Last week someone asked me to look up some Coco Lee links for them because she is very "popular" in Korea. Coco Lee (aka Ferren or Li Mei Ling) was born in Hong Kong, and I confess I usually classify her as a Chinese or -- more recently -- U.S. pop star. She records in Mandarin, Cantonese and English these days, but many Korean fans will have seen her when she opened for Michael Jackson at a concert in South Korea [RealVideo] last year.

If I've counted right, Coco has put out a whopping twenty-five albums since the release of I Am Still Your Lover in 1994. The first album I really tuned into was Sunny Day (1998), which recorded in Mandarin. I'll admit my Mandarin is non-existent, but I think the song that caught my attention was Secretly Love You [RealAudio]. I liked Don't Wanna Play [RealAudio], too -- it has a good beat. The title song [RealAudio] is delicate and pretty. Wu Wu La La La [RealAudio] has a slightly more rock sound, but was still within the limits of pop. Other good songs from the album are The Colors of the World [RealAudio], Diamond [RealAudio] and Reflection [RealAudio].

Now Until Forever was another Mandarin album even though Stay With Me [RealAudio] has an English refrain. This is a good techno-based song that is easy to dance to. Other cool songs on the album are Married You [RealAudio] and You Love Me [RealAudio]. And then there is a bonus track Complete [RealAudio], which is probably one of the better cuts on the CD.

Her latest album, Just No Other Way, is turning out to be a big seller in the US, probably because the single Before I Fall In Love [RealAudio] was on the Runaway Bride soundtrack. I found an interview clip [RealVideo] of Coco Lee of her being interviewed on "Entertainment Tonight" about this song. This is an English album that seems influenced by Whitney Houston. Other songs from that album are Wherever You Go [RealAudio], Just No Other Way [RealAudio], and Don't You Want My Love [RealAudio].

I dug out some other fun stuff for Coco Lee. Here is a really rare clip [RealAudio] from a promotional concert with Leon Lai and Puffy, an incredibly hip Japanese pop singer. I also found a file of her singing Mariah Carey's version of Hero [RealAudio] and her interpretation of Never Been To Me [RealAudio], a song which today's pop audience probably recognizes from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Coco Lee's version is really nice, softer than the other two versions I've heard. Also interesting is a duet she sang with Julio Iglesias -- When You Tell Me [RealAudio]. And lastly, the duet she sang with Edmond Leong was original-sounding -- Thinking of You [RealAudio] which has a staccato, open sound.

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