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Tuesday 15 November 2011

Jay Chou 'Exclamation Mark' album review


Jay Chou resumes his string of annual album releases with a set of 11 exciting songs, all of which I have listened to repeatedly over the past few days. The first thing that struck me about the content was how easy it was to listen through the entire CD.The music was fresh, no doubt about that, but was also fresh in terms of his style which, for viewers who have not heard the tracks yet, is a development into up-beat songs. Within the album the one song which struck me most was 你好嗎, the only slow song on the CD. I believe Jay reaches even higher pitches than ever before, and the meaningful lyrics accompanied by a sorrowful melody proves once again of Jay's singing/composing abilities. 

I particularly favoured 世界末末日 after listening to it a couple of times. I assume the style is similar to that of 一路向北, where there is a set-up of electric guitars and drums to give a rock genre feel. Other songs, such as 公主病 has obviously drawn reference both in terms of rhythm and lyrics from 陽光宅男, proving Jay is capable of developing his previous styles. One thing I do find strange is the lack of '中國風 (Zhuong Guo Feng). The loss of such a unique style is a shame but perhaps his decision to do so was right, as the continuous use of his trademark composition was beginning to tamper with the perfection of 髮如雪.

Overall the album has been an instrumental success, despite me being oblivious to the number of copies he has sold. The album has revitalised the style of Jay's music, moving away from the stereotypical karaoke styled ballads which the Cpop industry have focused on for too long. The various MV (music videos) such as 'Mine Mine' have displayed Jay's new ability to dance, something to add onto his outstanding resume. After 11 years of remaining in the limelight, Jay's new content is still pushing the boundaries of his composition skills, something worthy to admire.

Jay's Classic '中國風' styled "髮如雪"

From his 11th Album: "你好嗎"

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