First of all, I find that the album cover of TRUE DEVOTION one of the most elegant and beautiful ones among the many that Tracy Huang has done over the years. The deliberate use of a background of black serves to accentuate and the purity and fairness of the singer's face, in the same way that a dark night intensifies the pale glow of the moon. Against the darkness one's attention is drawn to her deep luminous eyes. Three orchids with fragile white petals frame the singer's face, providing a cool and refreshing beauty to the overall composition. The entire effect that the picture creates is one of quiet elegance and uncluttered beauty. There is simplicity and cleanness in the choice of colours, shades and tones. The cover captures in a single frame a mysterious, luminous aura that Tracy Huang exudes.
I personally think that TRUE DEVOTION, as an album, is a transition for Tracy Huang, as she moved from away from the singing style of her early EMI days and towards the more natural style in her later English works with UFO.
Undoubtedly, listening to her early EMI English releases has always been a luxury and joy for me. There is spontaneity and sheer warmth and effortless energy in her singing then that is very infectious and touching. There is radiance in her pure bright tones, there is the clean innocence and total lack of inhibition in her singing then that could only come from the wellsprings of youth. Unfortunately, the shallowness of youth may not be equipped with enough of life's experiences to be able to convey fully the pathos of a song. Therefore, my personal impression in hearing Tracy Huang sing her early English songs is that although she sings well, she does not quite manage to explore and express the depths and textures of what she sings.
Subsequently, when Tracy Huang moved on to Polygram and UFO, I feel that the earliest English albums in that period (CHANGES, PARADISE IN MY HEART) also lack the depth, emotional richness and expressiveness that an album should have. PARADISE, for instance, is merely a motley collection of songs with no common thread running through them. Notwithstanding this, Tracy Huang's trademark powerhouse and crystal clear vocals were displayed in full force in the album, and much credit must be given to her for boldly attempting difficult numbers like FOREVER YOUNG and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
But for me, the subtle changes in Tracy Huang's voice began to appear in THE LOVE INSIDE and quickly became more apparent in TRUE DEVOTION. The changes that I am talking about is that her voice began to take on a more mellow and tender shade.
Whenever I listen to THE LOVE INSIDE I hear a lingering sadness and haunting melancholy in her voice that I have not heard in her previous English songs. One my favourite English numbers of hers, FIRST OF MAY, with its lyrics of time and inevitable change, and Tracy's quietly tender vocals, manages to convey the pathos and wistful regret at the heart of the song. Tracy's voice here is more poignant, restrained and controlled than I have ever heard in her EMI albums. Similar vocal qualities can be found in LOVERS IN THE WIND. The overall impression I get is that by the time she released THE LOVE INSIDE she has become more sophisticated and versatile in her command and delivery of her songs. It signals a new found confidence and deeper understanding in the material that she covers.
These interesting new dimensions to her voice found wider expression in TRUE DEVOTION. One of the highlights of the album for me is HOLIDAYS, a lovely number whose music is pared down to pure simplicity. Next to the elegance of the voice of the piano, Tracy's vocals sound clean and crisp, like the cleanness and quiet of very early morning. Her singing sounds more effortless and relaxed, as if she is no longer straining to sing in her trademark pure and bright tones, but is using more of her natural and lower voice. HOLIDAYS is an innovative experiment for her because in none of her earlier numbers do we hear something that is so clean and simple in terms of musical arrangement and singing style. But it is precisely because the song is so unadulterated that it reveals the spaces of imagination and mystery in Tracy Huang's voice, and shows us the emotional depths to which it can reach.
Another song which I feel she delivered well is the opening number, SOMEWHERE. Notwithstanding that the music arrangement was the same as that of Brabra Streisand, this song is also another new attempt for Tracy because she does not often attempt songs which soar from the lower to higher ranges. In this song therefore, Tracy's voice begins with the lightness of dreams, creating the illusion of immense space and never-ending time, before it quickly and surely gathers momentum. Then, as the song rises to a climax, her voice takes on more power and strength, before rising to a grand crescendo as the music fades into space. We hear many facets of Tracy's voice in this one song, and that is rather unusual. This number interestingly also showcases Tracy's newfound control of the versatility of her voice; she now knows when to rein it in and when to unleash her powerhouse vocals.
Even in the faster and more upbeat numbers like FIND A WAY, LITTLE LIES and I LOVE YOU, I sense a new breeziness and easy confidence, even some spunkiness, in the way she sings. I particularly like FIND A WAY, with its strong rhythms and spunky feel, and the way it was delivered in a very upfront way, with a little edge and attitude. Overall, on these uptempo songs Tracy sounds much more relaxed and laidback than she did before, as if she is just letting herself go and simply singing without any burden or pressure, which is closer to the way in which English songs should be sung.
Another song deserving of mention is IF THERE WAS A MAN, which is interesting because it is a new musical style that Tracy Huang has not attempted before. Her vocals on this song are rich, sultry and sensuous, and tinged with soulfulness. BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY is also a memorable number which showcase the new breathiness in her voice, which can also be heard in two other numbers: TRUE DEVOTION and ALL THAT YOU ARE.
TRUE DEVOTION therefore represents an album of many textures and flavours. No longer is Tracy Huang singing in one voice throughout the entire collection of songs, and no longer is she only attempting easy listening pop songs. Her choice of songs has become more eclectic and bold, with a stronger flavour of experimentation. More importantly, her voice has begun to sound multi-textured and multi-faceted, occasionally light, delicate and tender, on other occasions darker and more brooding. Her crystal clear vocals in the past have mellowed into a more pristine and calm clearness, yet her vocals are still poignantly tender and warm. In all, her voice has, at this stage, begun to take on a more distinctive and forceful character and identity of its own. |
