Hey, last night I read a very UNprofessional review titled Professional Review at Yesasia, since I just got the album today it's nice and fresh so I'm gonna share with everyone my Professional Review.

Packaging
Okay, we (probably me the most) have always complained about non-CD case sized CDs. Well, this CD is not in a normal CD case, it's actually in a very nice box. I don't want to be a hypocrite, but seriously when I complained abt big packaging I was actually complaining abt BIG oversized packaging. Anyway, this box is prob the size of a DVD box except a little thicker. It's very high quality, it's sorta glossy but unless u got real sweaty hands u won't get ur fingerprints on it, so u don't have to be too careful. :P Instead of the normal booklet we get postcards with a little stamp type thing in the corner as well. My only complaint is the postcards are actually postcards size, if only they were a little bigger they'd fit perfectly in the box so it doesn't move around (I don't want to damage it when I shake the box - don't ask me why I have to shake the box :unsure: ). Overall, good quality, looks expensive. Pics are sexy by the way... more sexy than hot this time... :D

CD
More ballads than any Sony CD and the most top quality plug-able ballads u'd ever get in one average 10 track CD. Probably not as happy as his previous albums, 1:1 is probably the only one, unless track 10 is as well, but I don't know what the lyrics mean exactly, sounds happy, sorta mid-tempo. Anyway, let's get to the best tracks list... hehe... okey dokey, my recommendations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 & 11. Most of us have probably heard tracks 1-4 & 7, well, they all sound so much better with the clearer sound. We actually missed lots of sounds listening to those crappy radio versions. So why are they good?

1 is good cos Leon's voice sounds so cool, the overall sound and the music is just so totally cool. Oh, and I must mention also Leon's voice is real sexy in this album cos u either get a lot of "bei yum" or it's very low pitch and personally I think these are his strengths and what makes his voice unique.

2 sounds so much better on CD, I don't know why, it just does, this song wasn't on my favourites list until today... hehe. Pretty hard to sing this song, so I actually think it might do pretty good in the K charts cos there are always these ppl trying to sing hard songs... trying to prove something <_< .

3 is the best of the best, yes it's better than 2 just because Leon sings it with more feel... and it's got the best music as well. I don't understand why there was no interlude included for this since it's Leon's fav as well. Also, in the radio version we miss the last line... the last line is prob the best line in the song... so nice, I nearly died.

4 is okay on radio version, but so much better on CD, when I mentioned missing sounds I was referring to this song in particular. Anyway, good song, it's one of those songs that never make it to best of the best but u never get sick of it either.

5 starts off with a very "old" type music, kinda scared me for a while until Leon started singing. This song is very very low pitch, not sure if this is my 2nd fav on the CD cos 6 is just as good. But this definitely is a good song, reminds u of the older Leon ballads, but it sounds new... understand? :huh:

6 is a non-Mark song, finally... hehe... (I meant that in a good way). Some of the HK fans say this is very Twins style... but I don't see how, and I do listen to Twins. So don't let the Twins thing scare u... ;) Very good song, chorus gets very high pitch, Leon gets the notes easily, but don't go any higher... hehe. The lyrics, according to fans who understand the lyrics, are meant to to reflect Leon and his love-life. From the couple of lines I understand it sorta does. Maybe M will have a translation up soon :P . I'm sure she's working on it.

7 Hmmm, could be just because I've heard it so many times but I least like this song... I think I've been affected by the fans complaining about the lyrics so much... hehe. Maybe I'll talk more abt this song in 2 months...

8 is so so kool. Not ur typical Leon song for sure... fast, but not too fast. Mando btw. The chorus is the best best part, the lyrics fit so well, the overall sound is absolutely kool and the way he sings the chorus is so to-die-for... :o And that's prob the only way I can describe it... hehe. It's just good, but then again I don't know if it's the best fast song on the album cos 1 and 9 come pretty close too.

9 is good from start to finish, chorus prob isn't as good as 8, but still very good cos 8 is just too good... hehe. The music at the start is sorta weird, a little misleading tho... hehe.

