Miryo – MIRYO aka JOHONEY

February 19, 2012 at 9:23 am | Posted in Miryo | 10 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  1. Party Rock (feat. Gary Of LeeSsang & THE KOXX)
  2. DIRTY
  3. I Love You, I Love You (feat. Sunny Of SNSD)
  4. Revenger (feat. Rude Paper)
  5. Leggo (feat. Narsha Of Brown Eyed Girls)

Brown Eyed Girls’ fierce rapper, Miryo, has finally released her first solo effort, MIRYO aka JOHONEY. I’m not going to lie and say I was ecstatic when she announced a solo mini-album because I certainly wasn’t. She’s not my favourite member of the group but I do enjoy her raps most of the time. I was interested to see what type of concept and sound she would come up with for her record. Narsha and Ga-In’s solo albums were amazing so there was a part of me hoping that Miryo would continue that trend and surprise me. When the teaser for her album was released, it had a dark tone to it that had me intrigued. I assumed the album would be on the dark side with some great, heavy raps from the singer but I couldn’t have been more wrong. She went into a very pop direction, a direction that I honestly thought she would not embrace.

Miryo doesn’t escape the trends that K-pop holds onto rigidly because Party Rock (feat. Gary Of LeeSsang & THE KOXX) has a club-ready synth and hip hop production. This is definitely not the type of sound I had assumed she would venture into so it was a huge surprise for me. She throws out some quick, sharp raps in the verses with a slight dose of vocoder on them. There are light spasms of synths that give it a hectic, dance feel. It’s quite catchy but the chorus amps it up and blows up into an infectious party anthem. THE KOXX’s ad-libs in the chorus are vocoded to perfection and his vocals are the highlight of the entire track. Miryo’s vocals are pretty hilarious due to the way she enunciates. They’re both incredibly fun and mixed with the arcade synth line, it makes for a great hook. Gary gets to shine in the second verse and his hard rap is reflected by the melody as it explodes into a bombardment of crazy beats. Things just get crazier during the bridge as the music kicks into high gear while Miryo and THE KOXX provide fast-paced raps. This song is a whole lot of fun and one of the most memorable on the album. A part of me was hoping DIRTY would be an amazing dark rap song but it turned out to be very lighthearted. Although it’s not what I wanted, I like it a lot. The light guitar, synths and percussion are all mellow and contrast against her tough, smooth voice. It’s a pop and rap hybrid, more on the pop side though. She does quicken up her rapping occasionally during the verse to add a bit more power to it. She throws in some rock for the chorus and it blends into the synths for a breezy and massively addicting melody. Despite having a sad lyrical theme, the song is quite poppy and playful. Her light vocals are wondrous and very infectious. I love the sweet acoustic guitar in the middle eight. It’s so melodic and vibrant but sadly, her upset speech doesn’t mesh with it. The part where she lashes out should have been paired with a heavier beat because it ends up not having any impact. Luckily, the second half of the bridge remedies this as the melody is much more fitting for her intense rap. The final chorus gets a face lift and is much better due to her ad-libs. I didn’t like this at first but it’s a grower.

What would a Korean mini-album be without a ballad and I Love You, I Love You (feat. Sunny Of SNSD) opens with a clicking clock and a soft piano. A lovely set of strings joins the mix once she starts rapping and the melody progressively becomes more involved and engaging as it blossoms. Her voice is vocoded and it’s so unnecessary because it would have been fine without it since this ballad focuses more on organic instruments. Sunny’s voice remains untouched so it’s odd that only Miryo’s voice is digitized. The chorus is the highlight due to Sunny’s lush voice and it’s touching, especially her fragile “goodbyes.” Miryo’s raps just don’t carry the same feel. They sound awkward with the ballad arrangement and the sentiment isn’t carried through. Sunny’s actual singing sounds so much better with the melody and her performance is more emotional. Overall, it’s enjoyable but it’s not outstanding. Revenger (feat. Rude Paper) also starts with a piano but Miryo’s performance is a lot more dramatic and aggressive. As the song progresses, the melody starts to develop into a darker and heavier sound. Hard and gritty synths burst into the composition during the chorus and Rude Paper offers a rap that is just as tough as the melody while Miryo does the backing vocals. This is the type of song that I imagined would dominate the album. I really like the anger that she conveys and it reflects the title of the song. My issue with the track is that in the most aggressive parts, she’s relegated as the backing singer. This would have been so good if she had a larger role in the chorus because the verses are toned down compared to the rest of the song. I had no idea Narsha was going to be featured on the album so Leggo (feat. Narsha Of Brown Eyed Girls) was a great surprise. Miryo raps to a bouncy synth beat and as it quickens so does her singing. The fast-paced sections are very catchy and it gets more addicting in the chorus where Narsha steals the spotlight. She makes the song incredible. Her sweet, digitized vocals are delightful and paired with delicious synths, “and baby you‘re the only one I need.” Miryo adds the attitude and power while Narsha adds the love and beauty. It’s a great combination and it’s my favourite song off the record. The breakdown is amazing and it dies down into an atmospheric melody with fresh backing vocals and great vocoded vocals from both singers.

