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)