It is difficult to imagine a singer, especially one from mainland China, releasing her sophomore album at the age of 20. However, nothing is ordinary about 趙默/Zhao Mo, who was born in Harbin, China, but moved to Beijing to pursue her dreams of musical stardom when she was just 16 years old. After winning a singing competition in Shanghai, Zhao Mo released her debut album, titled 给我/Give Me, in 2002. Give Me did not shatter any records, but from it, Zhao Mo learned that merely asking for something does not mean that she will receive it, so she continued to train her vocals until she felt ready to record and release 也許/Perhaps, on November 8th, 2005. It is no wonder that her record company, as well as those who know her, has nicknamed her “the brave female student.”

也許/Perhaps is a dozen-track album that includes pop, easy-listening, and, believe it or not, dance. “也許/Perhaps,” the first track of the album, is soothing and very easy on the ears. The first line of the song is “也许一开始, 你就站在注定会被伤害的位置,” which translates to “Perhaps from the beginning, you have been standing in harm’s way.” The lyrics show the singer telling another person, maybe a friend, that love should not be painful and that perhaps her friend should just let go of the past and move on from a failed relationship. Although this song is made up just two short verses accompanied by one beautiful chorus, “Perhaps” does its job setting the mood for the rest of this album.

Recommending just a few songs from this album poses a challenge, because if I tried to do such a thing, I would end up recommending virtually every song on 也許/Perhaps. Instead, I will quickly review most of the songs, separated into two main categories: easy-listening and upbeat pop.

The second track, is “謝謝你給我的幸福 /Thanks for the Happiness You Have Given Me,” which is much more upbeat than the first track. Although the music style is different, it still fits Zhao Mo really well. The next upbeat song is track 8, “水果情歌 /Fruit Love Song,” which is as fun to listen to as its title suggest. One may never have thought that love could be compared to a variety of fruits until Zhao Mo came along with this song. Right off the bat, the lyrics promise a unique song, as the first two lines read, “有人说爱像苹果, 我说爱情就是像菠萝/Some say that love is like an apple, I think that love is like a pineapple.” As if “Fruit Love Song” did not already offer enough types of food to make your mouth water, track 10 is titled “巧克力女孩/Chocolate Girl.” The first 20 seconds of this song is rather annoying, as a male tries to ruin this song by shouting phrases in poor English that does not make sense whatsoever, but once Zhao Mo takes over the microphone, this song gets saved. “Chocolate Girl” features a lively chorus made sweet by Zhao Mo’s voice.

The style of “傘下又是一個雨天/Under the Umbrella is Yet Another Rainy Day,” the third track, reverts back to a style similar to the title track, and does so spectacularly. Although this is a sad song of sorts, Zhao Mo seems to make it a habit of hers to not depress her listeners, which we should thank her for. The fifth track is yet another sad song, but rays of optimism shines through for the singer in “學會 /Learned” as she deals with separation in her own ways. Soft verses bring listeners to a powerful chorus that makes this song a contender for being one of best songs of this album. “紅雨傘/Red Umbrella,” the seventh track, is almost as soft and soothing as the title track, and those who enjoyed “Perhaps” at the beginning of this album will be sure to enjoy “Red Umbrella” as well.

This album closes with “相約2006/Mutual Agreement 2006,” an over eight-minute long dance track that incorporates not only the best songs of this album, but popular songs by other singers as well, such as 許慧欣/eVonne Hsu’s “七月七日晴/A Clear July 7th.” Although the beat of this track is nothing special, it is done better than most Chinese dance songs as of recent, and the selection of songs here are well thought out and the songs compliment each other perfectly.

This album is one of my top five favorite albums of 2005, and without a shadow of a doubt, Zhao Mo’s 也許/Perhaps is definitely my favorite album that came out of mainland China in the year that it was released. Die-hard fans of Taiwanese R&B songs may have to adapt to this album just a bit, but if you would like to step away from the sometimes monotonous sounds that you may have grown accustomed to, perhaps a dose of Zhao Mo will do the trick.

Click here to check out Zhao Mo’s official Web site.