Conclusion: Miryo’s mini-album is the weakest of the three solo albums that have been released but it’s still enjoyable. My biggest fear for her was that she wouldn’t be able to stand alone without the rest of the group and that’s exactly what happens. Her raps just aren’t strong enough to carry a whole song and the direction she took didn’t help at all. Her guest artists, especially Narsha and Sunny, outshone her. She should have stayed away from light pop because it just didn’t work out too well. Furthermore, her vocals are heavily vocoded on the majority of the album. In her group material, her voice never received this much vocoder and she’s proven that she has a strong voice so it’s shocking that she uses so much of it here. If she went into a darker and heavier rap direction similar to Brown Eyed Girls’ recent music, the album would have been great. It’s commendable that she took an unexpected route and risk but it didn’t blow me away.

Recommended Tracks: Leggo (feat. Narsha Of Brown Eyed Girls), DIRTY and Party Rock (feat. Gary Of LeeSsang & THE KOXX)

Rating

Brown Eyed Girls – SIXTH SENSE

November 8, 2011 at 12:51 pm | Posted in Brown Eyed Girls | 8 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

  1. Swing It Shorty (Intro)
  2. Sixth Sense
  3. Hot Shot
  4. La Bohème
  5. An Inconvenient Truth
  6. Lovemotion
  7. Countdown (Interlude)
  8. Vendetta
  9. Cleansing Cream

Brown Eyed Girls have been on my mind all year since they announced they would be making a comeback that would be equal to or better than Abracadabra. They were so determined to do so that they trashed three albums’ worth of recordings because they weren’t satisfied with any of the songs and this caused them to postpone their comeback a number of times. It’s been two years since they’ve released their last album which is a very long time in the K-pop market. They’ve finally accomplished their goal with SIXTH SENSE and a few weeks ago they revealed the concept photos which had the quartet clad in crazy leather outfits, bringing fierce to a whole new level. The group goes back to their roots without sacrificing all the great things they accomplished with Sound G.

Swing It Shorty (Intro) is an amazing start and it takes the group to a different era, early 1900s swing music. Incorporating drums, brass instruments and superb vocals the group has already brought the freshest music in K-pop this year. The old jazz mood is delicious and their vocals are on fire. There’s an emphasis on their vocals on this album and you only just get a taste of what they’re going to do. Jea opens with vintage vocals that are followed by Narsha and Ga-In whose voices harmonize together so beautifully. This is truly a spectacular intro because it brings something new to the table and it has the vocals to back it up. Sixth Sense can only be described with one word, epic. It is a bombardment on the senses and this is exactly what the group wanted to accomplish. They believe that the experience of music is limited when you listen to it with the five senses so people must feel the music with their sixth sense. This song has a little bit of everything. It starts with a dark marching beat that leads to the inclusion of orchestral strings and a slight disco underpinning. Throw in jaw-dropping vocals and you’ve got the K-pop song of the year. The verses begin with Ga-In’s strong, fierce vocals and Narsha follows with rapid, high vocals which leads to Jea belting “hit that high” before heading into the chorus. It’s magnificent, aggressive and demands your attention. Their vocals in the hook are out of this world, filled with emotion and power. There’s even some wicked “meows” from Narsha that pop up. Things only get better when Miryo begins her rap and it’s one of the best I’ve heard in K-pop. It’s sophisticated, catchy and makes me like her a whole lot more. Jea comes back belting an insane note and what comes next is the biggest surprise in K-pop history. Ga-In and Narsha co-operatively hit a whistle note. I always knew Jea was a strong singer but I never knew the other two could sing like this. No other group in Korea is pushing their voices like this. I have to give it to the Brown Eyed girls for taking such a risk and actually making music with substance.

