陳綺貞:花的蛻變 英語娛樂明星資訊

Through the themes of decay, rebirth and blossom — it has taken more than eight years for Cheer Chen to finish her “Trilogy of Flowers”. After 2005’s Peripeteia and 2009’s Immortal, you would assume that the last installment, Songs of Transience, is a grand finale.

歷時八年，陳綺貞終於完成了她的“花的姿態三部曲”——“腐朽、重生、綻放”三個主題。繼2005年專輯《華麗的冒險》和2009年的《太陽》之後，人們想當然認爲最終篇——《時間的歌》將爲三部曲畫上圓滿的句點。

But after listening to the 12-song album, not only did I find it a little introverted and thin as a finale, my other reaction was: Where is the Cheer Chen that we used to know? The long-haired, innocent singer who often wore a white T-shirt and a Bohemian skirt, holding a guitar and humming catchy folk melodies, is no longer there.

但當我聽完專輯裏的12首歌之後，除了發現它作爲最終樂章稍顯含蓄和單薄之外，更多的是感到疑惑: 我們所熟悉的那個陳綺貞哪兒去了？那個一頭長髮、常常穿着白色T恤和波西米亞長裙、抱着吉他哼唱動人民謠的純真歌者不見了。

Instead, you’ll hear a lot of piano, drum and orchestral arrangements, and the songs on the albums, especially in the first half, are somewhat difficult to sing along to.

取而代之的是，編曲中加入了大量鋼琴、鼓和管絃樂元素；而且專輯裏的歌，尤其是前半張專輯的幾首，傳唱度都不怎麼高。

But I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Actually, it comes as a pleasant surprise, because after 15 years of singing the same kind of indie folk songs, it’s good to see the 38-year-old singer trying something new.

我並不是說這是什麼壞事。相反，這種改變有些讓人喜出望外，畢竟她已經唱了15年的獨立民謠了，如今38歲的她終於開始嘗試全新風格，這是件好事。

Her poetic lyrics gradually took me back to the old Chen. Well, almost. Title songs from her previous albums, such as Travel with Sound and Fly for You, often dealt with her perception of and confusion in relationships.

新專輯中如詩般的歌詞漸漸讓我想起從前那個陳綺貞。好吧，還算沒有“面目全非”。她前幾張專輯中的主打歌，例如《旅行的意義》和《失敗者的飛翔》，往往會探討她對於情感的看法和困惑。

But if you carefully read into her words on Songs of Transience, you’ll see that her vision has expanded — from humanity and philosophy to life’s best moments — although in the same talking-to-herself tone. For example, she talks about the life struggles and anxieties of ordinary people in Gypsy in Memory, loneliness and helplessness in Home (《家》), and larger-than-life love in Peace and Revolution.

但是如果你仔細讀過《時間的歌》中那些的歌詞，你會發現她的視角已經從人性和哲學拓展到了生命中最美好的瞬間，儘管她還是採用了一貫自言自語的調子。例如，她在《流浪者之歌》中觸及了平凡人生活中的掙扎和焦慮，在《家》中展現出孤獨和無助，而在《Peace and Revolution》中則體現了至高無上的愛。

At the age of nearly 40, Chen certainly can’t limit herself to love and affection anymore. But Chen takes on so much at once that it feels like her strength can’t match her ambition. Maybe that’s why I said before that the album sounds “a little introverted and thin”.

年近40，陳綺貞當然不能繼續將自己侷限在談情說愛裏。但陳綺貞這次一次性呈現得太多，似乎有些力不從心。或許這正是我之前提到的這張專輯聽起來“稍顯含蓄和單薄”的原因吧。

Despite these small shortcomings, you have to hand it to Chen for her skillful playing with musical concepts. For example, she uses “time” as the theme on Songs of Transience, symbolizing that blossoming is a magnificent but transient process.

拋開這些小瑕疵不說，你不得不承認陳綺貞玩起音樂理念來駕輕就熟。例如，你選擇“時間”來作爲這張專輯的主題，象徵着花開璀璨卻短暫的過程。

Whether she’s already bloomed or not, I’m already looking forward to what Chen brings us next.

無論陳綺貞的才華是否已經完全綻放，我都同樣期待她的下一部作品。