Chinese Music Blog

Khalil Fong has the unique distinction of being a Mandarin R&B artist in Hong Kong, a career that has proven fruitful with four LPs and a growing fan base. With his fifth album release, he aimed to pay respect to those artists and songs that inspire his musical style and lyrics. He covers a range of artists, from Stevie Wonder to Faye Wong to Andy William, each reworking adding something new or revealing something about Khalil’s own music. This isn’t so much an experiment in reworking songs to fit his style as a musical homage to every artist that helped him get to where he is now.

“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” – Stevie Wonder: I knew that there would be a Stevie Wonder song on this album; the only question was, “Which one?” Wonder is obviously a huge influence on Khalil’s music, and so he probably could have chosen any song, but this was a wise choice. Though he didn’t change the song much musically, his vocals add a distinct sound. I didn’t care for the female vocalist in the beginning, though. She served as a distraction rather than adding to the effect of the overall piece. This reworking is very much a remake rather than a revisioning of the original, and even though it’s not as good as Wonder’s version, I never expected it to be since…come on. It’s a Stevie Wonder song.

“Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love” – Glenn Medeiros: This is such a wonderful version of an older song. Khalil kept the musical sentiment of the original piece but updated it in order to make it more accessible to a new generation. His voice fits the song perfectly, and I appreciate that he kept the song pretty simple. I enjoy his version more than the original!

“Bad” – Michael Jackson: This is the only song on the CD that does NOTHING for me. Khalil concentrated more on the funk background and decreased the pervasiveness of the original’s percussion section. Moreover, his vocal style just doesn’t compare to Michael’s for this particular song. Jackson had a very distinct sound in this song that is hard to duplicate well, and Khalil’s is just a watered-down version of it. I would have much preferred he chose a Jackson ballad.

“Kwang Chiu 狂潮”- Susanna Kwan 關菊英: I really enjoy Khalil’s version of this song. He made it less classical sounding and more R&B, but still kept it clean and beautiful with light percussion, strings, and a simple piano. The difference between his voice and style and Kwan’s is what really makes this version distinctive from the original, though.

“La Bamba” – Ritchie Valens: I have to admit, when I first saw this song on the track listing, I cringed. This song is difficult to remake well, and Khalil doesn’t even speak Spanish. However, I fell in love with it once I listened to it. He completely revisioned the music by slowing it down and adding a richer Spanish beat to it. He really did this song justice by deciding to rework it in his own style rather than imitate Valens’. His Spanish isn’t too bad, either!

“Red Bean” – Faye Wong: Such a wonderful song! The original is one of my favorite songs by Faye Wong, and I feel like Khalil added something to it when he redid it. I love how the simplicity of the music really emphasizes his voice and the lyrics. This is one of my favorite covers on the CD.

“Georgia On My Mind” – Ray Charles: In my mind, Ray Charles is king, and no one can touch this song. The emotion with which he sang it is something that cannot be duplicated. With that being said, I think that Khalil did a good job of tackling a song that represents so much. It can’t be compared to the original because it doesn’t carry the same sentiment for him as it did for Charles, but it’s still a nice version, highlighting the pleasantness of Khalil’s voice.

“Remember” – A-mei: This song isn’t really Khalil’s style, and I was apprehensive when going to listen to it. But my fears were proven unjustified because, even though it’s not his usual sound, it’s still really good. The original is such a beautiful, moving song, and Khalil really kept true to the original feeling. This is one of my favorite, favorite tracks.

“Wonderful Tonight” – Eric Clapton: I don’t care for this track as much as the others, but this is more because of the actual song and less because of Khalil’s take on it. His vocals are soothing, and I love the tenderness in the guitar, the bareness of the percussion. As far as how it compares to the original, I prefer Khalil’s voice in this particular song to Clapton’s, but I don’t think he added anything new the song. I would be more interested in hearing his version of “Tears in Heaven.”

“Moon River” – Andy William: This was the perfect way to end this CD. “Moon River” really embodies the idea of a timeless song. I’m glad that he chose to sing it in an unintimidating style akin to the famous Audrey Hepburn version rather than the way Andy Williams sang it originally. The addition of the jazzy trumpet really brought something new to the piece, as well. His subduing voice combined with the toned down instrumentals and the peacefulness of the lyrics just created magic. This is my absolute, hands-down, favorite track.