10 was the song I was so totally looking forward to hearing cos the title sounds cool. But, I gotta say, honestly I still can't accept Leon singing this style... feels outa place... hehe... talk abt it maybe 2 months later, by then I should have accepted the style. B)

11 is nothing special really, it's just a really nice slow song. It's Korean, so they say, but no one's heard the original track according to Quad's survery. Maybe it's a new composer whose firstname is Korean and last name is Cover... hehe... what are the chances?! Anyway, it's a really nice song, no one can hate this song... it's too beautiful to hate. Speaking of beautiful, the guy (I think it's YCY) in the background and singing "you're so beautiful to me" fits so well and makes the song extra extra nice.

12 I haven't really heard yet... no rush... next time. :ph43r:

Overall, better than Homework, I don't know how, but if u gave me a choice I'd rather listen to Dawn, maybe it's the ballads. Compared to Hey, it's sorta hard, Hey has more variety, each and every song is totally different, if I had a choice I'd probably choose Dawn just because I like Leon singing sad songs like 3, 5 & 6, but besides that I'd be indifferent between the two. I won't compare any further, my fingers are getting tired.

DVD
MV for track 1 is expensive and looks expensive... I think that just about explains it. MV for track 3 (my fav song) is just snapshots of Leon in Japan walking around after he got dumped... hehe. Oops, actually, it's very sad, he drinks and smokes a lot tho. Very Jap feel, lucky he didn't film it in HK cos it'd look cheap otherwise... hehe. I like the Jap feel. The making of video is just clips of everything actually. Clips of him in Jap filming MV, bits of him filming 1:1 MV, recording in the studio, taking photos (sexy) and at the airport lifting heavy suitcases with his muscley arm :rolleyes: .

So yeh, that's abt it, not really a Professional Review but more professional in the sense that I'm not that biased... hehe. Just some of my comments really it's been 2 long years since I've typed something this long... hopefully the next break is a short break. Anyway, whoever's got the album or heard the songs... I WANT REPLIES...! :D

Signing off,
Mrs Professional Reviewer Lai

Wwow, nice review...i was looking forward to the comment on Leon's English song, but there's none. :blink: :( :(
maybe i'll have Dawn album soon....
wow, how many postcard they have...i love postcard more than the booklet....

14 postcards in total. 12 for the 12 tracks, 1 for DVD tracklist and another for the crew.

And for those who don't know the pics are taken with that Korean girl from the MV. But it's very nice, very special... my mum wanted to steal my box and postcards cos she liked it so much. :)

haha i liked the part about the guy named Korean Cover XD

by the way...i like that "you're so beautiful to me" too =) YCY has a very nice and soothing voice.

now i can't wait for Leon's album...and YCY's too =0

Yeh, I actually noticed YCY's voice in a couple tracks... usually just yelling, but it sounds good. What are the chances of Leon doing the chorus for YCY...? Hehe.

Well, usually if it's a Korean Cover the composer's name will be on it still. So there must be a reason they had Korean Cover... maybe his nickname. :lol:

3 months Quad. Not that long... :P

lol maybe SOMEDAY in some chat interview we can ask him about the Korean Cover...b/c it's a good song and it's the type that would hit it pretty big in Korea...it wouldn't go unnoticed. And if it's not unnoticed people would recognize it...but they don't! argh this is so confusing.

hey LL doing bg vocals...lol i think that's something the newbies do to the veterans more than the other way around though =P

hey if YCY releases soon i can get both albums at once (along with Ping Pung and Jun Kung)...but knowing MY luck...YCY would probably release like 3 days after i order. sigh.

U can order when YCY releases then... but what would u do if YesAsia runs out of stock? U know how YesAsia is always out of stock :P

Oh yeh, I was thinking abt the box again... imagine all his CDs would be released in that same sized box... how neat would the collection look on a bookshelf... hehe.

