Asian pop diva CoCo Lee was born January 17, 1974 in Hong Kong; a decade later the family relocated to San Francisco, and she subsequently studied biochemistry at the University of California at Irivne. After winning the Miss Chinese-America Pageant in 1991, two years later Lee returned to Hong Kong long enough to take second prize in the New... [+] Read More

Asian pop diva CoCo Lee was born January 17, 1974 in Hong Kong; a decade later the family relocated to San Francisco, and she subsequently studied biochemistry at the University of California at Irivne. After winning the Miss Chinese-America Pageant in 1991, two years later Lee returned to Hong Kong long enough to take second prize in the New Talent Singing Contest (the Asian equivalent of Star Search, resulting in a recording contract with Capital Artists; her Mandarin-language debut I Am Still Your Lover appeared in 1994, with the follow-up Promise Me trailing just months later. A series of releases including the English-language Brave Enough to Love, Yesterday's Passion (her Sony label debut) and Sincere launched Lee to the top of the Far East pop charts, and in all she issued a dozen albums prior to making her stateside debut in early 2000 with Just No Other Way. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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Prior to the spring 2000 release of her English-language debut Just No Other Way in America, Coco Lee was a superstar in Asia -- so popular, she was often dubbed the Japanese Madonna. If that's true, then it's the Madonna of the late '80s instead of the late '90s, since this is unabashed dance-club music, not the cerebral techno-pop fusion of... [+] Read More

Prior to the spring 2000 release of her English-language debut Just No Other Way in America, Coco Lee was a superstar in Asia -- so popular, she was often dubbed the Japanese Madonna. If that's true, then it's the Madonna of the late '80s instead of the late '90s, since this is unabashed dance-club music, not the cerebral techno-pop fusion of Ray of Light. And that's a compliment, by the way, given that it's harder to pull off convincing mainstream dance-pop than it seems. Though Just No Other Way isn't perfect -- like many dance-pop albums, it's rather uneven -- it is nevertheless appealing, thanks to Lee's solid performances. She's not overly charismatic, which may mean that some of the less distinguished material never gets stamped with personality, but that's OK because she never oversings or shows off the way some dance-pop divas do. Instead, she delivers the right performance for the song, whether it's an uptempo cut or a ballad like the title track. Much of this recalls Jennifer Lopez's debut album -- the opening cut "Do You Want My Love" is scarily reminiscent of Lopez's first hit, "If You Had My Love" -- but in the best possible way, since it shares the same inclination for well-crafted, melodic, and danceable club-pop. If Lee doesn't really seem like a superstar on Just No Other Way, that's due more to the occasionally pedestrian material, not her performances. Throughout it all, she is engaging and charming, singing professionally yet with some personality. Consequently, it's hard to dislike the album, even if it doesn't quite deliver the musical goods nor quite match her own talents. There are enough moments here that prove that Lee's popularity in Asia is deserved and it's just enough to not only be satisfied, but to await her next record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide