Review: Amit by A*mei

It seems everyone is having an alter-ego or revealing different sides these days. We have Sasha Fierce and Beyonce; Mariah Carey and Mimi etc. This time round, it’s Amit/ A*mei! Alright, Amit is actually A*mei’s aboriginal name, given that she’s from a certain native tribe of Taiwan. Anyway, for A*mei, Amit portrays her darker side, something like the Dark Phoenix and Jean Grey.

So now for the music! Amit’s character and personality shone from the first song, 開門見山. It’s like her declaration of freedom in some sort, and she really rocked the song! Following that is another rock number, 黑吃黑, which happens to be the second single off her album. A bit of dark humour and full of personality! Really love this song! Next is the 1st single, 分生, and 掉了, a song written by the talented lead singer of Sodagreen, an amazing Indie band from Taiwan. In the latter, Amit sheds her fearless characterand reveals a more emotional and vulnerable side. A really touching song. I just wish the arrangements could be a bit more simple.

Moving on, we have 相愛後動物感傷, 靈魂的重量 and I like the latter more for some reason which I can’t explain. I haven’t really read the lyrics, but it’s another emo song! Following that is a song in Taiwanese, 好膽你就來, which Amit rocked again. I don’t have much comments for “OK”, the next song. Not really a favourite of mine at the moment, so I shall move on. 聽得見的夢想 is next, but the one here is the demo version where she just hummed the tune with simple accompaniment from a guitar. Just to note, this song is the theme song for the 2009 Taiwan Deafolympics. I think simple humming portrays the message to be conveyed quite nicely as well. It’s a bit reminiscent of “爱是唯一”.

The second last track, 阿密特 給親人, finally brings in some aboriginal music, but with a rock edge. I really have no idea what the song means, but will read through the lyrics soon. I sort of like how she mixes rock with traditional songs, so that more people can first get in touch with aboriginal music, and after that explore how they truly sound like. The last song, 彩虹, is supposedly dedicated to all her gay fans, who have been great supporters of her, or rather, A*Mei, through her ups ans downs in her career. Another great song!

Overall, I would say that the album is just wow! Though there are some unusual moments, the album is nonetheless quite tastefully done and the order of the songs is done just right! Amit takes control over the rock songs, but it’s definitely A*mei when it comes to the slow, emo numbers. Great job! Great album!

4.5 out of 5

Favourite tracks: 開門見山, 黑吃黑, 分生, 掉了, 靈魂的重量, 彩虹

Music video for 黑吃黑 (Banned and/or censored on many stations):

3rd single, 好膽你就來:

~ by lightyearsofcy on July 3, 2009.