The Great Leap 2005

David Tao's 4th album is out for quite some time but I've never really got the chance to really listen to the entire album.

Reason is because I do the album late night, face down on my pillow. I usually can't get past the 5th or 6th track. It seems that I'm plain lazy but it may also seem that the album is not that spectecular for me to keep awake during these wee hours. Then again, I'm such a sleeper.

After seeing mixed reviews and comments from magazines, newspapers and friends, I decided to give it a go myself early afternoon. To see if I really liked it and whether it's worth my money like the previous 3 albums which I didn't buy less the Black Tangerine and less the first one which I got it for $5 at cash converters.

The truth is, David preaches too much for his own good about peace, war, life and how we should live it. Music listners in Asia are unlike the West, most go for commercial stuff like the ridiculous Ocean Au and Zhang Dong Liang, catchy tunes, hip and funky music. Lyrics are more secondary unless you are a more upper class literature person. So nobody really cares or thinks about what David Tao has to say. Come on, just throw us some good music. I always believe melody comes before lyrics. I can still appreciate a nice melody with thrashy lyrics like Jay Chou's 'Excuse' than a really lousy melody with superb, meaningful lyrics. The melody must be good enough for people to take note of the lyrics. Dun wrong me, I'm a big fan of good lyrics. There probably are many good lyrics lying around but have not gone to fame because of a lousy melody or a lousy singer.

I appreciate David's efforts for diversifying his music and at the same time flaunting the range of genres he could do but it's pretty obvious he's evading more soulful tones to distinguish himself from the masses of the music industry. The latest album comes across as too deliberate I feel. 3.5 out of 5 i feel. Very much listenable but inferior to his previous works.

My favourite tracks of this album are Ghost, Susan Said and Sweet Hour of Prayer.

Who Do You Love? is probably the favourite for most, it's in the same mould as Ai Hen Jian Dan, Normal Friends and Melody which I really hate. Sula and Lampa is just him trying to be funny, adding vulgarities and singing it like it is, very much like Bastard in the first album.

The highlight of the album is definitely the chinese opera verse in Susan Said with R & B as its background music. And I credit that one up to his adversaries like Jay Chou and Lee-Hom who are also trying too hard to infuse Asian culture with Western music.