So we’re clear, I’m a Jay Chou fan. But I’m not going to look the other way and say that his latest album released on December 28, Opus 12, is extraordinary. Because it’s not.

Am I disappointed? Let’s just say, I expected it. Saying that of course is an insult to Jay’s talent but really, after so many albums sounding the same, I’m past disappointment. But that does not make me stop from wishing that Jay, with his immense talent, would get out of that box and come up with something different. Perhaps, collaborating with other people would do the trick, to infuse something fresh into his music.

Not to say that it’s bad because it’s consistent, at the very least. But we do know that he’s  capable of more, not of the usual. And despite listening to the album for a third and fourth time, I still find myself grasping for reasons to like it.

Sure, I like 大笨鐘/Da Ben Zhong/Big Ben. The MV, with Lara, is cute too, shot in London–one of my fave cities–with references to Notting Hill, and actual scenes taken in the neighborhood there. The blue door, remember?

But of the 12 songs in the album, Big Ben is the only one I like. One can put it down to a matter of taste. But really, he has become stagnant and it takes more than turning blonde or growing abs to be “different”. I wonder if other Jay Chou fans feel the same though?

Download the album here. Buy the album and other Jay Chou products here.

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