Sexy Sandy sizzles
SANDY LAM MMXII CONCERT - SINGAPORE
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Last Friday
It could easily have been a Mandopop greatest hits concert but Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam had something else in mind.
To her Mandarin-speaking fans, she is best known for her effortless balladry. There is light and sweetness in that voice of hers whether she is pining after a wayward lover on Ai Shang Yi Ge Bu Hui Jia De Ren (In Love With Someone Who Doesn't Come Home) or being unabashedly romantic on Zhi Shao Hai You Ni (At Least There Was You).
But those who grew up with her Cantonese releases would be familiar with the dance diva side of her as well.
It was a sexy Sandy who greeted the sold-out crowd of 7,500 as she returned to her dance roots in an early medley. The 45-year-old sizzled on stage in a short sequined dress and a head of loosely tousled tresses. Digging deep into her repertoire, she belted out early Cantonese hits such as Grey (1987) and Burn, off City Project Part II - Fuir La Cite (1989).
Late in the set, the energetic performer put together yet another dance medley which ended with the awesome Feng Le (Crazy) off Drifting (1991). It was not for nothing that a set musician rapped during the track: 'Lady Gaga's got nada on you.'
It was a treat indeed for her long-time supporters though it probably left the non-Cantonese-speaking fans a little cold.
It was clear from the enthusiastic reaction to the familiar opening strains of ballads such as Ai Shang, from her debut Mandarin album in 1990, the monster hit Shang Hen (Scar) and Dang Ai Yi Cheng Wang Shi (Love Forgone) off the Farewell My Concubine (1993) soundtrack, what many in the audience had come for.
And Lam delivered the goods with a voice that remains in great shape.
She bantered happily in Mandarin, English and Cantonese as she told the crowd that 'Singapore is like my second home'.
The seasoned performer also sang a few English covers including All-4-One's I Swear. She then gamely played the guitar for the first time on stage in Singapore when she crooned The Everly Brothers' Crying In The Rain, the song that first got her into the business.
For those looking for clues to her upcoming new album - her first since the Mandarin disc Breathe Me (2006) - the concert offered some tantalising hints.
The segue to Shi Zi (Persimmon) was a little jarring with the visuals of cataclysmic destruction but the new Mandarin song was definitely a showcase number. Lam was dressed in a striking red gown while a flight of stairs stretched above her. Her voice swooped and swirled during the Gothic ballad's chorus, which comprised the word wu ya (raven) repeated and drawn out.
This is as experimental as Lam has ever been.
The slice of moody electronica that was the opening Cantonese number Impermanence also gave off an alt-rock vibe. On the other hand, Liang Xin Hua (Two Heart Flower) from the Hong Kong film Hi, Fidelity (2011), was a gorgeously tender Cantonese ballad that would not be out of place on her previous records.
One can only eagerly await the new album to see where Lam takes us next. Meanwhile, it is time to dig out her old hits and party like it's 1989.
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