Latest Reviews

February 26
Artist: Vienna Teng
Title: Warm Strangers
Genre: Folk-Rock
Rating: *****

The highly anticipated follow-up to Teng's highly acclaimed "Waking Hour" has debuted to much acclaim. Fans of Teng's previous album will find much of the same vocal and musical styling in this new album and should enjoy equally as well. This sophomore effort continues where she left off with more lush songs that showcase her melodic vocals and acoustic environments. This time Teng tackles stories of death, hope, and Love. Of particular note is the song "Passage" about a victim of a car accident death from the perspective of the victim as time passes. These types of stories told through song make Teng an incredibly important music artist of now and the future.

Favorite Pick: "Passage"

Nelson Wong

One Room Palace is a collection of songs written by Chen during off-hours over a period of 4 years. The songs have a wintery feel that bring a haunting and lonely sound to them. This is all captured by Chen's performance on guitar and cello (she plays all instruments on this album except for drums and some additional guitar parts). This is an album that is best listened to on a rainy winter afternoon while looking out a fogging window to get the full effect.

Favorite Picks: "Snow Angels" and "Where Heaven Should Be"

Nelson Wong

In Hawaiian, the word Akamai means "smart" or "intelligent." So, three Hawaii locals attending school in Boston got together to form the Akamai Brain Collective to fuse elements of jazz, blues, latin and pop and form what they call "progressive Island jams." Vocals aren't the strength of this group but musically, the album is a fun toe-tapping group of songs. The album is a little uneven with the instrumental tracks being more noteworthy than the vocal tracks so the listener may have to pick and choose favorites but there is something for everyone to choose.

Favorite Pick: "Bananas & Rice"

Nelson Wong

Dubbed by many as "Hawai'ian's Favorite Singer/ Songwriter," Justin returns with his eighth album! For those who are familiar, Justin is known for his pop covers, such as More than Words and My Eyes Adore You. But One Foot on Sand takes a new turn, with songs that are truly inspired and dedicated to his love of Hawai'ian culture and traditions. I may not understand 75% of the lyrics, but it's the music that matters- smooth vocal arrangements and instumentation. My personal favorite is the title track- the message: Justin has Hollywood dreams, but Hawai'i will always be home. Expect more from Justin in the near future.

Favorite Picks: "One Foot on Sand," "The Girl from Ipanema," "Tiare," "Big Yellow Taxi/Ka Manu"

LeRoid

Artist: One Vo1ce
Title: Luvin' You
Genre: R&B
Rating: ****

According to SoundScan, One Vo1ce is the most selling Filipino-singing group as of date. Their mass appeal continues to grow with their long-awaited 3rd release, Luvin' You. Their fall released EP was a taste of who they are now. Their music and songwriting are much more mature. Plus, harmonies are tighter. Check out "Light My Fire," an outstanding sexy and sultry track reminiscent of En Vogue days. Luvin' You is more R&B flavored than previous albums, but you'll still find fun, dance-driven tracks like "First Time."

Favorite Picks: "Rescue Me," "Light My Fire," "Poison," "What Does It Take"

LeRoid

Artist: Various
Title: With Love
Genre: R&B/ Soul
Rating: ***

Bay Area based Epicenter Media brings us a new slow jams compilation with new artists to look forward to. With Love is a 12-track collection featuring tracks from current artists Jocelyn Enriquez, Immij, Next Phaze, Natalise, Malyssa, and Noly. Then you'll find brand-new artists such as Rinabeth, Dana Solomon, and Alaja, making solid debuts. Most importantly, With Love features a new track from 6th Day (former members from KAI, DnH, and Innerlude), whose long-awaited album is due this Spring. AC Lorenzo does an outstanding "Lost in Love" cover and Deviation (with Andrey Ailva and Errol Viray) shines live with "Come with Me." With Love is overall short and sweet. As a bonus, the CD is Enhanced, so you can check out artists' bios, photos, a 6th Day video, and links to their websites. Look out for more projects from Epicenter Media this year!

Favorite Picks: "Lost in Love," "Dream of You," "I Love You," "I Sure Remember," "Come with Me"

LeRoid

Artist: Stereostar FM
Title: Demo
Genre: Rock/Punk/Pop
Rating: *****

These guys are good. Period. Formerly known as puddingStone, they've been performing in the San Francisco Bay Area and gaining many fans with their free CD demos. They have a heavily guitar rock/pop edge with a bit of fun punk thrown in for good measure that could prove to be incredibly successful for the right label to market. Vocals just plain work and their lyrics are incredibly catchy and memorable but their best feature? It's the music. These guys seem to have it all and if they are serious about making a career in the industry, I think these guys could be a breakthrough band for 2004. For those filmmakers out there looking for music for their film, this is a band to contact!

Favorite Picks: "Look Over There," "Mint," and "Blue"

Nelson

Previous Reviews

January 2004 (Music: Chops, One Vo1ce EP, Moulann; Movies: Torque, Good Times, Bed Times, Shiver, Infernal Affairs 2)

December 2003 (Music: The Francis Kim Band, Himalayan Project, Sonic Orange, and Jeff Hsin; Movies: Men Suddenly in Black, My Dream Girl, and The Last Samurai)

November 2003 (Music: Harlemm Lee, Fiona Wong, and Adagio; Movies: Truth or Dare: 6th Floor Rear Flat and So Close)

October 2003 (Music: Kevin So and Kaila; Movies: Marrying the Mafia, Heroic Duo, Kill Bill, and Under the Tuscan Sun)

If you have a have an Asian Pacific American project coming up (CD, video, film, book, more?) and are looking for more exposure let us know about it and we will try to review your project so that others can find out more!

AArisings, along with KQED radio show, Pacific Time, are seeking to increase our Asian American music library for future reviews. If you would like to submit your CD for possible review and/or airplay on the radio, please contact AArisings by clicking here.

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