Album Review: Khalil Fong – ‘Soul Boy’, ‘This Love’, ‘Wonderland’

Album release date: 2005-2007

Genre: R&B/Soul, Cpop

Review by: jct

Note: This is a review for Khalil Fong’s first 3 albums. All in 1 review!

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Khalil Fong’s music is truly a breath of fresh air compared to the souless, overly computerized music that defines contemporary R&B music. All the songs in the albums are earnest, heartfelt love ballads, and none are boring or generic. With his smooth and soulful vocals and outstanding production skills, Khalil is definitely a true, genuine artist.  

Smooth and Soulful

On his debut album, Khalil sets himself apart from the other Cpop singers by focusing his music on R&B/Soul. And he continued with this tone and image on the next two albums. Khalil’s approach on all the albums seemed to be if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And it worked because R&B/Soul is truly what he does best. However, on Wonderland, he did adjust his music style slightly as he provided more upbeat tunes rather than the slower ballads from his previous albums.

All three albums are pretty much filled with slow to mid-tempo love ballads, with just a couple of upbeat songs. Most of the songs have very original and romantic lyrics. For instance, in the song “Sorry” which is about finally realizing and understanding the pain he had caused to his lover, and apologizing. He sings, “When I turned around, I realized that it was I/That hurt you the most, owe you the most”, and he continues, “Your love is so deep, the deepest love is actually the most silent/ Love can be gentle, love can be cruel/Love’s selfishness, love’s freedom/ Love’s betrayal, love’s struggle/ All these I’ve experienced/ I also have your pain now/ I’m so sorry.” Also deserving mentioning is the song, “Travelling Quartet” which is a duet with Fiona Sit. It’s a love ballad about a brief encounter with a past lover, as they sing, “I didn’t have enough love to give at that time/ Looks like we can only be friends/ The happiness of the past doesn’t turn into sorrow/ Looks like at that moment/ We both were willing to let go.” Other notable tracks from the three albums include “Spring Breeze”, "South Sound", “Shu Li Zhen”, “If You Leave Me Now”, “Love Song”, and “Park”.

Although Khalil didn’t compose all the songs, he did arrange and produce most of them, and the results are amazing. In addition to his smooth vocals, his ad-libs are also really good, and not too overwhelming. Although, there are many highlights, there are a couple of drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is that some songs from one album may sound similar to the songs from a previous album. However, it can be forgiven because his songs are still fresh and compelling, and he sounds full of life.

The bottom line is that all three albums are solid packages and demonstrate Khalil’s smooth and soulful vocals. These three albums are highly recommended for those who enjoy R&B/Soul music.

Overall Rating

‘Soul Boy’  - 4.5/5

‘This Love’ – 4.5/5

‘Wonderland’ – 4.5/5

Tracklist
Soul Boy
1. Prologue
2. 妹妹 (Little Sister)
3. 春风吹 (Spring Breeze)
4. 每天每天 (Everyday)
5. 女人 (Women)
6. 叫我怎么说 (Tell Me How To Say)
7. 哪怕 (Who’s Scared)
8. 南音 (Sound of the South)
9. 我们能不能 (Can We)
10. 跳 (Jump)
11. 总结 (Conclusion)
12. 赶场 (Rushing)
13. 等着你回来 (Waiting For You To Be Back)

This Love
1. 愛愛愛 (Love, Love, Love)
2. 蘇麗珍 (Shu Li Zhen)
3. 歌手與模特兒 (A Musician and a Model)
4. 唉! (Oh, Dear!)
5. 四人遊 (Traveling Quartet)
6. 手拖手 (Pulling Hands)
7. 偷笑 (Grinning)
8. Goodbye Melody Rose
9. 詩人的情人 (Poet's Lover)
10. 拖男帶女 (Grab the Guys, Take the Girls)
11. Love Outro
12. If You Leave Me Now
13. 春風吹之吹吹風Mix (The Walk of the Blowing Spring Breeze)

Wonderland

1. Love Song
2. 夠不夠 (Enough?)
3. 暖 (Warm)
4. 愛在 (Love is There)
5. 公園 (Park)
6. 簡單最浪漫 (Simple is the most romantic)
7. 十九八七...  (10,9,8,7…)
8. 未來 (Future)
9. 忘了美麗 (Forgetting Beauty)
10. Sorry
11. 愛愛愛 (Acoustic Version) (Love, Love, Love)