Hot Shot is another song that brings the heat and it contains a marvelous Latin flavour that’s similar to Ga-In’s solo material. I love the retro jazz vibe and the girls’ voices are to die for. Narsha’s deep voice, Ga-In’s sexy performance and Jea’s powerhouse vocals create delicious verses while Miryo delivers another great rap in the bridge. The chorus is fierce and Jea takes the lead with her fantastic vocals. Their backing vocals are layered perfectly with their leading vocals and it’s gorgeous to listen to. Catchy English lyrics are riddled throughout and the last line, “keep the change,” sounds so cool. In short, this is a fun-filled tune and one of the album’s best offerings. The quartet tones the album down with the calming mid-tempo La Bohème. The impact from the previous songs is missing and I was a bit disappointed when I first listened to this track because I was expecting a more tropical feel. However, the sweetness of this track has grown on me tremendously. The girls sing in a soft manner that compliments the breezy production. Ga-In and Narsha do a great job with the verses and Jea hits some strong notes in the chorus The highlight is the ad-lib/backing vocals section, “ttara ttara ra ra ra-boem (get all)/ttara ttara ra ra ra-boem(the thing that I want~~).” It’s playful, cute and super addicting. It took a while for it to sink in but the girls won me over again.

An Inconvenient Truth is a tragic and stunning ballad. The saddening piano chords and the fluttering strings fill the song with a sense of yearning and beauty. The airy and emotional delivery from the members leaves me speechless because of how amazing they sound. Jea aces the chorus with her angelic voice and I’ve never heard her sound so beautiful before. Her passion and intonation is perfect. This stands out amongst their other ballads and it’s their most breathtaking. Miryo’s rap, surprisingly, fits in very well and she does an excellent job of maintaining the tragic feel. I haven’t liked many K-pop ballads this year and this one fills that gap for me quite nicely. The rich vocals, magnificent production, amazing backing vocals and the overall sense of heartache make this a must-hear song. The intro to Lovemotion had me thinking it was going to be a cute song but then the vocals came in and they had a very soft, mellow vibe to them. Their voices suit the arrangement which is made up of quirky beats and it has a nice smooth feel. I really enjoy Narsha’s section because she brings a brighter feel into the melody with her vocals, “we feel the love, oh/we feel the same, oh.” The climax comes in the form of “na na nas” and the instrumental becomes more infectious as synthesizers are added into the equation. The melody is spiced up in the bridge and the new beat works extremely well with Miryo’s aggressive rap. It’s repetitive but it’s fun and the more I listen to it, the better it gets.

Countdown (Interlude) is amazing, crazy, brilliant and I can’t believe it’s not a full song. Only Brown Eyed Girls could pull something like this off and I love them so much for doing it. It’s Broadway inspired and Jea tears it up with her a capella singing, “and now/introducing, truly amazing, crazy show/all that you wanted, never never never seen there/true, true, true, truly stunning show/we are Brown Eyed Girls.” Dramatic beats barge in every so often to I’m not sure if it can be truly classified as a capella but it’s amazing regardless. The song suddenly becomes a jazz fest with the girls harmonizing together incredibly. The instrumentation is captivating, exciting and it will blow your mind. I can’t stress enough how much I wish this was a full song. This is one of the greatest interludes I’ve ever heard. Vendetta is another throwback and it’s equally delicious. Blaring horns are the dominating force and the energy is so intoxicating. The girls go for a powerful vocal approach and their backing vocals are sublime. It’s fast-paced, fun and filled with good vocals, “you make me mad, mad dadada.” The song isn’t without any surprises and halfway in it goes through a tempo change and the girls sing in a lush, high register. There’s another tempo change right after where they sing faster and it finally returns to its original tempo for a rap by Miryo. This closes the album on a high note and Miryo’s shout-out to all the members is a nice finish, “JA, Narsha, Baby G, Miryo.” The final song, Cleansing Cream, is a beautiful ballad that features Ga-In more than it does the other girls. I don’t mind because it’s a fantastic track and everyone gets some moments to showcase their talent. This is as  fragile as the other ballad but it’s different because of the graceful layer of synthesizers that accompany the array of acoustics. The arrangement consists of gorgeous guitar, piano and string sequences that blend into a heavenly frailty. They perform with such vulnerability that it allows them to convey so much emotion, keeping their vocals clear and strong. It’s amazing how powerful they can sound with soft vocals. This is extremely depressing but its pure ear candy. The girls’ airy vocals drift through the touching instrumental and the harmonies that are created are incredible. Their luster voices bend and twist together to perfection. Miryo’s subdued rap sits alongside dramatic strings and it doesn’t ruin the flow or feel. The song wraps the final chorus with delicious layers of backing vocals and harmonies. Everything crescendos and the pain embodied in the melody is brought out even more while the quartet delivers their most tragic moment to date.

