Shuehli-Ong's new Xenovibes album shows that Singapore has more to export than just mainstream pop artists, says CHRISTOPHER LIM (Entertainment Correspondent, the Business Times Singapore)
CD : Xenovibes III - Xing Paths
Electric Muse/Fingerfoot Music Productions
Rating: A
CD : This Is The One
Utada (Island)
Rating: B
CD : Gentle Love
Norihiko Hibino
Rating: B-
CD : Cheek To Cheek: Jazz (Standards From Rio - Lisa Ono)
Avex Trax
Rating: C
IT'S gratifying to see Singaporean artists like JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun blaze tried-and-tested paths in mainstream music genres because it means they've succeeded in a crowded competitive field.
However, there's a special pleasure in hearing local artists distinguish themselves in musical paths less well trodden. There are countless pop singers out there, but only a handful of professional theremin players.
A what? Theremins are rare electronic instruments that are hard enough to find, and even harder to play well. If you want to hear what one sounds like, there's no better place to look than the latest album by Singapore's own theremin virtuoso, Shuehli-Ong.
She's just released Xing Paths, the third album from her Xenovibes project, which is a partnership between her and John Martinez. It's Ong's best stuff yet.
It's a lush blend of quirky electronica driven by strong melodies and lots of imagination. There are plenty of surprises in store too. For example, on your first listen to Sweet Talker, you might think you're listening to a slide-guitar solo, but it's actually Ong in cheeky imitation mode.
'On this CD, I concentrated on building new sound, putting my voice and theremin through 'awkward' moments and fine-tuning my style of synth performance; which I think has grown to be more sophisticated,' says Ong.
If there's one thing that Xing Paths demonstrates as a whole, it's that Ong isn't a one-trick pony, and her vocals are appealingly polished. While the Kate-Bush-esque vocal acrobatics from the last album are largely absent, there's plenty of understated emotion.
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Footnote: The above ratings refer to Xenovibes and these artists; Utada Hikaru is a Japanese pop star best known in the West for singing the theme to the video game “Kingdom Hearts". Norihiko Hibino is a Japanese composer and saxophonist and graduate of Berklee College of Music. Lisa Ono is a popular Japanese-Brazilian bossa nova singer.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
