New release: Eric Suen Yiu Wai -- <<只要和你在一起>> (Canto)

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I'd like to share this website that features Eric Suen's new album which was released 09 Jan 09 in HK. You can sample the full album there, but the songs are not download-able. If you like the songs, do give your support by buying the original album when it is released in your own country.

In the meantime, do check out these featured MVs available on Youtube:

只要和你在一起 (Latest version) / 只要和你在一起 (first version)
西太后
眾傷

Enjoy, and comments are welcome!

Snowflake

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The ever-inventive Eric Suen continues to maintain the standard set by his previous two Cantonese albums. This time, the theme of the album focuses on the need for companionship with a strong emphasis on married life and the versatile singer takes on numerous personae in his vocal delivery. In terms of musicality, it is a worthy sequel to “So Far So Close” given the similar range of songs, though Eric has included a couple surprises to the mix with R&B and J-Rock songs. Overall rating: 4.6/5.0

Since the release of “In the Name of Love”, he has promoted just one song which is the title track “只要和你在一起” (a Canton-rewrite-cover of a hit song by Thai singer Chin), but the accolade paid to this one song alone has been quite spectacular. It recalls the sweetness of “So Far So Close”’s “永遠保護你”. It has won Eric numerous awards and word has it that it was the favourite wedding song of 2008. In a modern age full of broken relationships, the singer’s sincere rendition of the song’s honey-sweet lyrics succeeds in bringing a rare voice of optimism to a jaded generation. Grade: 5/5

The second song on the album “眼閉” (written by Jimmy Ong) reminds the listener of the painful love situation encountered in “思前戀後”. The track is a beautiful combination of a karaoke-friendly melody (which reminds me of Kay Tse’s “囍帖街”) and lyrics that cut to the heart, and Eric’s passionate delivery is the perfect medium to convey the persona’s pain. This song has the potential to be a great hit if it were re-lyricised in Mandarin given its lovely melody, which I feel is even catchier than that of the other promo song, “众伤”. Grade: 4.8/5

“众伤” is the 3rd track on this album. It boasts a high-profile creative team – the melody is written by Ben Tsang, the lyricist is 林夕, and it is arranged by 谢国维 and produced by 伍乐城. In comparison to “眼閉”, this song triumphs by virtue of 林夕’s superior lyrics. Quieter and more melancholic than the angsty “眼閉”, this song generalizes the pains and struggles faced and the wounds sustained by all participating parties in the universal fight for love. Again, Eric delivers the message convincingly with his soulful voice, but in terms of catchiness, this is one song that requires more re-listening to appreciate it more fully. Grade: 4.9/5

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The 4th track is the other promo song “西太后”, which fuses R&B with Peking Opera elements. This is an excellent example of Eric’s experimental nature when it comes to songs, though the concept is not a new one to those familiar with the Taiwanese pop scene (think Jay Chou). Still, it diverts from Eric’s usual ballads and his slightly husky voice in its R&B mode does well to infuse the song with its modern feel. The big surprise to me was the discovery of just how much of this track’s successful elements should be credited to Eric himself. He was the one who felt that the song had a very strong Chinese-feel and suggested the addition of the er-hu and Peking Opera sections. Even better, the opera bits were sung by Eric himself, who in a fit of playfulness delivered a surprisingly convincing performance. He’s been singing this song live recently and it gets better each time you hear it. Grade: 5/5

The 5th track “走失” boasts Eric’s own composition in terms of music (co-written with Jason Edmonds) and lyrics, and for once the recipient of this tribute is not an invisible lover but none other than the Holy One Himself. To make this song stand out even further, Eric enlisted the help of the much renowned Boys II Men singer Shawn Stockman, and the singer revealed in a radio interview that this song uses about 80 tracks (compared to the usual 16 to 20) layered one upon another in order to achieve the final impact of a true-blue American R&B song. The lyrics written by Eric (apparently on the plane ride to L.A.) are sincere and are likely to resonate with Christians all over the world. The melody is smooth, catchy and definitely likeable, but not quite hit-single quality compared to his earlier work “Here I Go”. Eric is still evolving (and ever-changing!) in terms of his writing style though, so I still look forward to hearing more of his own compositions in future. Grade: 4.5/5

After the spiritual high of track 5, the 6th track “妳的孩子” plunges the listener into completely different predicament – the awkward relationship of divorced or separated couples. This time, Eric takes on the persona of a divorcee who observes his estranged ex-wife playing with his young child and reflects on his conflicting feelings towards the situation. The song starts gently, but Eric successfully takes the cutting pain experienced by the person in the lyrics of 林若寧 to a level of razor-sharp rawness not unlike that of “失去”’s “又讓你哭”, particularly around the bridge. This is one song I would love to see an MV set to, though the song may be rather ‘heavy’ in terms of its message. Grade: 4.8/5


Track 7, “寂寞殺死人” is reminiscent of “So Far So Close”’s “魔高一丈” in terms of concept and style, but the latter is more outstanding in terms of its melody which escalates at various key points. The feel achieved in this song is that of a taut rubber band from start to finish, but it lacks the explosiveness that “魔高一丈” has. The addition of the ghostly voice in the treble range was an interesting choice, but personally I prefer Eric’s ballads to this alternative track. Grade: 4.0/5

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Track 8, “七百萬人的故事” is another ballad with a pleasant melody by 谢国维. The lyrics by 林日曦 encapsulate love lives of people in general and explore the roads taken in the course of love. The irony is that the myriad of love stories share the same doomed ending. Again, Eric’s soulful voice does a good job in the role of the enlightened storyteller. Grade: 4.6/5


In a surprising, dramatic switch from the melancholic track 8, track 9 “我的最愛” (aka the theme song for TVB series "Pages of Treasures") is a joyous, lighthearted J-Rock-esque piece. Eric’s voice dances over the notes and the entire song practically overflows with optimism. Certainly a good pick-me-up song for blue moments! Grade: 4.9/5

While track 10 “四季酒店” has an interesting title and lyric concept, the melody is somewhat forgettable in comparison to the other ballads. It does fine as a wind-down to an otherwise strong collection though. Grade: 4.0/5

Track 11 “只要和你在一起” (國): In a fair attempt, 徐世珍 pens the Mandarin lyrics to the hit single, but compared to the Cantonese “original”, the overall effect is somewhat lackluster as the music’s melody places stress on certain individual sounds that don’t quite correspond with the words that should be emphasised. I feel that the Mandarin version needs a bit more of a rewrite in order to be more memorable. That said, Eric’s Mandarin diction is still very good and overall the song does fine as a close to the whole album. Grade: 4.2/5