Conclusion: SIXTH SENSE is everything I wanted from the quartet and more. I’ve never been this excited for a comeback and they lived up to all the hype. To be honest, I was disappointed with a few of the songs but after taking the time to listen to the album and letting it sink in I’ve fallen in love with it. There are not many girl groups that can sing the way Brown Eyed Girls do and they push their vocals to the next level. I’ve never heard such amazing vocals from them and they bring it in each song. It’s great to see a group take risks and still manage to fill the songs with energy and excitement. The retro sound is a delicious treat and I’m glad they went for a more organic sound. While the repackage only contains one new song, it left me speechless and I would rather have quality than quantity. Despite its incredibly short tracklist, it’s the best K-pop album this year. Brown Eyed Girls have set the bar for comebacks high and they’ve now become my favourite girl group.

Recommended Tracks: Sixth Sense, Cleansing Cream, An Inconvenient Truth, Hot Shot, Countdown (Interlude) and Vendetta

Rating

2NE1 – 2NE1 2nd Mini Album

August 7, 2011 at 5:53 pm | Posted in 2NE1 | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  1. I Am The Best
  2. UGLY
  3. Lonely
  4. Hate You
  5. Don’t Cry
  6. Don’t Stop The Music

2NE1 is one of the few Korean girl groups I can count on to put out great music and they’re back with their second mini-album. This time they’ve done things differently with the marketing for the mini-album. Instead of using their usual fierce look for the album’s photoshoot they mixed it with cute cartoon/anime renditions of themselves. In addition, four of the six songs were released monthly prior to the album’s release date. Each track has its own video and the five newer songs were performed live in comeback specials. It allowed fans to eagerly anticipate new music and this marketing kept the girls on everyone’s mind. 2NE1 is one of the biggest groups in Korea and it doesn’t seem like they want to let go of that title anytime soon.

I Am The Best is a standard 2NE1 club banger and like all their other opening tracks it’s incredibly infectious. While is shares similarities with their previous up-tempos, there’s also a lot that sets it apart. For one, it’s got a more hardcore electronic feel that is immediately apparent with the loud, gritty synth riffs that open it. The composition becomes busier as CL sings the title repeatedly until it goes into the main melody which is accompanied by catchy chanting, “bam ratatata tatatatata.” Also, the use of auto-tune/vocoder has been cut down which is nice because they don’t need it. The verses are filled with a variety of synths that range from deep to high screechy beats. Bom leads the first verse and she’s never sounded so fierce. Her vocals exude confidence and this marks her first time starting a verse for one of their club bangers. She’s usually relegated to a small part of the verse unless it’s a ballad so it’s nice to see other members take on a larger role. Dara comes in next with her sugary vocals while CL and Minzy, as usual, kill their raps. CL takes over completely for the chorus which is a bombardment of heavy synths and despite being repetitive, it’s spectacular. With just a few simple words CL drills the chorus into your head with her tough vocals, “naega jeil jal naga.” The girls switch up their order in the second verse and Minzy leads with another great rap while CL closes the verse with a relaxed rap. Between the rappers, Bom performs with a sweet voice and Dara gets to show off her confident vocals. An exotic Middle Eastern influence is infused into the synths during the bridge and CL delivers with high energy vocals. They jump right back into the addicting chanting which closes the track on a perfect note.

