Best Love 2 - Alex To Tak-wai This moving, exquisitely beautiful album unfolds with a narrative worthy of a great novel, and it boasts some of the most splendid R&B tracks in memory. An uncommonly distinctive vocalist, To (right) brings new fire, subtlety, and power to his singing here. The high-energy Kiss is ripe for the charts. The sensual Everytime You Go Away, Cherish, I Miss You and the funky Faith are also potential radio airplay magnets. Radio programmers have plenty of choices.
Always Volume 1-5 Box Set - Selected Artists A pretty snazzy idea and well executed. This five CDs box set includes a number of classic love songs in Warner Bros' Always compilation series. It boasts romantic numbers from Percy Sledge, Bread, Linda Ronstadt, Chicago, Bette Midler, Foreigner, David Foster and Carly Simon . . . A special gift for Valentine's Day.
Don't Let Me Hate You - Kit Chan The Singapore diva's fourth major-label release fulfills all the promise of her preceding passionate sets, her deceptively beautiful sound concealing a wealth of narrative jolts and surprises. Unlike most practitioners on her turf, the unusually gifted Chan has the whole tool box in terms of a stunning voice and great songwriting talents. Among the superb songs here are the title track, Mr Turner, Postman, and a song destined to be a pop standard, Lover . A major new voice surges ahead.
The Better - Yosuke Eguchi Anyone seeking a balanced retrospective of this Japanese heart-throb will have to make an album-by-album hunt, as this collection focuses most deeply on his '90s hit-making period. That said, one disc offers selective highlights of his hits. Thus it is a solid, if not comprehensive, package for one-stop shoppers.
Megahit 8 - Selected Artists Sixteen megahits hide in one smashing album, including Spice Girls' Wannabe, Louise's Naked, Michael Learns To Rock's Painted My Love, Fool's Garden's Lemon Tree and George Michael's Fast Love (Fortnight Mix). Probably huge.
