Ray Ma(馬天宇) - The Flower In Hand(手花) Mini album Thoughts(Mandopop)

                                 
Track List:
01. 手花  
02. 一人一旅途  
03. 我也曾經像你一樣 (原唱：黃渤)
04. 黑名單


    I had seen a pretty looking man wearing a long white wig but I never researched to see what movie he was from or who the actor was. This singer turned actor is known as Ray Ma(馬天宇) in Taiwan. I had no idea who he was and only listened to his EP because I liked how the cover looked. He began his career in one of those TV competitions like so many other Mandopop singers. Ray Ma ended the show with sixth place and soon released an album that blew up the charts and the internet along with it. People called him the true champion because he had out sold his TV show mates. Later he tried his hand at acting where he found most of the fame he has today. That cute face is sure to look good across television screens. Ma came back a little while ago with new music to appease his fans that missed his singing.

    "The Flower In Hand" was a pleasant surprise as an introduction to his music. This man has a long discography of music that makes him a seasoned professional. The EP was smooth sailing without any bumps in the road. Production value is quite high without trying to hard to be something its not. A raw acoustic guitar sound is the core of the four tracks but other elements are also at play.  Violin playing is placed at specific parts of  one of the tracks that brings out the song's overall sound. The Violin isn't over used but there to give the song support. I also noticed another instrument, the hand drum. It keeps the beat whenever the drums are not and give the songs a stripped down raw feel along with the acoustic guitar. All of these aspects make for a simple relaxing sound thats not too boring. Even though all four tracks are set at a mid tempo beat, I still found myself interested in each track. I think this happened because each song had the right amount of catchy sweet goodness on top of great instrumental production. Great job on production semi ballads that didn't put me to sleep! Not only that but it was done in the length of four tracks. Hell just froze over...... no, really. It did.


    Ray Ma's vocals are like the surface of a pond after a terrible storm has passed and the water is in a state of calm. He doesn't try to over sing or under sing. The vocals are right smack in the middle of both options. Focus was more about making feel good music that influences the listener. Props also have to go to the singers that performed background vocals on the tracks. One female voice is right there all the time when a nice vocal harmony is needed then she pulls back and lets Ma lead. You know when a singer has good intentions with his vocalization when its not about hitting difficult notes or belting out a note, only singing a song straight and letting the meaning sink in. This was what Ray Ma did with "The Flower In Hand".

   I'm tempted to backtrack and listen to Ray Ma's other albums because I must have missed out on some good music. This EP is for people who like new take on relaxing music. I would suggest listening when you have an off day. Now, lets stare at Ray Ma's very attractive face and let the relaxing began!!!!!!