G.E.M(鄧紫棋) - City Zoo(摩天动物园) Album Thoughts(Mandopop)

     I belive I've written a post about G.E.M before when she released a couple of singles last year that led up to this new album release to kick off the new year. She's an artist that has been in the Chinese music scene since the early 2000s, getting her big break after wining a music competition. The rest is history as G.E.M is on her seventh album titled City Zoo. G.E.M is also an occasional actress.

01. 摩天动物园 
02. Fly Away 
03. 透明 
04. 很久以后 
05. Walk on Water
06. 萤火 
07. 灰狼 
08. 差不多姑娘 
09. 好想好想你 
10. 别勉强 (ft. Eric Chou 周兴哲) 
11. 多美丽 
12. 句号 
13. 依然睡公主 

    City Zoo is the first full length album that I checked out by G.E.M. Her names floated past me for years but didn't give her the time of dat until last year. Now, I'm a huge fan of this women. Such was the reason City Zoo's sudden release was a big deal for me. The album is names after the title track used to promote the album which can be classified as a dark pop anthem easing into the sweet dreams of listeners only to turn their happiness into nightmares. G.E.M wastes nothing on making this album a masterpiece fit for a songstress that's earned her place at the top of the Taiwanese music scene. City Zoo as a track has a slick beat drop that would make Rainie Yang cry but enough mainstream appeal to have you singing along long after the track has left it's impression. Much of the album has this same dark pop kind of feel. Producers who worked with G.E.M worked together to create a sound for City Zoo that commands attention right from the start. One of the problems that I noticed is that the tracks sometimes felt like clones of one another. Not to the point that it stops City Zoo's greatness, However a lot of dark pop tracks in a line will have you hearing double. Tracks don't really go into a mellow realm until toward the closing of the album. Even her ballad tracks are still top notch vocal greatness. She adds icing on the cake with a duet featuring pop star Eric Chou. City Zoo leaves on a powerful note as G.E.M's songwriting abilities seem to never peak, just like the range of her beautiful vocals.

    I love the fact that there hasn't been a track vocally that I have hated by G.E.M. Everything she graces her fans with is always high quality music. Every single track that came on in City Zoo had G.E.M continuing to show why she is such an amazing vocalist. No matter if it is her first or seventh album, G.E.M never seems to quit presenting why she's a singer loved by many. Rainie Yang's album should have been of this same caliber. Sorry I keep throwing shade at Rainie but it's only because I want her to create better bodies of work musically.

   City Zoo was an album that after I listen to it, I immediately wanted to listen to the album again. G.E.M will forever be one of the top female singers in Taiwan. Doesn't look like she's going anywhere any time soon.