Album: Dress Me Up
Singer: Denise Ho
Language: Cantonese
Date of release: December 2003

I am impressed to the max.

Just got my copy of Dress Me Up, and I am totally in love with it. Which means (yes, yes), this would very likely be a tremendously biased review. Plus the fact that this follow-up to her previous release, Roundup, is definitely way, way notches above.

Dress Me Up has an interesting concept to it. And I'm happy and thankful that Ah C chose to have her foreword, afterword and the meaning behind her song names in English. After all, my Chinese is totally shameful and I have to rely on guessing games or the kindness of those who can read to translate for me. Anyway, back to the album concept...Life. Or rather, the different stages of life. A tour. From the beginning to the end and beyond.

Ironic really, when you think about it. This album came out just before her mentor passed away.

The musical styles vary here and Ah C tackles this wide repertoire of songs with just the right amount of feel. The musical variety makes this journey of life a lot more enjoyable and interesting too. What can I say? There's just great music, great lyrics, great arrangements, great performance. And even though I miss the rocker Ah C (there's only one rock song here), she makes up for it with the high quality of songs. Each piece is thoughtful. Each piece is beautifully penned. It's about time Wyman Wong be recognized for his work. There's not just Chet Lam, you know...

My favourite numbers include:
Lazy - an upbeat number that starts off rather Stock Aitken Waterman-ish, but a real fun ride nevertheless. The lyrics are quite a laugh but so true.
Sand - her first single. The first slice of this album that I listened to. Delicious, and a well-controlled rendition by Ah C.
Puppet's Spirit Returns - the melody, the melody, oh the melody. So haunting. Yet soooo good.
Denise's Wedding - light pop with a jazzy feel to it, I just like...
Out Of Body Experience - rock on! Love the guitar...this is the Ah C I know! Yea!
No Home to Return To - it reminds me of one of her previous songs, and even in the album it says it's the sequel to Home Of Glory...which, if I'm not wrong, should be Kwong Weng Ji Gar. I guess you could call this soft rock, which explains why I like it too.

There are mixed reviews regarding her album design though. I have to admit that when I first saw it on the net, I balked as well. Pink was so definitely not her. And what was with that Barbie look? But the more I looked at it, the more it grew on me, and when I finally picked up my copy of the album today, wow. I totally take back all that I had initially thought about the design. The picture of the album on the web does it no justice at all. You'd have to hold it in your hands to know what I mean. This is certainly a work of art. Kudos to the design team.

Yup, I just can't seem to find anything wrong with this album (I already told you I was going to be biased!). I'm just tremendously overjoyed with this release following the disappointing Roundup. Ah C is telling us here that you don't need easy-to-sing-along-to karaoke songs to make a great album. This is what music is all about. And I'm happy that she chooses to follow her heart in terms of musical direction rather than be dictated by what's-in and what's-not. It is this own style of hers that makes her special and stand out among the crowd. I just hope that she stays true to this.

Final verdict: As if you didn't already know...

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