And I forgot to mention, u know those codes or numbers for every CD u see on the side... always some big number right... well bc this is the debut album for the company the code is EACD001... looks so cool. B)

My guess is the song is not really big cos the original Korean singer didn't sing it with enough feel... hehe. So Leon's gonna make the song big!!! ;)

Hmmm, hardly getting any replies... wonder why. :unsure:

no idea. nowhere as much people talking as 2 years ago...weird. do they even know there's a new album??

U were doing the promotions Quad... :P

Maybe everyone's just busy listening to the album... hehe.

Hmmm, now I can't decide which is the better track 3, 5 or 6. When I'm listening to 3 I'm so sure it's the best, but once I hear 5 I think it's better and then I listen to 6 and I think 6 is the best... aiyah... And same for 1, 8 & 9... SO if I had to rank the songs I'd prob have 6 songs at position 1... :huh:

I find it very difficult to pick my favorites. Each song is unique in its own way and they're all just as good.... I somehow just realized 'mo tung sut luen' isn't on the CD. :huh:

I always have to have my favourites list... hehe. I think it's usually been easier, this album is just too good... I love it too much. :)

Ok, I worked out my favs ranking:

1. „eÌò‚û¿Ú
2. •þ¿Þ•þЦ, ÉÙ”µ
3. ʲüN
4. Ë®Éî»ðŸá, �ÛŠ…׃
5. Âý„Ó×÷, ²»¿ÉÒ»ÊÀ
6. ÎÒÊÇ·ñ߀�ÛÄã, Ò»±ÈÒ»
7. ÅÅÐаñ

But I might change them later... this is just the current ranking. The top 4 positions are very close... (encoding: simplified chinese)

your #7 ranking is track 10, right?

i dont know...maybe I just have high expectations...but there arent any trackes that im especially liking right now... =X

Yep, I still can't accept the style... hehe. And track 7 sounds better now... hehe. Why u ask? How woud u rank it?

ghettocow: Really? I had high expectations. I heard 5 and 6 after I saw all those messages saying they're the best ever songs and I still liked them. Love them actually. Maybe just not ur style?

might take some time to get used to it. though the slow songs weren't as experimental as before; the style of slow songs is differnet...but not entirely different. maybe that's why you're not feeling it yet

Maybe it's cos u can't really follow it yet... it took me heaps of listens too. Now I can hum 5 in the shower... hehe. Can almost remember the lyrics too.

Btw, I have a problem. I never take a Leon CD out of my house... hehe, cos I don't want to damage it so it never goes into a car CD player cos that very thin slot makes me real paranoid. So I usually just burn a copy for the car, and it usually works, but I'm not sure if it's my computer, the car CD player or the actual CDs, but I can't burn the CD properly. Tracks 1 and 2 are fine, 3 starts fuzzing, and 4 fuzzes so bad the CD ejects and all I get is ERROR. Anyone having the same problem or knows what's happening? It's sorta annoying now cos I don't have anything to listen to in the car. HELP! :(

Also, anyone noticed the CD was sorta made for me... hehe? The hair, suit, and sad slow songs... hehe. :D

haha if you posted that last msg at leon-lai.com forums you'd probably start a debate. something like "why are you always so selfish, thinking you're the only one Leon makes music for"

lol

anyway...does it say copy control on the cd? maybe that's why

My exact feelings when listening to Dawn for the first time apart from the songs that have been plugged on radio.

I was majorly complaining about the album after the first night I heard it but after a few more listens and being more clued up on the lyrics (especially track 6), I really like it now and will have no trouble listening to it for the next 3 months :)

Still need to get my official copy before giving a 'pro' review...

That's why I stay away from there... hehe. Even if I posted normal messages I still get heaps of crap for my nickname. :angry: Those ppl talk abt anything but Leon...

Nah, nth to do with copy control or anything like that, shouldn't be anything with the CD itself, prob my PC or CD-R or CD player... cos the discs work fine in a normal CD player, and other discs work fine in the car, and I've tried 3 diff brand CD-R... I dunno, maybe there's a clash with DAWN and IBM and CLARION... hehe. But yeh, I'm pretty annoyed... if I can't work out the problem I'll buy another copy cos I think I listen to CDs the most in my car during traffic jams. Hai... not happy.

buy another copy...that's the best way. haha. then 2 more when the corrected versoin comes out too =P

you know...the smaller number of people posting here is making me less anxious to get the album...which is making me suffer less. haha =)

Oh, I used my bro's burner and it works... haha. Must be my burner then. Any computer experts in here? What's wrong with my burner?

