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Wilber Pan - Play It Cool |
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Written by Huang Yifang
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Since his debut in 2002, Wilber
Pan (affectionately known as Will) has been largely popular with the youth crowd, not only because of his catchy tunes, but also due to his adorable sunshine smile and friendly demeanor that have inevitably attracted a legion of female fans.
This time however, Will is back with his seventh album - Play It Cool, and play it cool, he will.
Released officially in September 2007, Play It Cool has a cool mix of energetic numbers and sweet ballads. In addition to his cheeky boyish charm, Will is also slowly emanating his suave charisma.
Music-wise, Play It Cool is a refreshing change from his previous albums. By reducing his signature hip-hop rap numbers, Will has opted to explore a wider variety of genres yet is still able to retain his unique style, making his songs relatively easy to catch on, and as usual, highly addictive.
This time, Will also had a bigger hand in producing the album; impressively writing
6 out of the 11 songs. Some recommended tracks include the album's
namesake - Wan Ku (Play It Cool) and Lu Tai Wan (The
Road is Too Winding).
 Wan Ku is a catchy pop tune that reflects the theme of the album. The inspiration behind
Wan Ku was Will's belief that being cool is about showcasing one's
individuality and having a unique outlook towards life. Basically, it's all in the attitude.
Lu Tai Wan, on the other hand, is a sweet
ballad that adds a nice contrast to the overall upbeat feel of Play
It Cool. Also, the Singaporean edition of the album comes with
an exclusive DVD with a behind-the-scenes clip and music video of
Lu Tai Wan that features guest star Tarcy Su.
Another track worth mentioning
is Shut Up. Performed with Taiwanese rocker Shin, the electric
guitar solos add to the edgy feel of the song and ends the album with
a bang.
Overall the feel of the album
is one that is easy on the ears. However, with many of the songs
having similar styles, listeners may find themselves being lost in the
mumbo jumbo of pretty melodies. Play It Cool does not drift far
away from Chinese pop trends, so listening to it is a safe bet - nothing
too bad yet nothing too spectacular.
Kudos to the album design though. The album art is whimsical; portraying both Will's "cool" and
"playful" side. Fans will also be delighted to know that the
album comes with a pictorial booklet filled with a generous number of
photos. Well, with Will's trimmer figure, he should definitely play that up! hooked
hooked's rating: 3.5/5
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Written by Guest on 2008-11-01 22:52:42
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