Kim Hyung Jun – “Girl”
While boy band SS501 (or rather, the behind-the-scenes business chums running the show) get their acts together, members of the group have been releasing solo material to keep their fans’ – and probably their own – spirits afloat this year. It was only last month when fellow band-mate Park Jung Min released his impressive solo single, “Not Alone“, and now it’s Kim Hyung Jun’s turn to shine in the high-speed arena of the K-pop
music scene.
Kim’s solo single, titled “Girl”, is exactly what you would expect from a male singer in K-pop, especially of one who has branched out from a boy band. This song is swarming with catchy melodies, a pulsing beat, and the always gratuitous K-pop spelling chant – “L-O-V-E!” The pace feels just right, and in fact, “Girl” flows so well that I kept forgetting I was only listening to 1/5 of SS501.
As for delivery and style, it’s clear that Kim Hyung Jun is idolizing his female counterpart through this song, so I would have loved to hear more strength throughout the chorus and in the verses; but maybe it’s just the mix. It’s rare to hear a male idol sing with hair-ripping passion when it comes to L-O-V-E, especially on a recording, so perhaps that’s what I’m looking for. Then again, it’s probably a safer move to keep a K-pop singer’s vocal performance tame, since they’re most likely going to be dancing their butts off in mind-bending choreography three times a week, anyway. I mean, the simultaneous work seems to have become a daunting task for today’s crowd of K-pop idols.
Overall, “Girl” seems to have been cast from the standard pop-song mold, but there was enough embellishing details (like the sweet electronic chimes and Kim Hyung Jun’s smooth singing) which helped keep this song alive and spinning. And with that instrumental, this song is just begging to make it onto my work-out playlist.
Bella – “Don’t Let Go”
Drawing inspiration from En Vogue, one of the most successful American girl groups of the ’90s, Korea’s new trio, Bella, are taking big strides into the music industry with their debut cover of the ’90s smash hit, “Don’t Let Go.”
Just the thought of any girl group taking on a song of this caliber is mind-blowing in itself, but it’s even more surprising when the group singing it is unheard of and brand spanking new to the scene. Because of Bella’s fresh status in the biz, this is a great opportunity to give listeners a glimpse of who they are as artists.
What you’ll probably find with Bella (aside from the fact that they can sing their heads off like it’s nobody’s business) is that they are one of the first girl groups in a long time who are capable of bringing soul to Korean music. Obviously, their style is slightly less explosive than the original goddesses, but the way in which Bella tackles every line and phrase is well-executed. This kind of music requires artists to dig deep for that internal connection to really deliver a believable performance, and Bella have more or less achieved that.
Bella possess amazing technique and control, and they absolutely nailed this cover. Still, I have to say that I’m going to reserve a 5/5 until they can shake the foundations of the earth with their own material.
4.6/5
Super Junior-M – “Perfection” (Korean Version)
If any group should be allowed to create sub-units, it’s Super Junior, who have more members than I have the fingers to count them with (13+ if you’re curious). One of their many subunits is Super Junior-M; the ‘M’ stands for ‘Mandarin’, as in they cater to their Chinese fan base.
Because SJ-M is technically not K-pop, writing a full review of their newest mini-album “Perfection” wasn’t scribbled on my agenda. However, being the savvy business maven that they are, SM Entertainment released a Korean version of the same title track, and voilà!
This mini-album is SJ-M’s first release since their explosive 2009 hit, “Super Girl“. It’s also their first work without ex-SJ member and former sub-unit leader, Hangeng, who was replaced with Eunhyuk andSungmin this year to join the rest of the team.
2011’s “Perfection” finds itself in a rather murky position, as it’s the follow-up single to “Super Girl”, arguably SJ-M’s strongest title track since the group’s conception. There were so many things right about “Super Girl” (seriously, worth a perfect-score), that “Perfection” simply feels wrong. What SM managed to achieve in 2009 with “Super Girl” – a near perfect production with heavy beats, a fierce build up, an addictive hook, and some of the cleanest vocal recordings ever – seems to have vanished in SJ-M’s latest single.
It’s not even a matter of re-creating “Super Girl”, because that’s not the point of musical progression and growth. Nor is it about identifying what ‘made’ “Super Girl” shine, and thus apply those qualities to a completely new song, i.e. “Perfection”. Unfortunately, this song broke more rules than I am willing to hold them accountable for.
One thing I’d like to point out is the vocal treatment. You know you’ve done an icky processing-job when you’ve made Siwon sound like a girl (0:09), and almost everyone else sound absolutely indistinguishable from one another, especially the members who were demoted to the pre-chorus, which is, structurally, one of the biggest headaches to listen to in itself.
To keep it short, this song lacks a good arrangement and a strong hook; this is a pop song without any appeal.
However, I did appreciate Zhoumi reminding us that there are actual human beings singing on this track when he reaches the break down of the song. Actually, if “Perfection” had finished off at the 2:25-ish mark, it would have been a good enough ending; instead, the song was dragged through a bed of nails for an extra minute. But I get that they’re trying to accommodate Eunhyuk. Rap is his thing and if there is none, then what would have been the point of adding him in the first place?
Overall, “Perfection” isn’t perfect, and it pales in comparison to SJ-M’s last single. In their defense though, there’s at least a couple other songs worth testing out in the rest of the mini-album which aren’t half bad. This score only reflects “Perfection”, not the entire mini.
3.6/5
SUNZOO – “It’s My Time”
SUNZOO is the name of a new global hip-hop group created by the King and Queen of the genre, Tiger JK and Tasha. The collaborative group was revealed back in February along with a new TV show titled “Into The Jungle,” which follows the growth and development of SUNZOO and all the quirks of everyone involved.
Here’s a funny story from one of the episodes: On the show, Dave Kebo, the director of the “It’s My Time” MV revealed that Tiger JK, being the crazy genius he is, contacted him two weeks in advance to ask him to direct a new music video. At the time, Tiger JK didn’t even have “It’s My Time” ready nor did SUNZOO exist, which just goes to show how impulsive of an artist he is.
Anyway, “It’s My Time” lives and it’s got to be one of the greatest things to be released in 2011. Roscoe Umali joins Tiger JK and T to slay it in this new track. As some of the most talented recording artists in the Korean R&B and hip-hop scene, Tiger JK, Tasha, and Roscoe Umali deliver rap lines that not only well-written, but translate their meaningful and absolutely powerful message over a killer beat. Although this song sounds simple, the instrumental is structured perfectly to delegate the spotlight on each rapper without overshadowing their talents. It even features an awesome build-up near the end!
Other featured rappers on SUNZOO are Styliztik Jones, Rakka, and many more. “It’s My Time” is true to the hip-hop roots of Tiger JK and Tasha, all while remaining fresh and sincere in delivery.
5/5
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