THIS is vintage Karen Mok. Somewhere I Belong may be her first jazz foray but what a voice! Vocally, this is what Karen’s born to do. Singing she may excel in but this is fine dining with all the trappings. Karen has had quite a stellar career crooning Mandarin and Cantonese songs (and winning numerous accolades in the process) but, for me, she has finally arrived with this jazz effort.
The songs in this album combine Western jazz music with Chinese elements, guzheng (a Chinese traditional music instrument) especially. It’s Oriental jazz at its best, if you may. No matter the genre. I am transported to a gentler, more sultry era, one populated by sensuous cheongsam curves, scratchy gramophones and smoke-filled bars. An image of Tony Leung wooing Maggie Cheung in the movie, In The Mood for Love, comes briefly to mind.
Picture a lazy afternoon by the beach with the wind in your hair, a cup of tea nearby and a good book at hand. Now imagine Karen’s sultry voice serenading in the background. Paradise!
The album’s eclectic selection includes 1930s jazz standards such as The Man I Love, Love for Sale, My Funny Valentine and even Sting’s Moon Over Bourbon Street.
For most of the songs, especially Love For Sale and While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Karen beguiles us with her playing of the guzheng, a skill she picked up many years ago.
The classic Mandarin number Shanghai Nights is a familiar tune but Karen slows its tempo down considerable. With her clear vocals, the song takes on a life of its own.
Wicked Game, meanwhile, is hypnotic, its lyrics and tune playing like a loop over and over in your mind long after the song ends.
Read more: Oriental jazz queen - Tech - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/tech/oriental-jazz-queen-1.224012#ixzz2LzpcaU3d
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