Any review of Tracy's history of recording in English will not be complete if we do not discuss her most successful English releases under the EMI label from 1976 to 1981.
I only came to know about these old recordings of hers in the early '90s, by which time the original CDs released by EMI have already been sold out. I was fortunate enough to have been able to obtain cassette tapes of these albums. Subsequently, EMI re-released her FEELINGS and MISSISSIPPI in Singapore under the TIMELESS PIECES SERIES, which is a real treat for many Tracy Huang fans. In fact, the re-released FEELINGS is probably no longer available by now, bearing testimony to the enduring popularity of her English works, even after more than two decades.
The question to ask is: what makes her old English songs so enjoyable to listen to?
There are no definite or conclusive answers. However, one of the reasons that I can think of is the fact that among all the many Chinese singers, both past and present, who have ever attempted to sing in English, Tracy Huang's is probably the only one who can create the most authentic sounding English cover versions. There is a crispness and precision in her enunciation, a masterly confidence in her grasp of her material, and an unbridled robustness and sheer warmth in her singing voice that makes her a difficult singer to match, either then or at present.
Tracy's English journey starts with FEELINGS, in 1976. Even listening to her albums across the space of more than twenty years, I am surprised as to how modern and fresh her vocals at that time sound. Although there isn't the emotional depth and maturity that would only come with life's experience, Tracy's voice then was certainly not awkwardly childish or raw. In fact, in her ripe and crystal clear tones there was already a preliminary indication of the mellowness and deeper tenderness that is to seep into her voice in her later years. In fact, Tracy's sweetly fragrant and robust voice as a young singer in the '70s will put many young singers today to shame.
FEELINGS can be noted for its simplicity in singing and music arrangements, something that is understandable given the fact that it was a first recording. Nonetheless, Tracy manages to deliver one of the best songs in the album, HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER, with restraint and control, at times delicately, at others, with strong conviction. She handles the material skilfully, never allowing her emotional delivery to become excessively sentimental or cloying. Another favourite number of mine is SAILING, if only because I enjoy listening to Tracy Huang hit the high notes at the climax of the song, where her voice carries so much anticipation and radiance, so much youthfulness and vitality.
If FEELINGS is simple, MISSISSIPPI, being Tracy's sophomore effort that was released in 1977, is rather more ambitious and sophisticated. Tracy is no longer just singing in her trademark bright voice; some of the numbers in this second album allows her to display the many other facets of her voice. In LET IT BE ME, for instance, there is a lingering harmony in the way that her voice was layered. In THE AIR THAT I BREATHE Tracy's voice in the first half of the song is brought to almost a soft and languid murmur, in keeping with the music of the acoustic guitar. In HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE, against the bare backdrop of a solo guitar, Tracy's singing voice sounds relaxed and natural, as if she is gently crooning a lullaby.
But in the high-energy pieces like DANCING QUEEN and FERNANDO, Tracy reveals the wilder and more passionate side of her voice and the sheer amount of heat and light that it can radiate. There is always a very high-spirited warmth and energy in these songs which are very infectious, and I find myself tapping my foot to the music or humming along. This also goes for the lovely opening number, MISSISSIPPI.
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