Kiya Xu - The South of Colorful Clouds

I wanted to write a review for Kiya for some time now but I always forget XD So here it is.
Oh, by the way - isn't she a beauty?
I think you'll like Kiya Xu's album if you like Tibetan or Mongolian singer say Phoenix Legend , Sa Ding Ding or alan (her second album before she was "avexed" so much) for example. But it's not only for folk lovers, I think every cpop lover can find something for oneself here. I really, really love this album. When I heard it for the first time I couldn't stop playing this on replay a few times. I just love folk. And I think I'm gonna buy this album next time I'll do shopping on YA.
彩云之南 is a folk song that combines typical for chinese folk voices with hip hop. Or something like hip hop. And the next 向往 is a mixture of pop rock and folk. I wouldn't say it's possible until I've heard this one. Even though the beginning of 北京情人 may point at one boring ballad without any folk influence there is one, somewhere between the verses. And I like this ballad a lot. Ah, and again my favorite combination of folk and pop rock here in 情流感. I don't like when they don't mention who features in the song coz I don't know to who this beautiful voice in 火花 belongs to. Besides hers of course. This song is less folk oriented but I still love it. 苏州河 is a solo song this time. Folk ballad I guess. And another ballad is 半路, but I guarantee you won't fall asleep. It's too beautiful for that and that'd be a waste. Funny but this song reminds me of Teresa Teng I dunno why. Her voice in some particular moments really is similar to Teresa Teng's. 蓝色海风 is yet again a beautiful song from her. I like the ending parts of the song especially. A Jazz Nigh In Spring 春风沉醉的晚上 is exactly that at what it points at. A jazzy song. Oh, such a beauty! And then 美丽家园 comes. I like it but it could have some folk elements. Eleventh track is 念念不忘 and it's a very pretty song. And 坐上火车去拉萨 which means Going To Lhasa By Train is pure love. Again she mixes elements of different genres. 彩云之南 (悠扬版) is the last track. It's something mysteriously called "melodious version" but it's remixed first track. I'm not sure which version is better.

The sad thing is that this album is from 2007 year and still no hear from her. That's too bad, coz she has a real talent and there're too little folk singers. Interesting folk singers I mean.

Artist: Kiya Xu 徐千雅
Album: The South of Colorful Clouds 彩云之南
Year: 2007
Language: Mandarin
Genre: folk/pop/ballad/jazz
01. 彩云之南
02. 向往
03. 北京情人
04. 情流感
05. 火花
06. 苏州河
07. 半路
08. 蓝色海风
09. 春风沉醉的晚上
10. 美丽家园
11. 念念不忘
12. 坐上火车去拉萨
13. 彩云之南（悠楊版）

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credit: yourfuneralmama @ lj.

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alan - 蘭色~Love Moon Light~

Personally I really like Alan, but I hate what they did with her in Japan. She's so jpop now T_T I remember I used to listen her first Mandarin album like all the time non stop. Absolute, beautiful, pure folk. It was amazing. I haven't even heard japanese version, coz I prefer chinese. And then her second japanese album came out, so I checked it out out of curiosity and I didn't really like it that much. Now, she's back to chinese market - finally! I was really happy about it.
So let's start with 我的月光, a great song that keeps her style form the first album. I really like her that way. 炫影～Sharp Light～ is good also, even though less folk in here. But then comes 有ME就好 which is completely something different. More poppy, happy but somehow makes me like it, coz it's very positive. Next alan goes pop-rock. It's a surprise even to me that I actually like it! 落單的翅膀 sounds really good! Of course I'd want the whole EP to be like first and second tracks but... I can't help it. Nobody Knows But Me sounds so much better in Mandarin, srsly, but I'm not a big fan of this song. Same goes to My Life actually. And piano version of the second track. That's it. Too short T_T

Artist: Alan 阿蘭
Album: 蘭色~Love Moon Light~ EP
Year: 2010
Language: Mandarin

Genre: Pop/Folk

1. 我的月光
2. 炫影~Sharp Light~
3. 有Me就好
4. 落單的翅膀
5. Nobody Knows But Me
6.My Life
7. 炫影~Sharp Light~piano only version

