Khalil Fong Turns Back the Time

This is a long one!

For those of you who don’t know, Khalil (pronounced KAH-lil not KAH-leel or KAHA-leel or KAHAHAHA-leely) Fong(方大同) is a soul/R&B singer/songwriter/brilliant musician. He was born in Hawaii and moved to Shanghai when he was six because his American-born Chinese father and his Chinese mother wanted him to be more in touch with the Chinese culture. He moved again when he was 12 to Guangzhou and then to Hong Kong when he was  14, where he has been living ever since. He can speak English, Mandarin, Shanghainese, Cantonese and Hawaiian Pidgin English (woah.).

‘Timeless’ is his latest album, released in mid-August, but my dad just bought it for me today (yipee!). The album is comprised of covers of the songs of his childhood, the songs that have made him the great singer that he is today. For each song, he wrote about why its special to him in the album booklet, making this album very personal which is freaking awesome for us, the buyers of the album. I mean, who doesn’t want to be inside the mind of Khalil Fong?

1. You Are the Sunshine of My Life:

Khalil has stated a bajillion times that Stevie Wonder is a humonguous influence on him, so it came as no surprise that he’d cover a Stevie song. For me, this song is one of the ultimate ‘feel-good’ songs. This, coupled with Khalil’s smooth-as-honey voice, becomes a beautiful song. His version is a little more toned-down than Stevie’s, which is his style: smooth and suave. This puts more focus on his voice, but because he has a wonderful voice, that’s no problem at all. The featured artist, Wang Yun Ling (黃韻玲) only sings at most two lines, and I don’t see the point of her being in the song (sorry if that sounds harsh). It doesn’t add to it, that’s for sure. I love this track.

2. Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You:

The original, by Glenn Mederios has a distinct ’80s love song’ sound to it, and with this cover, Khalil updates the feel to bring it to the 21st Century, although it retains just the right amount of the original feel. The way this track sounds makes you think of Khalil singing in a dimly lit bar, with couples slow-dancing. One word: Romantic! Great track.

3. Bad:

Listening to the original, you’d think that this is SO not Khalil’s type of song. But then again, Khalil loves Michael’s music–in fact this album is dedicated to Michael. The original is loud, funky and fierce. Khalil is quiet, soulful and mellow. Opposites much? Well Khalil’s version kind of reminds me of Motown, and he keeps the funkiness. He totally makes it his own. When I first heard it, I was like: “Woah…” But he makes it work!

4.Kuang Chao (狂潮):

The original song was recorded in 1976, and has the typical sound of a Cantonese love song of that time. Similarly to ‘Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You’ Khalil brings the song to the 21st Century, but also gives it a whole new sound, as the original was sung by a woman: Susanna Wong (關菊英). Other than that, Khalil didn’t stray very far from the original. This track is not one of my favorites on the album, but it is well composed and sung.

5. La Bamba:

When I was reading the tracklist and came to this song, I just though: “Oh. Please no.” I think just about everyone knows this song and has heard it once too many times in our short little lives. Besides the fact that I’m too familiar with it, I didn’t think that this was not at all Khalil’s style. For his version, he slowed down the song, and added a hint of jazz and soul, giving it new life to say the least, and letting me breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve never heard him sing in Spanish before, and I don’t speak Spanish either, so I can’t comment on how well he tackles the language. But to these ears, inexperienced as they may be in the world of Spanish, it still sounded divine (I think I’ve gone back in time too….when was the last time you used diviiiiine to describe something? I sound like I’m a grandma…). He just really made this song into a feel-good song for evenings when you just want to do nothing besides try to become one with the living room couch and a glass of wine (okay I don’t drink, but wine is what fits the image I have in my mind). So to sum it up, his rendition of the song is a pleasant surprise. I like.

6. Red Bean (紅豆):

 This song is a classic, originally sung by Faye Wong (王菲), released in the late ’90s. It’s a beautiful song, Khalil does it justice with his version. Differences lie in the fact that Khalil is singing a song originally sung by a woman, and the instrumentals. In Khalil’s version, he plays the guitar throughout, with drums, bass and violins coming in not too long after the song starts for a mellow, acoustic feel. I love how at 2:53 all instruments disappear except for Khalil’s voice and his guitar for a few sweet bars of the song before the bass, drums and violins join in again. Absolutely beautiful. One of my favorites on the album.

7.Georgia On My Mind:

The version by Ray Charles is one heck of a classic, and is soulful to the core. What surprised me was Khalil’s version started with violins, but quickly brought in the drums, bass and electric guitar. The youthful sound of his voice is not like Ray’s but is so beautiful and full of emotion that you’d think this song was his all along. Loved it.

8. Remember (記得):

The original is by Amei (張惠妹), a famous Taiwanese singer, and is written by another very popular Mandopop singer, JJ Lin (林俊杰). It’s an enchanting song. Once again Khalil has taken another song sung originally by a woman, but by now we as listeners know well enough it doesn’t matter, because when Khalil sings….nothing matters anymore(homework? What homework?). I really liked how Khalil put so much emotion in this song, backed by the piano and the sudden burst of a violin chorus followed by silence. Perfect. Another one of my favorites on this album.

9. Wonderful Tonight:

 This song is a total classic. Khalil said it’s “one of the most romantic songs of the century”. Took the words straight from my mouth. Khalil doesn’t change the instrumentals on this track much. I think the focus is more on the voice, and the mood. The way Khalil sings it is enough to make any girl launch into a fit of lovestruck giggles. Imagine him holding your hand and singing this while looking into your eyes….powerful stuff right there I’m tellin’ ya. Khalil has quite a different voice compared to Eric Clapton. I can’t decide who makes the song more romantic…but it doesn’t matter. This track is a winner. ‘Nuff said.

10. Moon River:

 Another total classic. Audrey Hepburn sang it wonderfully. Khalil’s voice is perfect for this kind of song, and boy does he prove it. He plays the guitar on this track and is accompanied by a trumpet serenading us in the background. Lay down the rose petals and light the candles, it’s time for romance! This song is so simple, but so effective. I’m in love.

 All in all, this is a great album. You can’t go wrong with the songs that Khalil chose to cover. It’s a great way to keep fans happy and satisfied while we wait for his next album of his own songs.

If you haven’t figured it out already, Khalil’s a freaking awesome dude with a voice that melts souls and pure talent that everyone wishes they had. If this is your first time hearing about him, you’ve got some serious Googling to do!