Evolution Theory

I know this is very late! Lots of people have already commented on this supposedly ‘goodbye-to-k-songs and back-to-basics' album by Candy Lo. Frankly speaking, I bought this album with some reservation in mind, expecting it to be rather unconventional and perhaps a little hard to stomach after I heard the first plug "阿修羅樹海" (Asura). I found it a bit too weird and not quite melodious enough for me though it has since found acceptance after more than a dozen listenings.

Still, as someone who owned practically all of Candy’s albums, I bought this latest CD without any hesitation. The cover is very pretty! I think she looks best with this kind of hairdo - short, spunky and fresh. With the CD in hand, I looked at the song titles, which all sounded very philosophical and religious, and I was afraid that the whole thing would be too profound for me. So I was pleasantly surprised after listening to the album, finding it neither too weird nor too out-of-reach. I was impressed that Candy wrote the melodies nearly all the songs, save for two by her long-time producer Kubert Leung. Sometimes Candy’s songs tend to sound like they were modified from the same mould, but I think that in this album she showed her versatility better. I tend to play tracks 4 to 8 more than the others somehow. Perhaps I am put off by tracks 3 “Asura” (which I don’t like as much) and 9 "送魂經" (Goodbye to the Departed Souls) (I don’t like the Indian influence on it).

The second plug "露西" (Lucy) made it to No.1 on JSG. I like it better than “Asura” but I don’t really like the way she sings it, kind of too ‘animated’ for me. Candy is one of those who speaks in a lower pitch than she sings, as opposed to Sammi who sings in a lower pitch than she speaks. My personal preference is still lower pitch voices.

Regarding the other tracks, I like the soft melodies of tracks "隔岸觀音", "女書" and "敵托邦的拾荒姑娘"; I also like the more powerful tracks "步天歌" and "笛卡兒的長生殿". The melody of "一念天堂”reminds me of some Leon Lai song. I guess it is the most ‘K’ song in the whole album, to balance things a bit. Someone commented that she is off-pitch on "步天歌", but it sounded okay to me. Occasionally, Candy can sound quite off when singing live, but when she’s good, she’s good. Better than those supposed singers who mime all the time anyway.