Amanda Lee Wai-Man - Bitter And Sweet (Rock-In) In Hong Kong, things are pretty much black and white as far as Canto-pop is concerned: the line that separates the first stringers from the second is still clearly marked by teenage popularity polls and has little to do with talent in some cases.
And, unfortunately for those who lag behind despite having talent, the annual awards ceremonies go a long way towards helping make this fallacy look almost like fact.
Amanda Lee is among those with good reason to sing of the bitter and the sweet. Of the many considered 'second stringers', she is one of the most popular. Yet, the chasm to a first-rate reputation seems too wide to jump.
In the past two years, Lee has released good albums which have sold well, with several hit singles. She started off trying to sound like a bad imitation of Faye Wong but has, in the past year or so, developed her own style which blends Canto-pop with R&B.
Bitter And Sweet has obviously been put together with the annual music awards in mind, with three new singles and 13 previous hits. The new songs are worthy of praise although Exceptionally Lucky (track 5), a fast rock number by the current darling of composers, Mark Lui Chung-tak, does test Lee a little.
Wedding Banquet (track 2), a Japanese composition with lyrics by disc jockey Wyman Wong, is a great number. The melody gives Lee the chance to try her vocal range, and allows her to give full emotional rein to the lyrics about a single woman who attends wedding banquets with mixed feelings because the bride is never her. Housekeeping (track 3) has a strong melody and an attractive arrangement.