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| Thursday, August 14, 2008
Music > Songwriters Showcase 2 by CSMusic We Said We'd Meet AgainWriter : Charis Vera Ng Songwriters Showcase by CSMusic Date: June 27th 2008 Time: 7.30pm Venue: Acts Centre, Chinatown Square  Acts CentreAlthough this time round we didn't have a gorgeous sunset as a backdrop, the new location did have its perks. For one, it was much more comfy, a lot quieter and of course, being an enclosed area, it felt a bit cozier. Not having food and drinks during the sets also granted the performers the complete and undivided attention of their audience, which is always a good thing. The event started off a bit differently this time round. Rev Ng from Acts Centre opened us up in prayer and had us partake in Holy Communion, which was something rather unexpected, I must say. With him saying that he'd always "hold the door open for CSMusic", and me ignoring the kid behind me accidentally scratching my freshly sun burnt back, we then started on our first set of the night.  Adeline Ang & friendsFirst up was Adeline Ang, and playing alongside was Danny Sum, Pauline Phoon as well as Adeline's brother, Alvin Ang. Adeline's songs of the night were all based on themes which tied in mainly to her personal relationship with the Lord. In between the light-hearted bantering among the small band, Adeline gave deep insight and background to each and everyone of her songs. She had gorgeous lyrics that were easy to identify with, and one in particular was a song entitled Speak, where one line went, "a part of me went missing, when You left without a word". Despite it being Alvin's first performance (I really couldn't tell!), they came up with a very easy-listening set of songs. Pauline and Danny even got to sing a song each, which was definitely something we wouldn't have guessed would happen. One thing that stood out in the first set was how comfortable and confident Adeline was. She didn't have any qualms about randomly bursting into her old school song with Danny, half way through her set. As a result, I felt just as comfortable listening to her because she just seemed so relaxed. Chee Enqing, who sat beside me described the set as, "really, really nice" and "something that one wouldn't get bored of listening to". I couldn't agree more!  Alarice Thio & NigelFollowing the first set was Alarice Thio, and playing beside her, Nigel. Hair pinned back with a pretty, white flower, this set was quite like that, and simple. Alongside her originals like "Color", "Away" and "Faith", which are on her recently released EP, Alarice also did renditions of good old favourites like "In Christ Alone". Although Alarice did tell the stories behind some of her songs, she let most of them speak for themselves. While some people end up taking a part of the song away by telling the audience too much about it, Alarice left it to us to understand the song and through that, sort of get to know her. One of my favourites on this set was "If Only" - But if only we knew that the words we speak/and the lies we told/would eventually lead/to an abyss of hurt where words pierce like knives/if only, if only/ we knew - was how the chorus went. It was the only 'bleak' song, as she put it, but it was also one of the songs which was so real and which rung with such emotion that I was driven to tears. I also felt that Nigel was especially good on the guitar for this song, playing it almost like a piano, his fingers running over guitar strings like a pianist's over black and white keys. This was a soothing and relaxing set, described by another audience member, Victor Huang, as 'very contemporary acoustic guitar'. At some points, because it was a very personal set, it rather felt like you were listening to one of her journal entries. The wonderful thing was, despite all that, it wasn't particularly sappy or mushy. During this recent return to Singapore, Alarice has been touring churches and has even performed live on Power 98 fm with Nigel. Keep a look out for this lass. I don't think it'll be long before you're hearing her songs more often on the radio. It was a lovely two and a half hours that kept me riveted and leaning forward with bated breath most of the time. I left that night, desperately wondering when I'd next get to hear both groups like that again. Visit csmusic.sg
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