UGLY is the only new song and it’s not what I was expecting at all. When I first saw the title, I assumed 2NE1 was going to be singing about a no-good guy. Instead, they’re singing about themselves and it makes this song a lot more interesting. The verses have an air of sadness due to the acoustic guitar and halfway through it is replaced with synths that carry the same feel. Bom always does well in these types of songs but I can never get over how gorgeous CL and Minzy sound when they’re not rapping. Even Dara sounds stunning and right before the chorus the tempo increases. The tone suddenly becomes positive and the chorus features electric guitars which make this the first 2NE1 song to have a rock influence. The first time I listened to it I felt that the chorus clashed heavily with the rest of the song but after a few listens it sunk in and I love it now. It’s sung solely by CL and she does a fantastic job. The chorus not only contrasts with the verses in sound but it’s also brighter which is odd considering the lyrics but it works, “I think I’m ugly/and nobody wants to love me/just like her I wanna be pretty/I wanna be pretty/don’t lie to my face/tellin’ me I’m pretty.” Like the verses, the bridge is tame and Dara takes over with her lovely high vocals as the rest of the group provides the backing vocals.

The first and only ballad, Lonely, is driven by an acoustic guitar. I love that there’s no percussion in the melody because it puts emphasis on the girls’ vocals. It’s their rawest song and vocal performance to date. The melancholic atmosphere that the guitar creates is touching and it pulls at your heartstrings even more when they start singing. CL starts with her deep, sultry vocals and is followed by Minzy who uses the same beautiful tone. Dara adds another element to the song with her high vocals and the “I don’t know” lines sung by the other vocalists are addicting. Strings are added into the chorus and they enhance the tragic mood. Bom leads the chorus while Minzy takes over for the second half and in the second chorus CL leads instead of Bom. They all sound amazing and they put so much emotion into their delivery “baby I’m so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely.” The bridge has them singing in stronger vocals and the final chorus is filled with lovely ad-libs. This one of their most mature songs and it proves, once again, that they’re a versatile group. Hate You is a mid-tempo break-up song and it’s introduced with pulsing synths before it explodes into the chorus. CL seems to be taking over all the choruses so far on the mini-album and this one is no exception. Her carefree but attitude filled vocals are infectious along with the unique synth melody. The hook is by far the most memorable one on this mini and CL kills it, “hate you eheheheheh/I’m fine living without you.” The verses are made up of a variety of beats and Minzy, Dara, and Bom sing with fun, confident vocals. Bom’s section in the verses is a bit more interesting due to the aggressive backing vocals. All of them get a piece of the bridge and Bom closes it off with her strong voice. The track is not that energetic but its groovy melody is too amazing to ignore.

Bom gets a song all to her self and Don’t Cry is a worthy follow-up to her last solo. The piano carries a bittersweet feel and I like how it picks up when the synths make an appearance. Her vocals are emotive and strong which keeps them from being drowned by the production. The synths mellow out in the pre-chorus for an ambient sound and Bom sings in a deeper voice. She sounds gorgeous and the synths return to their hectic sound before the chorus. The chorus contains a heavy beat and the dance-pop elements that are mixed in bring it to life. Bom’s energetic, bright vocals manage to retain the emotion from the verses and this pushes forward the bittersweet mood , “it’s okay baby please don’t cry.” Don’t Stop The Music is the oldest song on the mini and I’m glad it made it on here because it’s another hot club banger. This is the only song to heavily use vocal effects and it came out shortly after their debut album which might explain why. It’s more dance-pop than the first track and it has a groovy hip hop feel to it. The energy in the verses is addicting and the drumline gives off a slight jungle sound. CL, Minzy and even Dara deliver excellent raps that will easily get stuck in your head. The backing vocals in Dara’s sections have been changed from “fiore” to “yayaya” which isn’t as catchy but it doesn’t break the song in any way. The chorus is performed solely by Bom and it’s the most infectious part. Her vocals infuse a lighter feel into the melody and the loud, pulsing synths make it irresistible. The post-chorus is very repetitive but it’s really fun, “don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t/don’t stop the music.” I love the second verse because CL and Minzy increase the energy as they rap in a faster pace to the jungle beat. The only time the energy dies down is in the bridge where the girls sing rather than rap but the beats come back harder for the final chorus.

