Mikeru On Chinese Music Today

A pop icon without being a pop star, Anthony Wong Yiu Ming is one of Hong Kong's few pioneers in popular music. Like wine, his music seems to keep getting better as the years go by, or maybe it's that I've learned to appreciate his music more and more as the years go by. Given his veteran singer status, respect pretty much comes automatically, but the reverence comes from his ability to stay relevant, be it in his evolving music, his effortless style and glamour, or his work with People Mountain People Sea. With Anthony Wong, his best album is his next one, rather than one released a decade ago. This is why you're more likely to see young fans screaming for Ming Gor (his Chinese nickname) than Alan Tam, Dave Wang, or even Sam Hui. And this is why his latest King of the Road is another admirable success.

Taking a step back from the electronic pop of his last album, Anthony Wong uses "road music" as his theme this time, experimenting with folk and country compositions. Musing about the journey on "Guangshen Expressway " (Track 1), the highway connecting Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the album's opening road song is a laidback country guitar number with easy beats, earthy sentiments, and a wonderful little harmonica interlude. Chow Yiu Fai's lyrics wax about the realistic emotions and experiences of those who have to run back and forth between borders to earn their keep. Moody yet comforting, the song makes for an empathetic grassroots road anthem that reaches out quietly to the listener, especially in its lingering last line that voices the humble hearts of many weary travelers: the hope that "a little happiness can be reached".