Xu Song "Better Off Having Tea": Please Accept Objective Tranquility\
Many so-called 'Chinese-style music' songs by Mandarin pop singers are merely a little seasoning in their otherwise dull mainstream style. They do not pursue emotional consistency, nor do they explore the profound charm of traditional Chinese music. They simply use traditional instruments to embellish an otherwise ordinary arrangement, add a few bland rhymes in the lyrics, and consider the task done, merely going through the motions.
In recent years, the wave of Chinese-style music has gradually declined, and they all rush to produce Western-style electronic dance music. In their minds, Chinese style is just an adjective, just a decorative part of their song — it is not the skeleton. It is not a concept, not a theme, lacking structure and overall coherence. Adding a gimmick to the lead single or enhancing the diversity of the album, the mission of the words 'Chinese style' ends there.
Such singers, no matter how passionately their albums sell, ultimately will not create music works with lasting value. From this perspective, Xu Song and his new album 'Better Off Having Tea' inspire a certain respect emotionally. The entire album of Chinese-style music is complete and coherent, with prelude, climax, themes, and consistency. A wide range of traditional instruments is utilized, which, as a Mandarin pop music album, is a rare texture. Many pop albums are remembered because of their unique value — a fact that is the only valid basis for recognition. Being able to implement this level of detail and richness throughout an album, 'Better Off Having Tea' truly lives up to the words 'Chinese style.'
'Better Off Having Tea' has strong integrity, with a concept in front and composition behind. The unity of the song titles' artistic conception gives a refreshing feeling. The cover designed by Huang Zhongping and the packaging by Xiao Qingyang provide the album with an external purity, reflecting the deep and ancient charm of the music within. The album carries a sense of unity everywhere, including Xu Song taking sole responsibility for lyrics, composition, and music production — highly personalized works often generate emotional favor and provide space for greater understanding and aspiration.Compared to pop singers whose work is handled entirely by record companies, the albums of singer-songwriters are more likely to receive the public's understanding and tolerance in terms of musical concepts because of their talent and sincerity. It's like when you accept a person, you gradually come to embrace their entire personality. "Let's Go Have Some Tea" is the same way; because of its completeness, it directs your attention to the coordination between multiple songs, evaluating them as a whole rather than nitpicking or finding fault. Therefore, even if the album contains a song like "Waiting for the Fireworks to Cool Down," which integrates classical and electronic elements with just one line of lyrics, it doesn't feel particularly strange, nor is it wholly unacceptable. Moreover, as the overture that sets the concept for the album, it is special, but this kind of specialness can be understood within the overall perspective of the album. So concept albums highlight the creator's talent and showcase the singer's thoughtfulness and ingenuity. Understanding individuality within shared traits is roughly this kind of delightful feeling.
Xu Song's composing ability is the talent most easily felt among his multiple skills. In "Let's Go Have Some Tea," there are several songs that have the appearance of lead tracks, such as "Between Mountains and Rivers," "The Vast Universe," and "In a Flick of the Finger," where melody supremacy always reflects a key aspect of pop music's value. Chinese elements are ubiquitous—guzheng, bamboo flute, xiao, erhu, morin khuur—songs connect seamlessly with each other, extending and stretching the auditory space like a panoramic camera. In this album, two songs demonstrate the diversity of musical emotions: "Faintly" and "Wutong Lantern"—the former is dark, with deep bass creating a somewhat desolate atmosphere; the instrumental sections between verses are filled with dramatic imagery, barren and vast, while the chorus surges with stirring emotion; the latter features a steady piano backbone throughout, with rises and falls along the main theme, evoking nostalgia while entwined with electronic undercurrents, with hypnotic, abstract, and darkly mysterious synthesizer elements present everywhere. Two songs demonstrate exquisite singing techniques—"Peach Blossom" and "A Glimpse of a Beautiful Face": the former continues the sampling style of classic folk songs, gentle and pure, with multiple clever endings in the vocals, and the harmony arrangements complement the lead vocal from the most fitting angles; the latter showcases a harmonious collaboration with Huang Ling's excellent female voice. Although the two singers have differences in key levels in their parts, the transitions are very smooth and natural—the greater the difference, the more it enhances the effect.In addition, the two songs with the richest and most perfect Chinese-style arrangements are 'Qixi' and 'A Flick of the Finger'—the former highlights the instrumental performance of the flute, delicate and professional; the latter incorporates a powerful symphony orchestra performance, along with guzheng and xiao to add a national flavor, strong in force, highly diverse, and with a strong sense of dimension. The composition throughout the entire album is relatively outstanding, with poetic lyrics interwoven, lingering in an atmosphere of cherishing the past and treasuring the present, slowly exuding an emotion as rich as aged wine. However, Xu Song's vocal performance still cannot be considered the best; it is only showing progress. It cannot be relied upon as a key identifying feature and lacks obvious thickness. Only within the context of the Chinese-style background, blended into the serene song ambiance, are these flaws somewhat mitigated. Perhaps under the strong overall musical concept of the album, weaknesses can become features, but if they could be perfected further, of course it would be even better.
The overall listenability of the album is very strong. Although the arrangement style remains consistent throughout, as mentioned earlier, completeness is the biggest highlight of this album 'Better to Have Tea.' As for Xu Song, some of the prejudices he bears regarding the commercialization and public opinion of music are best ignored, and can instead be taken lightly. 'Better to Have Tea' inherently demonstrates this calm and relaxed ease; no one can satisfy everyone, and moreover, regardless of Xu Song's previous audience, people can always improve and grow. Understanding the singer should be considered a wise virtue. At the very least, he has not struggled to adopt foreign styles that do not belong to him like typical pop singers; even as pop music, his persistence in Chinese-style music should be given minimum respect. As for sharp criticism lacking creation and responsibility, no one would take it seriously. In fact, when we listen to an album, what are we really listening to? In the present age, where information technology can already satisfy our spiritual needs, what style a singer chooses or what concept they pursue does not necessarily truly move us. What is crucial is whether you truly respect music and whether you are genuinely dedicated. Listening to songs requires listening to the person, reading lyrics requires reading the heart; when sincere effort is evident, prejudice naturally fades away.
'Better to Go Drink Tea' is well aware of this belief. Whether you want to appreciate the elegant beauty of Chinese style, or understand and resonate with the seriousness of a musician, you can find a moment of satisfying rest in the restless pop music market.