Conclusion: 2NE1 just keeps getting better with every release. Their second mini-album is more polished and cohesive than their first which shows how much they’ve matured since their debut. Their vocals sound better and each member continuously shows growth and improvement. The employment of vocoder on their vocals has been reduced which will please many fans who were turned off by it on To Anyone. Despite being in a trend dominated industry, they still manage to keep their music fresh and exciting.

Recommended Tracks: I Am The Best, Hate You, Lonely, UGLY and Don’t Stop The Music

Rating

HyunA – Bubble Pop!

July 24, 2011 at 6:27 pm | Posted in HyunA | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

  1. Attention
  2. Bubble Pop!
  3. Downtown (feat. Ji Yoon)
  4. A Bitter Day (feat. Yong Jun Hyung & G.NA)
  5. Just Follow (feat. DOK2)

I don’t know much about HyunA other than the fact that she’s a member from 4minute. Supposedly, she’s the fiercest member of the group and after hearing the promotional song I decided to give her mini a try because I liked what I heard. While this is her first solo mini-album, last year she released a digital single called Change but it’s not included on this release which is a shame because it’s quite a hot track.

Attention serves as an intro and it starts off with HyunA talking from a speaker. The beat is light at first but after she speaks it turns into an electronic urban sound. It’s pretty cool how it mixes synthpop with hip hop but her rapping isn’t anything special, “hey hey/what you gonna do.” In addition, there’s a bit too much going on like the disc scratching which takes away from the overall melody. Her actual singing is good and I love her high, breathy tone. HyunA manages to be cute and sexy at the same time in Bubble Pop! This is a nice summery tune that’s insanely catchy and it even throws in some dubstep during the bridge. Her ad-libbing is strange but it’s humorous and the verses take on a cuter sound than the chorus. Her vocals are bright and they get more energetic during the chorus where she lets her sexy side come out. I love the “oh boy” and “hey boy” backing vocals because they’re so addicting. When she sings the title it does kind of get annoying but the rest of the hook is a lot of fun. The dubstep influence in the bridge feels out of place and it’s like it was put in just because it’s become a popular thing to do now in pop music. Minus the bridge, this is a pretty sweet summer anthem. Downtown (feat. Ji Yoon) contains the most unflattering moaning I’ve ever heard. HyunA can’t pull off a moan and it’s quite sad. There’s no sex appeal at all and they come off as really bad groans. For the first part of the verses HyunA raps but her singing in the second half is much better. It consists of some electronic beats and a deep synth line is added as the verses progress. Ji Yoon appears in the chorus and outshines HyunA with her bright, strong vocals. In the chorus, the percussion is removed and it’s dominated by synths. In the post-chorus, the percussion comes back for the most addicting part of the song, “in downtown, in downtown, in downtown, in downtown,” and the ad-libs sound fantastic. The bridge is uninteresting and quite lazy because it’s a repeat of the song’s introduction.

I wish singers would realize that they don’t always have to throw a ballad into their releases because they can sometimes affect the flow of the album but it’s a good thing that A Bitter Day (feat. Yong Jun Hyung & G.NA) is a nice song. HyunA is more of a featured artist because G.NA sings the majority of the song. I’ve never heard a song where the featured artist outperforms the main artist but G.NA makes this song tolerable. Her luscious vocals along with the sweet piano are lovely but when the percussion comes in with HyunA rapping it takes a turn for the worse. It’s not terrible but her rapping is basic and she doesn’t put any emotion into it whereas G.NA puts a lot of feeling into her voice especially in the chorus. Even Yong Jun Hyung manages to put some feeling into his rap and it’s the reason why his sounds slightly better. The raps aren’t necessary at all and they mess up what could have been a great ballad. G.NA saves the song and her belting at the end is so good. Just Follow (feat. DOK2) begins with the obligatory male intro that announces HyunA and the synths are a little dark to give the melody a gangster feel. This track comes off as bland because it doesn’t go anywhere and nothing interesting happens in the melody. HyunA and DOK2 rap with the exact same tone for the entire song. It could have been good but the repetitive melody and singing style ruins the song for me.