Quad, I'll try and invite more ppl to come here... hehe. :P

http://www.leonfansworld.com/index.asp?Mes...MessageID=15615

Translation anyone?

This album is better than HW
My ranking list : 3, 5, 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 8, 11, 4 , 10
I don't like track 10, it sounds quite weird, don't think it suits his style...( need few more listens ? :unsure:
Anyone can post translation of the lyrics, just understand few lines which seem very good :) The postcards are very beautiful and sexy :wub: ( he must like the necklace very much, seen him wearing it for a long time )
The MVs are great, especially WHAT, good CG. The girl looks attractive on screen , but don't think she does in real life.

Welcome Jessica... hehe... was getting a lil quite in here.

I had a few more close listens and i think I can rank the songs properly now:
3,5,6,1,8,9,11,2,4,7,10.

Yeh, I wonder who bought the necklace for him... been wearing it for abt a year now... from memory I think he started wearing during filming of LMLY.

I think the girl looks so different in the 2 MVs, looks good in different ways in both. Btw, u seen her in real... hehe? I think she'll look good in real, Leon and Mark were full of praises. :D

anybody know what watch Leon and the Girl was wearing? it looks so nice. i want one...LOL

If i'm not mistaken, it's Philip Stein watches.

the girl seemed pretty when i saw pics of her (real pics, not edited/studio pics). On the other hand, i don't find the famous Jeon Jihyun (sp) to be that pretty (except in this one photoshoot)

U mean sassy girl?

hmm am i the only one who likes track 10 then? -_-
wasn't too thrilled about it first knowing it was composed by lee si sung (i like a lot of his other work) but then again, it's nothing like them (plus got a bit worried when someone said that it sounds like richie ren type song! :P) must admit, i didn't like Leon's singing style and thought it was weird initially coz he sounded a bit drunk but he sobers up and the rest of the song is pretty good. after a few more listens, i felt the song is quite cute and has an oldies feel to it that will eventually get you singing along and tapping your feet (well got me at least :))
but hopefully, this won't be the last time that lee si sung works with Leon, there's still a lot they can do!

yeah that's right, can see the collection here: http://www.philipstein.com

maybe it's just their long hair that makes them especially nice to look at hehe...could be coz they have this slight b*tchy look to them imo, i don't like either of the girls that much (i'm watching bits of the korean drama that Jeon debuted in and she plays an even more annoying version of Sassy Girl! not leaving a good impresson hehe), liked her in If I can See You Again MV though. as for Han Na, she's pretty but looks so different depending on which angle you look at her from, nothing makes her instantly recognisable :blink:

Oh, I liked the movie My Sassy Girl, but not the girl. She does look a little b*itchy... Didn't even like her in the MV, especially the making of vid, she looked a little stuck up. Han Na looks better...

M, what has Lee Si Sung done before? I so know that name... :unsure:

Btw M, u're not the only one. My mum liked 10, and I was talking to my friend on the fone and playing 10 at the same time, and she said it sounds good too. And don't forget, nearly everyone on LFW chose 10 as top 3, maybe that's why I had higher expectations. Anyway, I like it, I don't skip it, actually, I don't skip any of the songs cos they're all good, it's just not my fav. My fav is still 3.

Oh yeh, anyone else love the last part in 5 when u get the echos of Leon's voice... that part is so sexy. :o

He's written quite a few Jacky Cheung songs; 1000 Heart Breaking Reasons, Leave From Now On (Lay Hoy Yee How), Your Name My Surname, and Sun Yan Zi's Dark Sky plus Gigi Leung's Magical Season.

Review...
http://bbs6.netease.com/ent/readboardthrea...dpage=&pageid=1

Wow, the song he wrote for Leon was probably his experiment then... hehe, totally diff to what he's done in the past.