desert island discs

many of my audiophile kaki told me that i am a rare audiophile in that i don't quite subscribe to audiophile cds. instead, my main diet is pop cds!

over the past 3 years, i have many cds that impressed me musically and sonically, but i find myself going back and forth to the same couple of cds whenever i need some "shiok sendiri" self-ingratiating satisfaction from listening to my system.

these three cds have continually given me immense joy and pleasure.

(1) cheer chen's [a glamorous adventure] (top in the picture)

this is fast-becoming my best chinese pop CD for the last decade. i own 4 different pressings - china, taiwan, hk and malaysia. the quality of the music and recording puts shame to many of today's chinese pop albums.

cheer chen has become quite legendary in that she is the only indie singer-songwriter that rose to mainstream fame. and this cd has a lot to do with her unwavering status in the chinese pop.

try playing track #7 "self" in full blast. the full glory of cheer's angelic voice coupled with the intensity of the melodious soup of noise come unabated. i get multiple aural orgasms every time i listen to this track.

trust me, if you only listen to western music and think lowly of chinese pop music, this album could very well change your perceptions.

and the recording, my oh my, is simply marvelous.


(2) deserts zhang xuan's [my life will] (left in the picture)

zhang is a breath of fresh air, much like cheer chen when she first came into the scene 10 years ago. But zhang is rockier and edgier. her guitar-playing is not as delicate as cheer chen (Cheer's chording is more sophisticated) but just as effective no less. think alanis morissette and suzanne vega rolled into one.

this superb recording is raw and zingy and the ambience is warm and airy. in no way should your system present a sissy and tame sound with this CD. it should have plenty of oomph and drive.

only in taiwan will you find talent like zhang xuan. and only in taiwan will you find chinese pop recordings with such finesse.

(3) a-ming's [someday, somewhere, someone] (right in the picture)

this is my fave audiophile CD for the past couple of years, not so much because of a-ming's singing but the supreme recording that comes with it.

you definitely need a top-notch tube amp to fully enjoy the glory of this sumptuous recording. the liquidity of the midrange, the layering and separation of the musicians in this cd is par excellence. a-ming 's singing may be weird, especially his english diction but you can't take away his musicality.

this is the best cd from the catalogue of abc records (an audiophile label started by simon tsui), which apparently has suspended its business due to legal problems with their teresa teng releases. what a shame.