The Chinese music industry has been somewhat lacking lately, with notable artists such as Leehom Wang and Jay Chou going into a sort of musical remission. Korea seems to be stealing the show, and I was excited to find that JJ Lin had recently released an album back on December 24th. I decided to give it a listen and was pleasantly surprised.

1. X [2/5]
Okay, so the album doesn’t start off particularly strong. Honestly, I am tired of people trying to pull off the autotune. Kind of dark and “evil.” This song was a no go for me.

2. 第一个白天 (The First 100 Days) [3.5/5]
I’m a sucker for ballads. This song is a ballad. It’s not a particularly great ballad, but it has a nice melody.

3. 加油! (Add oil!) [3.5/5]
For a pop song, this isn’t that bad. You can really go either way with this song.

4. 曙光 (Twilight) [N/A]
This is just a short instrumental clip. Nice, though.

5. 无法克制 (Obsessed) [3/5]
This song has a jazz feel to it, but the execution is somewhat mediocre. Vocals are a little “eh,” but the instrumental, featuring a saxophone, drum set, and guitar, is beautiful.

6. 背对背拥抱 (Back To Back) [5/5]
Okay, this is where the album starts getting good. Back To Back is a beautiful ballad. Lots of feeling and emotion put into this song. The piano intro is killer.

7. 跟屁虫 (Copycat) [3.5/5]
I will admit I hated this song to start, but upon further listening, it started to grow on me. It’s got a very upbeat Indian feel to it. Different, but different doesn’t always mean bad.

8. 一个又一个 (One By One) [5/5]
Easily my favorite song off the album. Just voice, piano, and a subtle drum back beat. My kind of music.

9. 爱不会绝技 (Love Chronicles) [4/5]
A rock-ish type song with a nice mix of violin in it. Interesting song, similar to 曹操.

10. 装懂　(The One) [4.5/5]
It’s a nice ballad. ‘Nuff said.

11. 妈妈的娜鲁娃 (Naruwa) [5/5]
Very excellently composed song. It utilizes some traditional instruments and is like a soft lullaby.

12. Still Moving Under Gunfire [2/5]
Another autotuned nightmare. It may be your cup of tea… not mine.

13. 表达爱 (Show Your Love) [4/5]
A pretty nice duet. The harmony is nice to listen to.

OVERALL: 4/5
Although some of the songs are kind of forgettable, I think the good songs on this album are good enough to make up for it. Definitely recommend this to any JJ fans out there.