miriam scores again

remember my review on mark lui's (HK ace pop producer) first audiopile cd? a couple of you have bought the cd after reading my review and are certainly impressed with the recording. indeed, having built his megabuck studio, the moooon studio, mark is exploiting his resources to the max. he has a strong team to begin with, what with such top-notch facility at his disposal.

here's come another credible effort from mark lui - miriam yeung's swan song with GOLD LABEL. (note: miriam has joined A-MUSIC, a label which is owned by leon lai). it is customary for the record label to squeeze the last drop of blood from the artiste once he/she is gone by releasing a compilation or greatest hits. it is easy to accuse GOLD LABEL of this cheap intent judging from the no-frills and almost plain packaging (note: HK albums are known for their over-the-top packaging and design) but a quick listen will confirm that this album is pretty substantial.

i think by how you all should know that i am a sucker for tasteful cover versions. here, miriam sings all the recent popular cantopop hit songs, mostly composed by the man himself, mark lui. isn't that smart, mark doesn't even to pay publishing rights for these songs since he is the owner!

i really like some of miriam's interpretations, peppered with light jazz touches here and there. in particular, those songs composed by justin lo (Juk Tin) are really really refreshingly good and miriam delivers with her usual coolness. lovely!

my favourite are track #2, #4, #6, #8. admittedly, miriam doesn't always do better than the original version. there are 2-3 here which are really ordinary.

recording is just average. it is obvious that there is a budget limit to this production. the audiophile-grade recording facility in moooon studio is not fully utilized. but it is the music that counts.

sonics: 3/5
music: 4/5

as usual, i have uploaded the best song for you to try out ;-)