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credit: warezshares

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Sa Ding Ding - Harmony

Remember some time ago I said that I can't wait till Sa Dingding's new album? The official release is on 2nd February but there's a chance to get it earlier. From iTunes for example. And the booklet is truly amazing. Lyrics are mostly translated to English except Tibetan and her self created language one. Anyways here it is and I'm so freaking excited!
You know, Sa Dingding's music is really hard to describe and to write about. It's hard to rate too. Maybe that's cuz it's not entertainment music. You can't dance to it I guess. Or maybe you can but not in the disco or somewhere like that xD
First track is 天地记 of which I wrote already. It's an amazing and little mystical song. MV can kinda freak you out, but still has some magic. 绿衣女孩 didn't hit me that much as previous track. 自由行走的花 is beautiful, mellow song. I love 石榴女人. Once very fast tempo and then you can hear heartbeat in the end. Makes it sound even more mystical. 蓝色骏马's chorus is love. Real, real love. 云云南南 is song written in Sa's own language. Wonder about what she sings here. Anyway it's slow for the most of song and somewhere in the middle goes different. More fast and everything. Finally Tibetan in 快乐节. It's a weird interpretation of Buddhist's mantra. Can't figure out what mantra is that though. Why weird? Uhm, maybe coz most of modern interpretations aren't all happy and fast, and here's one. You almost feel like dancing to it. Maybe that's why it's titled Xi Carnival. What the hell, I love it. And another beautiful song 小树和大树. Very slow and little sad about childhood that's already gone. Surprise, surprise! Here's an English one - 幸运日. Her English isn't that bad, you can clearly understand her although her accent is kinda funny. But cute. She actually doesn't sing here, she speaks and tells a story. The last verse "It's cold outside / And a silver cloud hands low over the morning skyline / There is no sound other than my heartbeat / And snowflakes dance like fireflies" is just great. If you change "morning" to "night" you can actually see what's going on behind my window right now. 希然宁泊 - 自省•心经 The Heart Sutra and her own language mixed together in one song. The Heart Sutra is Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha if someone doesn't know how it goes. One of the greatest mantras. Wonderful. That's why I love her.
Here ends "the normal" Sa Dingding and there are 3 remixes of the first track given. First one is odd, didn't like it much. Second one is better. Mostly instrumental and only chorus is sung. And the third one. The best imo. Even though there's that awkward moment when a guy's singing. Nevertheless I liked it.
I must say I love this woman. Seriously. Harmony's a great album. What I would want more is more mantras in there. But nevermind. I'm glad I could hear another piece of her work.

Artist: Sa Dingding 萨顶顶
Album: Harmony 天地合
Year: 2010
Language: Mandarin/Tibetan/English/Other

Genre: Folk/Experimental/Electronic
01 天地记
02 绿衣女孩
03 自由行走的花
04 石榴女人
05 蓝色骏马
06 云云南南
07 快乐节
08 小树和大树
09 幸运日
10 希然宁泊 - 自省•心经
11 Famous Friends (Ha Ha Lili Remix)
12 Matta Dub (Ha Ha Lili Remix)
13 天地记 (Paul Oakenfold Remix)

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credit: yourfuneralmama @ lj

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Sa Ding Ding - Heaven and Earth

I don't know how many of you know Sa Ding Ding. She's Chinese and she's mixed of Han and Mongolian ancestry.
She sings in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mandarin and even in her own language she created.
I was in love in her last album - Alive. She's Buddhist and in her songs you can find mantras like Om Mani Padme Hum. I love her voice. It's so different. Lots of folk there.
She's releasing her new album soon (in February different sources say, but you can never be sure until it's official). I can't wait to hear it~! I've been waiting so long for something new. Now she's back with completely new style.
She mesmerized me. Again.


Just for comparison. Here's a song form her last album:

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