists that inspired him musically.

Tracklist
1. You are the Sunshine of my Life (Stevie Wonder cover)
2. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You (Glenn Medeiros cover)
3. Bad (Michael Jackson cover)
4. 狂潮 (Frenzy) (Susanna Kwan (關菊英) cover)
5. La Bamba (Ritchie Valens cover)
6. Red Bean (Faye Wong cover)
7. Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles cover)
8. Remember (A-mei cover)
9. Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton cover)
10. Moon River (Andy William cover)

Album Review: Z-Chen – ‘Happiness’, ‘Love Tree’

Album release date: 2005, 2006
Genre: R&B, Cpop     
Review by: jct

Note: These two albums contain nearly the same songs, with only 2 new songs added to Love Tree. So, I wrote a review for both of them combined.

__

In a perfect world, R&B singer, Z-Chen would be huge, while other, lesser-talented artists would flop instead of chart-topping successes. Z-Chen has a unique music style and his vocals are smooth and powerful. He might not top the charts, but Z-Chen is definitely an outstanding artist.

Hope & Love

In his 6th and 7th album, Happiness and Love Tree, respectively, Z-Chen continues with what he does best: creating music that tugs on your heartstrings. The albums are filled with a handful of slow and soothing songs with romantic lyrics. The title track of the 6th album, “Happiness” is a mid-tempo R&B song that he composed using a popular tune from the Cantonese song “Needing You Every Minute (分分钟需要你)” as a sample. The song is about being in love and understanding happiness in the process, as he smoothly sings in both Mandarin and Cantonese, “Loving you, I understand happiness/ It allows me to go through a rare and precious lecture/ Having you, I will become happier and also fulfilling”.  The title track of the 7th album, “Love Tree” is a slow-tempo R&B song about comparing one’s love to a tree. He sings, “The most painful thing in love is cannot lean close to each other/ But I will wait for you/ Recalling the season/ My love is a tree/ Never will it leave a step/ Snow and wind is so ruthless/ but I believe I can stand them all.”  Also deserving mentioning is the cover song of Shakin Stevens’ “Because I Love You”, as he sings completely in English to demonstrate his fluency in the language.

The albums do falter slightly as a couple of the songs may sound similar to the tracks from his previous albums. However, with his smooth vocals, the songs can still tug on the listener’s heartstrings and are pleasant to listen to. Although the two albums have nearly all the same songs, the addition of “Love Tree” and “Recovered” in the 7th album is certaintly welcoming. Overall, the two albums are very solid releases and are recommended for those who enjoy slow-tempo R&B and R&B/pop.

Overall Rating
Happiness - 4/5
Love Tree - 4.5/5

Tracklist

Happiness
1. 快樂 (Happiness)
2. Just Once
3. 讓時間開口 (Let The Time Say)
4. 擔心 (Worry)
5. 貼身情人 (Close Lover)
6. Because I Love You
7. 拖延 (Delay)
8. 樂天派 (Optimist)
9. 預言 (Premonition)
10. 放我的真心在你的手心 (Placing My Sincerity Into The Palm Of Your Hands)

Love Tree
1. 愛情樹 (Love Tree)
2. 快樂 (Happiness)
3. 痊癒 (Recovered)
4. 讓時間開口 (Let The Time Say)
5. Just Once
6. 擔心 (Worry)
7. 貼身情人 (Close Lover)
8. Because I Love You
9. 樂天派 (Optimist)
10. 預言 (Premonition)
11. 放我的真心在你的手心 (Placing My Sincerity Into The Palm Of Your Hands)