Sa Dingding - Harmony

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Sa Dingding - Harmony

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If only she'd calm down, and not dress up her songs with production work that is often as over-elaborate as her theatrical stage shows, Sa Dingding could well become the first Chinese superstar. She is, after all, a unique performer. She is young, glamorous and thoughtful, and is already building a following in the west thanks to her blend of electronica and Chinese folk influences, mostly from the Yunnan province, mixing beats with such traditional instruments as the zheng Chinese zither, and singing in anything from Mandarin to Sanskrit, English to an invented language of her own. She has a powerful voice and impressive range, and has written some sturdy melodies, but clearly can't decide where to place herself on the world-pop spectrum. The result is an album that works well in patches but ultimately fails because of the clutter of voices, effects and strings. The opening Ha Ha Li Li is an entertaining exercise in stomping Chinese folk-rock, while the breathy Little Tree/Big Tree shows she can handle an easygoing lullaby. Elsewhere, producer Marius de Vries (of Björk and Madonna fame) piles on the epic effects with exhausting persistence. Why doesn't Sa Dingding record a more acoustic album to prove there's a real personality behind all the bombast?