A Simple Album with A Huge Meaning.

Leehom's 10th Album--The sun and moon in the heart.

Leehom, my super super super idol, had released his 10th album--The sun and moon in the heart by the very last day of 2004. After listening to this album, I had some reflections to it as a listener. Here they come...

I could tell how much efforts Leehom put into this album as your previous ones. I love “A simple song” the most since it did give me a free space to calm down, to be alone and reflect by myself. “In a far away place” did shock me a lot---I taught my students the original version, however, I never thought about how it would be as Chinked-out version though. However, I love it more than the original one. Because you put the new life to it and it sounds more alive to young generation. I think that my students would love this version as much as I do!!

“ Forever love“ and “Wrong love” are two quite typical love songs of Leehom's style to me, touching, impressive but taste a bit bitter. I could smell his true feeling in these songs. I am also thinking of whether it is going to be the end to that particular main character in his mind? Maybe, but maybe not. I recalled all the songs in his previous albums which could be easily found out his deep love, confidence to the long distance relationship, confusion about whether to end this relationship, struggled in the complex feelings to her when she found someone and so on and so forth. Listeners could experience what he had been experienced completely through listening to his music.

I wish that he would move on one step further then and I am expecting to get touched again in his love songs.

“Follow me”, “Astrology”, “Release your heart” and “Come here” are quite interesting songs to me. Each of them is sending out different messages to the listeners. They all make me want to dance when the music start. Follow me, seems saying that through my music and then you would find out happiness--being happy isn't hard at all. Astrology—expresses the confusion about getting to understand women better through horoscope? The truth is women's hearts are so complicating to understand as finding a needle in the ocean (nu ren xin, hai di zhen).
Come here, sounds like a free bird wants to do whatever he/she wants without considering too much---quite reflect on Leehom's private life. Well… I know it is so hard for someone famous to keep away from spying by Medias, however, his feeling of nothing could do with it described clearly in this song. Release your heart, somehow makes me link to the song of “Come here” all the time. I had the picture of that someone is asking his/her friend not to be afraid but release his/her heart to be loved. In addition, they all have quite strong mixing vocals and musical backgrounds. I also sensed that he applied similar lyric strategies to these songs (so called mi shi ya yun fa) as what Leehom did in Unbelievable, his 9th album.

“Deep inside of bamboo groove”, “In a far away place” and “The sun and moon in the heart” are the songs I heard a lot sounds of Eastern music instruments. I noticed how wonderful they matched together with pop musical elements. I totally agree with Leehom's ideas of putting Eastern musical elements into pop music since there are enormous musical elements and instrument in East that not many people try to discover them. Homeboy! NICE JOB INDEED. Moreover, I noticed that the lyrics in this album are closer to ancient Chinese (meant not everyday using vocabulary)---quite a match with chinked-out.

To be honest, I am not a big fan of Hip-Hop. Therefore, even I enjoyed a lot in his last album, Unbelievable, it took me a little while to get to familiar with certain songs. However, this one, his 10th album, I just loved it so much since the first time I listened to it. I believe that Leehom did make this 10th album unique and I hope that he keeps working on his other great ideas in putting Eastern musical elements in next albums. In addition, it will be great to send the messages of WORLD LOVE through his music. That's what we need around the whole world, isn't it? The world is so huge and is waiting for us to discover, to explore its mystery.

I hope that Leehom would keep on his journey in creating music with more positive and meaningful concepts.