rice & shine

By the time Eason Chan released <i>rice & shine</i>, the Hong Kong-born singer had been one of Asian pop’s biggest stars for almost 20 years—and he’d had success singing in Mandarin and Cantonese, receiving a slew of awards and accolades while selling out tours and releasing albums at a steady clip. On <i>rice & shine</i>, Chan plays around with his multifaceted stardom a bit, putting aside the irony that had marked his early work and lending his buttery voice to gentle, laidback pop songs. 
"I wanted to do an album that was very <i>qingxin</i> (fresh), <i>zizai</i> (free), and <i>xiaosa</i> (unfettered)," Chan told press around the time of <i>rice & shine</i>’s release. Chan decided to conjure those vibes by splitting the Mandarin-language album’s behind-the-boards duties between Chinese songwriting and production duo Radio Mars (which handles <i>rice</i>) and Singaporean composer JJ Lin (who wrote the music on <i>shine</i>). The duality of <i>rice & shine</i> allows Chan to present himself more fully as an artist. Radio Mars’ songs on <i>rice</i> allow Eason, who turned 40 the year <i>rice & shine</i> came out, to show off his more mature side; opening track “娛樂天空 (High Light High Life)” is sparkling sophistipop with a catchy chorus, while “不如承諾來的蕳單 (You)” is a tender ballad that gathers steam as it goes, with strings adding intensity to a fervent vocal performance. <i>shine<i>’s leadoff track, “放棄治療 (Forgot My Meds),” has a piano-bar jauntiness, allowing Chan to flaunt his showman style, while other Lin-composed cuts like the sweeping “陰天快樂 (Cloudy Day)” and the emotion-racked “你給我聽好 (Listen Up)” are ballads that split the difference between rock and Broadway, their string-heavy arrangements framing the singer’s passion in fierce beauty. The playful concept and impressive execution of <i>rice & shine</i> show how Chan, decades into his career, succeeds when he flips his script.</i></i>