After a couple of albums where she mainly recorded covers, singer-songwriter Bevlyn Khoo is in her element once again, with an indie album of her own original material. This bi-lingual work (seven Mandarin, four English) demonstrates Bevlyn’s astute understanding of the soft rock dynamics of the Seventies (which forms the core of Mando-pop). Crucially, Bevlyn is much more than a pretty face and pleasing voice – she is a serious songwriter in her own right!

That said, whilst the opening track “The Haha Song” is a little throwaway and inconsequential – it is with songs like the soulful ballad “I Just Want You To Know” that Bevlyn is able to easily tug on heart strings with the right chord changes, vocal inflections and thoughtful arrangements. Without a doubt, this number is one of the finer ballads I have heard in 2013.

The title track has a strong John Barry vibe (what with the Midnight Cowboy harmonica) and is yet another touching piano ballad, “Sweet Love” will send all the bossa nova lovers out there into ecstasy and “Let Me Think About It” borrows knowingly from Barry White, with all the late 70s disco feel that that implies (new Daft Punk fans might want to investigate).

Surprised yet? There’s more to Bevlyn Khoo than meets the eye. Seventies pop fans cannot ignore this rather intriguing indie release.

Official Site