Musical Fancy: JJ Lin
As I write this, I'm listening to JJ Lin. He's my newest musical obsession. JJ is a relatively recent discovery for me. Before I heard his voice, I'd already seen his name a couple of times in different forums and websites. I finally found out why people were raving about him when I stumbled across his drama, So I'm Not Handsome. The drama itself isn't really all that special, but the soundtrack is lovely. The moment I heard Nicky Lee's "Kuai Dian Lai Ai Wo," I immediately started searching for the OST. It contained two songs by JJ: "L-O-V-E" and "Qi Dai Ni De Ai", and when I gave them a listen, I just knew that I'd soon be listening to him nonstop. Forgive my bumbling musical vocabulary, I'm not really well-versed in this topic. I just try to describe what I hear. Here goes. His voice is just so smooth that sometimes it gives me goose-bumps. And his melodies and lyrics are catchy and perfect to sing along to, even for someone like me who has practically zero proficiency in Chinese. A lot of his songs have a Western feel to them, especially since he does a lot of R&B and Hip-hop. JJ has a nice variety of songs - he has some nice ballads, a couple of danceable songs and pop-py tracks which are fused with a little R&B. Definitely give him a listen if you're into upbeat and catchy music.
Here are some of my recommendations. I think these songs are a pretty good representation of what JJ is capable of.
L-O-V-E - A great representation of how great JJ's vocals are. Upbeat and cheerful. Before you know it, you'll be dancing along to this one.
Qi Dai Ni De Ai (Anticipating Your Love) - This song will grow on you. I especially like the duet version with Kym Jin. It has a rich sound. It's more mellow and a little emotional.
Wu Liao (J-Fusion) - A really cute song that you can dance to as well. He mixes in a little English dialogue here and there, which is kinda funny, but since JJ speaks English really well then I don't mind so much.
Baby Baby - This may be my favorite JJ song. It's the perfect embodiment of his style. Chill, nice rhythm, smooth vocals.
Saranghaeyo - One of his best ballads. Nice piano melody on this one.
Mu Nai Yi (Mummy) - I haven't seen the lyrics for this song yet, so I don't know what he's singing about. But it's still pretty cool. Reminiscent of some Wang Lee Hom songs where he fuses some traditional Chinese elements into modern hip-hop beats.