What is luxury? The words opulence, lavishness, sumptuousness, magnificence, rarity, beauty, modernity, art and commerce certainly come to mind. For some it is an item, desirable but not necessarily essential where generally the more expensive or harder to come by the better. For others, it is an activity that gives great pleasure, especially one rarely indulged in. As we move into a knowledge age with an abundance of goods and services, we have begun to truly realize that money doesn't necessarily buy happiness. What has resulted is a partial shift of our sedentary lifestyles to indulge in wellness as luxury, in efforts to conquer physical health and state of mind. Regardless of where you sit with this, we can all agree on an understanding that with regards to luxury: one size truly does not fit all. To me, luxury is about the simple, effortless, yet meaningful things. It sounds clichéd, but I'm hooked in belief of the concept of paying gratitude forward, for this is as rare and valuable a commodity as any in today's fast times. I believe we can all live a bespoke life, it depends on how we choose to consciously care about our fellow man. A simple token of gratitude is your time. It's invaluable. This is why I love musicians of all shapes and sizes. They share something intangible that is priceless, a belief that in an uncertain future, their entrepreneurial zeal matters; a worldview of resilience that similarly flutters through the heart of most of Asia's veins. Luxury is about convincing the heart and mind of something special, and music certainly strikes that chord.

Sex and the City – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
New Line Records (2008) Genre: Soundtrack

Motion picture soundtrack engineers have an enviable job. They attempt to craft a score of what is essentially a mixed tape for the masses. While it is often hit and miss, a good soundtrack translates into a memorable fix of a meaningful movie that renders further into your own life as one's own soundtrack unfurls. Sex and The City's Carrie Bradshaw and Co. have continued to remind the world of dreamy narrative, of no impending world recession, war in Iraq or troubles from Darfur to Burma. All that matters is that you look good in the big city and self-indulgent problems dissipate when you're clad in Dolce & Gabbana. Yes, I will backstep and requite that luxury does look good. Where the success of the 'The City' heroines have launched a personality complex the world over (ala "Oh, she is such a Samantha harlot, but I'm such a Carrie"), the soundtrack comes as an upbeat addition spanning a brazen mix of artists as broad as Bradshaw's shoe collection (Yes, I am a closet fan). Hoping to catch the myth's magic from Black Eyed Peas' Fergie to American Idol's Jennifer Hudson, through to Al Green and Run DMC, sadly this soundtrack is a tad too fashion faux pax with nothing substantially tying it all together.

Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Capitol Records (2008) Genre: Rock / Adult Alternative

The sign of success is often touted as the transition from playing small intimate concerts to arenas of sellout crowds. To me, it's when you hear music being played in the most unexpected places. Case in point, Coldplay hit it 'big' for me the first time I heard their single 'Yellow' played on a small plastic stereo to intimate gaslamp light and ambitious wanderlust karaoke in Menteng's hawker stall district by a local group of sellers one late evening in 2000. While the name 'Chris Martin' could have easily been mistaken for a sinetron star, Manadonese boxing profile or international 'sepak bola' recruit to this noble late night gentry, the truth remains that Coldplay's leading falsetto and three instrumentally savvy troubadour bandmates are one of the last bastions of hope for the rather unsettling term 'supergroup'. Where the Beatles jostled the torchbearing role with the Rolling Stones, only to eventually be reignited and passed on to U2, which was later 'stolen' by Oasis (or so they would so have you believe), a graceful opportunity presented itself for a band to let fans speak for themselves. Coldplay delivered and ten years on, they continue to shine. Demonstrating the intersection of art and music, with an album cover inspired by Delacroix and an album title by Frida Kahlo, the band continues to deliver relevant, austere and precious music. Their fourth installment continues from strength to strength, proving their recent departure from the limelight was time well spent. Log on to their official website for a free download of the album's first single 'Violet Hill' for a taste.