Conclusion: Bubble Pop! has a great promotional track but the rest of the songs don’t come anywhere close to it. HyunA should have actually sung more rather than rap for the majority of the songs because she’s not that good of a rapper. Bubble Pop! is the only song that’s memorable because she’s singing on it. The other tracks that I like are saved by the featured artist and having a featured singer outshine the main singer is a bit embarrassing. HyunA should have upped her game so that she wouldn’t be overshadowed by them but she fails to do so. She needs to step it up for her next release because she has the potential.

Recommended Tracks: Bubble Pop! and A Bitter Day (feat. Yong Jun Hyung & G.NA)

Rating

Ga-In – step 2/4

October 9, 2010 at 5:46 pm | Posted in Ga-In | 5 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , ,

  1. Nitchell (Baby-G Mix)
  2. Irreversible
  3. Tango The Night
  4. Esperando
  5. Ga-In (Song)
  6. Truth

Ga-In is the second member from Brown Eyed Girls to go solo and step 2/4 is her debut mini-album. Her approach to her music is very different from her fellow group member, Narsha. step 2/4 is influenced by tango and Latin elements which makes for a refreshing sound that is rarely heard in Korean pop music.

Nitchell (Baby-G Mix) is a seductive instrumental piece. It has a sultry tango atmosphere and the piano and violin are exquisite. Ga-In sings briefly midway through the song but other than that there are no vocals. This sets the theme and the feel of the album and what is heard here is what you can expect from the rest of the songs. Irreversible, the title track, opens with a delicious accordion that fades away for the verses. The song has a desperate feel to its arrangement and especially in Ga-In’s vocals, “kill me or love me.” She sings the verses in a breathy and quiet voice while the chorus is sung in a higher voice. The accordion appears again for the chorus and her vocals are superb, her high tone is incredible. I really love how this sounds, it’s classy and sexy, definitely the best song on the album. There are some electronic elements in Tango The Night and they add an exotic flavour to it. When the guitar comes in the tango elements start to come to life and the music just carries you away. The song is somewhat dark and since tango is already sultry the dark elements make it all the more sensual. It’s such an exquisite combination and Ga-In’s vocals are alluring. The repetition in the chorus is infectious and the distorted vocals near the end add to the dark atmosphere of the song.

Esperando is a sexy and slow tango song with an accordion, violin, guitar, piano and maracas. There are some English male backing vocals and Ga-In keeps a constant tone throughout the song. I love her breathy vocals in the chorus and the line “Esperando el amor,” is super hot. The bridge is sung in English and I especially like the “I’m like…/you’re like…”line. It’s pretty neat how Ga-In has a song named after her and Ga-In (Song) is another one of my favourite tracks. It’s more upbeat than Esperando and Ga-In’s tone is stronger. She speeds up in the pre-chorus and her high vocals flow nicely with the arrangement. The part right after the chorus is playful with her singing “let me tell you, it’s my story.” I adore the violin in the bridge, it’s absolutely gorgeous, and Ga-In’s whispering is very sexy. Truth has the exact same arrangement as Irreversible except some of the instruments are toned down. The lyrics are different and despite having the same composition it has a completely different feel. The desperate sound is replaced with a depressing one. Ga-In’s vocals in the chorus are great and I love the high tone she sings in. This was an instant favourite for me and it’s an excellent way to close the album.

Conclusion: Ga-In’s solo album is excellent and one of the most interesting releases in K-pop this year. Her tango inspired music is a breath of fresh air in an industry that doesn’t take many risks with its music. The only problem that the album has is that the songs sound very similar to one another but each song is well crafted and Ga-In’s vocals are wonderful.  Both Narsha and Ga-In delivered with their albums and I’m hoping that when the Brown Eyed Girls make their comeback it’s as strong as these solo efforts.

Recommended Tracks: Irreversible, Truth, Ga-In (Song) and Tango The Night

Rating

Next Page »

Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 100 other followers