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FONG LEONG MING
2009/02/27 The New Straits Times

Taiwanese-American Wang Leehom’s latest album is this week’s pick, outshining easily a Norah Jones wannabe and a dated, if starry, compilation. FONG LEONG MING has the reviews.

WANG LEEHOM
Heart Beat (Sony BMG)

TALENTED Taiwanese-American singer and songwriter Wang Leehom has always stayed on top on my list of male artistes of note.

Ever-dependable, he consistently churns out top-notch albums which stays on the charts for all the right reasons. Has it been 14 years already since he first hit the charts with Love Rival Beethoven?

True, in the beginning, his rappin’ and black American mannerisms might have been a bit off-putting but his talent for writing ballads has always shone and there has been no looking back since.

Heart Beat, his 13th, looks set to follow in the footsteps of his other highly successful albums, including Revolution (1998), The One and Only (2002) and Unbelievable (2004).

There is a good mix of ballads here (hurray!) but his energy is mostly reserved for the catchy fast tracks.

From the fast, catchy title track Dirty Love and the head-banging Puppet to the rap-inflected No Reason To Pay Attention To You, Leehom is doing what he loves best — making music and having fun at the same time.

With all that energy and talent, you can just imagine how infectious those songs are.

But his ballads are undoubtedly the icing on the cake. Leehom has a romantic streak, and it shows. Female fans may be enamoured with his good looks but when he croons his ballads, you can be sure they are falling like tenpins, swooning like anything.

Another Heaven, a duet with Jane Zhang, is easily the best, though Screenplay, Heart Beat, Everything and the clumsily-titled The Sun After Washed by Spring Rain will easily put you in a romantic mood.

All in all, Heart Beat is another milestone in Leehom’s career. With the fusion of rock, pop, jazz and sometimes traditional Chinese sounds that we’ve come to associate with his music, his music is, as always, trend-setting.

RATING: ★★★★