After listening to his debut album “Soulboy”, I absolutely go ga-ga over Khalil. I find him extremely talented; definitely a rare gem. In general, Khalil still maintains its soul, Motown style. His collaboration with lyricists 周耀輝 (Zhou Yao Hui)and 林夕 (Lin Xi) works like magic in this album. They really did a good job as storytellers. In comparison to “Soulboy”, “This Love” is a lot calmer and predictable. There are pros and cons to being predictable, I suppose, but as someone who has high expectations for this album, I did find it slightly disappointing at first listen. However, after listening to it few more times (a.k.a. “repeat all” in my iPod for a month), it’s amazing how this album manages to prove itself worthy of your paycheck.

Notable Tracks:
I fell in love instantly with [蘇麗珍]. I find it interesting how its light and happy arrangement actually carries lyrics of a sad tale. My next favorite item is [四人遊]. I go crazy every time I listen to it! It’s such a unique piece because the song depicts a conversation between Khalil and Fiona. Another piece worth mentioning is [手拖手]. It’s definitely a perfect exhibition for his broad range of musical influence. I highly admire his skills in crafting such great collage of 1950’s American rock and roll (think of American Bandstand), jazz, and pop.

There are two pieces that I, unfortunately, don’t care for. One is [Goodbye Melody Rose]; simply because it’s kinda boring. The other one is [唉!] because it sounds too much like [跳] from Soulboy, and on top of that he pretty much killed it by inserting a rap part. Imagine having a drop of ink in your bowl of milk: El-sucko-mundo.

In a nutshell: Though it’s not as perfect as “Soulboy”, it is still a compilation of great works overall. A must buy!

Track Listing:
1. 愛愛愛 [Ai Ai Ai: Love, Love, Love]
2. 蘇麗珍 [Shu Li Zhen]*
3. 歌手與模特兒 [Ge Shou Yu Mo Te Erl: A Musician and a Model]
4. 唉! [Ai!: Oh, Dear!]
5. 四人遊 [Si Ren You: Traveling Quartet]
6. 手拖手 [Shou Tuo Shou: Pulling Hands]
7. 偷笑 [Tou Xiao: Grinning]
8. Goodbye Melody Rose
9. 詩人的情人 [Shi Ren De Qing Ren: Poet’s Lover]
10. 拖男帶女 [Tuo Nan Dai Nü: Grab the Guys, Take the Girls]
11. Love Outrolude

Bonus Tracks:
12. If You Leave Me Now
13. 春風吹之吹吹風Mix**
[Chun Feng Cui Zhi Cui Cui Feng (Mix): The Walk of the Blowing Spring Breeze]

* This is the name of a girl he sings about in the song
** This song is just a different rendition of [春風吹 Chun Feng Cui].
Meaning: lyric and melody is the same, just has a different arrangement

Click here for lyrics and translations from Chinese Music Blog

Purchase the album here