I'm also an A*Mei fan. I picked up a video of one of her live concerts and was instantly hooked. I'm surprised that she hasn't become a bigger name as long as she's been around, especially since she seems to actually have talent (not to mention easy on the eyes). Maybe it was that problem with the ROC national anthem.
It was one of her concerts that first got me hooked as well. The DVD of her 1999 concert and tour (the one where she opens with the song "Bad Boy"). Phenomenal show, choreography that just oozes confidence, a bounty of songs that build to that Big Third Verse Finish®, and a gi-normous crowd! It was recommended to me by a girl in a record shop in the Chinese mall when I was buying some compilation CDs that happened to have other Taiwan pop stars on them.
I've picked up most of the concert DVDs since then, but that '99 one still impresses the most. I have to admit, I've yet to hear an A-Mei song that I don't like, which is rare. And that voice...UNREAL! Few Chinese pop starlet wannabes can match it.
I recently picked up a Jolin Tsai concert DVD that happened to be playing in another record store, largely based on the songs I heard (and brief glimpses of the screen I caught) while browsing, and while she's definitely a OK singer of quality pop tuneage, she's got
nothin' on a natural like A-Mei, and her stage show choreography was clunky at best. Perhaps with time...
What was the deal with A-Mei and the anthem? I haven't heard about that!
Incidentally, she's got a 10-year greatest hits comp out, but I'm torn between the 2 disc:
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/c ... 004636612/
...or the
5-disc:
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/c ... 004636603/
I've only got about 48 of her songs on my iPod, so there's always room for more!
EDIT: for those who don't know who I'm raving about, here's some videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEtRk5KIFJc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH9qoX61bTU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leVvZ4rX-lU (big hit, this one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsdENPRltoA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYL2NJxYXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd60vefdZ4A (a personal fave)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eMkKvN1b54
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUG5CRscp6Q
and a live classic (from the '99 concert, I believe) of the last song above, with one of the luckiest audience members EVER, backpack and all...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok2Whe5mgt4