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!

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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