Post by uptowndragon on Mar 12, 2008 22:57:25 GMT 7
Mulan Jameela ¨C First Listens
Mulan Jameela or better known as Mulan Kwok or Mulan Ratu is one half of the Indonesian bubble gum pop duo Ratu who had several big hits, including the regional mega hit "Teman Tapi Mesra". Mulan whose real name is R. Wulansari was actually the replacement for original Ratu partner Pinkan Mambo who left the duo for a solo career due to royalty disputes.
After completing 2 top selling albums with Ratu, Mulan also parted company to pursue her own solo career after also being dissatisfied with the royalty distribution pertaining to the duo.
Mulan teamed up with Republik Cinta Management Artiste (RCMA) which was lead by her former Ratu partner Maia Estianty¡¯s estranged hubby, Ahmad Dhani, to release her self titled debut album this year. The album has already produced a number 1 hit in Indonesia with her first single "Mahkluk Tuhan Paling Seksi". Ratu's Maia has gone on to team up with a younger but similarly sounding (with Mulan & Pinkan), 21 year old Mei Chan, to form a funky new harajuku styled pop duo called Duo Maia. More on that later.
Although I do not yet have Mulan's debut album in my hands for a proper review, I have managed to listen to two tracks (including her hit) from her debut album, thanks to clips from YouTube. From the first listens it's quite obvious that Mulan is attempting to shake off her sugar pop roots with a more pop rock inspired outing, and in most parts seems to have succeeded.
On the first take, I seemed to detest "Mahkluk¡" probably due to the corny title but upon repeated listens, the song actually grew on me, and is pretty infectious. The fusion of energetic & hard hitting rock beats & riffs and technopop influences (with clever manipulation of electronic flangers) add a fresher dimension to what could have been another bland mid tempo pop number. It is no surprise this song has risen to the top of the charts so quickly.
"Wonder Woman", the other track I listened to from Mulan's live performance in Yogyakarta establishes herself as credible pop rock performer. It's a tightly structured pop track with well layered rock underpinnings spiced at intersections with dance pop beats, which steer it along at a steady pace, allowing Mulan's fluid vocals to ride above it without any hiccups. Certainly another winner for Mulan, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that it rides up the charts as well.
Well, I shouldn't judge an album from just two songs, but if this is the direction that Mulan is taking, I am quite certain the album may end up being a bigger smash than any of Ratu's releases, and may reach out to audiences across regional borders once again. I am not sure whether the so called "controversially" titled and worded "Mahkluk..." will get any airplay on our local radios, thanks to the ultra conservative stance of our MCMC, but I am certain its video will be making the MTV & Channel V rounds on Astro.
Stay tuned for the album review.
Mulan Jameela or better known as Mulan Kwok or Mulan Ratu is one half of the Indonesian bubble gum pop duo Ratu who had several big hits, including the regional mega hit "Teman Tapi Mesra". Mulan whose real name is R. Wulansari was actually the replacement for original Ratu partner Pinkan Mambo who left the duo for a solo career due to royalty disputes.
After completing 2 top selling albums with Ratu, Mulan also parted company to pursue her own solo career after also being dissatisfied with the royalty distribution pertaining to the duo.
Mulan teamed up with Republik Cinta Management Artiste (RCMA) which was lead by her former Ratu partner Maia Estianty¡¯s estranged hubby, Ahmad Dhani, to release her self titled debut album this year. The album has already produced a number 1 hit in Indonesia with her first single "Mahkluk Tuhan Paling Seksi". Ratu's Maia has gone on to team up with a younger but similarly sounding (with Mulan & Pinkan), 21 year old Mei Chan, to form a funky new harajuku styled pop duo called Duo Maia. More on that later.
Although I do not yet have Mulan's debut album in my hands for a proper review, I have managed to listen to two tracks (including her hit) from her debut album, thanks to clips from YouTube. From the first listens it's quite obvious that Mulan is attempting to shake off her sugar pop roots with a more pop rock inspired outing, and in most parts seems to have succeeded.
On the first take, I seemed to detest "Mahkluk¡" probably due to the corny title but upon repeated listens, the song actually grew on me, and is pretty infectious. The fusion of energetic & hard hitting rock beats & riffs and technopop influences (with clever manipulation of electronic flangers) add a fresher dimension to what could have been another bland mid tempo pop number. It is no surprise this song has risen to the top of the charts so quickly.
"Wonder Woman", the other track I listened to from Mulan's live performance in Yogyakarta establishes herself as credible pop rock performer. It's a tightly structured pop track with well layered rock underpinnings spiced at intersections with dance pop beats, which steer it along at a steady pace, allowing Mulan's fluid vocals to ride above it without any hiccups. Certainly another winner for Mulan, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that it rides up the charts as well.
Well, I shouldn't judge an album from just two songs, but if this is the direction that Mulan is taking, I am quite certain the album may end up being a bigger smash than any of Ratu's releases, and may reach out to audiences across regional borders once again. I am not sure whether the so called "controversially" titled and worded "Mahkluk..." will get any airplay on our local radios, thanks to the ultra conservative stance of our MCMC, but I am certain its video will be making the MTV & Channel V rounds on Astro.
Stay tuned for the album review.
