Chien-Nien Chen / Mother Earth / Taiwan Colors Music

       Chien-Nien's newest album, "Mother Earth", is a collection of all his sensations and emotions while he stayed in Lanyu and Taitung. "Mother Earth", mixed with Bossa Nova from Brazil, not only drives you to move with the music, but also tries to tell you that Chien Nien is coming back. "My paradise--you and kids" and "Blue Pearl" express Chien-Nien's feelings about love. His musical style is more varied and has added inner emotion as he tries uses different instruments in his songs. Chien-Nien also sings a song with the guitarist of Backquarter, Hu Shen, and KuKu, a younger sister of Hsiao-Chun Chi. What's more, this brand-new album is more colorful and mature in its expression because of numerous friends and relatives participating. --Translated by Ruby Lee

Ikko Kawai / Red Violin / Jingo

       "Red Violin" is the first individual album for Ikko Kawai. Her unique musical style will arouse your enthusiasm. Four world-famous songs and six personally-written songs focus on the fate of gypsies, the Latin passion, and the Oriental vogue at the end of the century. Ikko Kawai is good at acting because "Red Violin" is dramatic music, expressing the red fantasy with exciting, sweet and sad emotions. This perfect album provides an absolutely enthalling experience for musicians and listeners. --Translated by Ruby Lee

Avril Lavigne/ Let Go / BMG

       Seventeen-year-old skater-punk princess Avril displays her clear, energetic voice in this debut album. The lyrics ring with a pure, youthful femininity. Avril sings her praises for individuality in "Anything but Ordinary". She jams on her guitar and really hits the target in "Complicated", concisely dealing with the turmoil caused by a lying lover. ¡§I'm with you¡¨reveals Avril's gentler side, while "Losing Grip" and "Unwanted" deal with bravely facing rejection and betrayal and all the grief that is involved. These are followed by "My World" and a metaphorically infused "Mobile" to complete an album that showcases the life experiences of this adolescent punk rocker. --Translated by Patricia Li

A-Mei/ Fever / Hwa-Na

       Pop diva A-mei stirs up the crowd with a collection of fast-paced dance songs in this album. The temperature rises with wild, crazy dance mixes like "Ruthless Role", but A-mei still has her romantic side, exhibited in the passionate samba-inspired, "Yes or No". "Fever" is a lively fast-tempo piece. A-mei sings of childhood experiences in "Katsu" and a live performance of "Understand", a song about a woman' s affections, brings tears to her eyes. True emotions are hard to conceal. A-mei dazzles audiences with her rendition of Sun-Tzi' s "Have You Heard?" and demonstrates her unrivaled vocal skills. Her rendition of Tsai Jian-Ya's "Don' t Disturb His Heart" should drive her fans crazy. With her exquisite voice, she proves once again why she is a true diva.
--Translated by Patricia Li