old canto gem 方心泪

fusion of old-school canto pop and jazz
i have been spinning this non-stop for the last 3 weeks since i got it from the KLIAV show. something must be right about this recording.

ok, a bit of intro on TIS recording. it is a small recording label in hk, helmed by vili and chang, that specializes in niche audiophile recordings. TIS recording is known for its completely over-the-top highs, overwhelming details and ambience. instruments like cymbals, brushes, triangles, chimes and other percussive stuff are always emphasized and highlighted. TIS recordings would make any dull systems come alive! notable TIS artistes include le mon 如梦 and pui pui 贝贝. le mon in particular, is well-loved by malaysian audiophiles due to her tender vocals and coy presentation. i personally have the whole collection of le mon and i play it once in a while to showcase my system's strenghts to my friends. two years ago, TIS moved its studio to china in an attempt to reduce operating costs but unfortunately, recording standards also suffer/drop. so the current batch of china-pressed TIS recordings are rather inferior to the hk pressed ones. another problem with TIS is they always engage below-the-par lounge singers. detractors always view TIS recordings as having 1st grade recording but b-grade singers.

this one is a gem, however. fang xin 方心 is a canto singer of the old school type, which we call 粤曲 (yuet cook in cantonese). my audiophile friends call her the "redifusion" singer, meaning she reminds us of the era of the private radio station redifusion in malaysia in the 70s. you either love or hate her style of singing. but to me she has the substance. the fusion of old-school canto pop with lounge jazz arrangement is totally refreshing to me, at least. and the recording, my oh my, is sumptuously rich and layered.

it has got depth, for a start. fang xin's mouth is pinpointly focused. the presence factor and palpability is very high. tonal quality and midrange density are first class. the highs belong to the stratosphere, completely mesmerizing and intoxicating (in my system, that is). in fact, the highs alone are worth the RM20 i spent on this cd. try track #7 and be thrilled with the tonal richness and presence. granted, transparency is still not as good as some of le mon's finest cds.

trust me, you may not love the singing but the recording is guaranteed to please!