Time for something somewhat different. Let’s head over to a part of the world where the number one artist isn’t a man with a tattoo of a tear on the side of his face. I’m talking, of course, about Asia. Taiwan, more specifically.
Just a little while ago, I happened upon my latest discovery, Ms. Peggy Hsu. Judging by the picture above, you can tell that she is a rather pretty lady, even when hampered down by an elaborate clown costume. In fact, I see a little Mariah in her. Thankfully though, that’s not who I’m hearing.
Infused with jazzy notes and plenty of romantic accordion sounds, Peggy Hsu’s music is both pleasant and airy, perfect for a summer night’s sloppy, regrettable hook-up(s). She’s got a great, relaxing style along with her vocals, and her songs are all peaceful and fluid, ranging from bossa-nova to nearly pop. She’s a bit like Émilie Simon, though less experimental. Her 2001 debut album, Balloon, received quite a bit of fanfare when it was first released, leading to several music and lyric awards. Six years later in May of 2007, she returned with a second album, called Peggy’s Wish Box. And no, I’m not going near that title.
I highly recommend that you give her a chance by heading over to her MySpace to hear a few songs from Wish Box. There’s even some English thrown into many of her songs for good measure. Below is the song, “Pink Dress,” which is pretty representative of her poppier sound (give it a moment to load the play box).
