IU Comeback With the Fourth Mini Album CHAT SHIRE

IU ~ CHAT SHIRE

After a much-lauded performance in 'Producers,' IU is back with her new album 'Chat Shire.'  This album contains a couple things that make it great right off the bat: One is that she wrote the lyrics herself (and actually produced  "The Shower"); produced "The Shower");the second is the EP contains the song she sang in 'Producers,' "Twenty-three." Don't look for her on TV, though, she's bringing her show to the fans on tour. The album released on October 23rd 2015.

"New Shoes" - a swingy jazz composition buoyed by IU's sweet voice. It's got a bouncy trot-like rhythm during the main verses, and the chorus has a nice, breathy end to it. The song's about more than just a new pair of shoes. She references red shoes (of course), but also Dorothy. It's about the exuberance, that spring in your step that carries you home.

"Zezé" - It starts out easy enough, with a pounding beat and a bouncy, jazzy style, but she practically spits the chorus in defiance. I love the way this song is put together, each part is definitely its own, but it flows together so well. The inspiration for the song is the book 'My Sweet Orange Tree', about a boy who's gentle one moment, and the next moment he's malicious. "I become the Minguinho (tree) and the song contains my message for Zezé," she says of the song. She wrote the lyrics to be deliberately open to interpretation.

"Twenty-three" - The standout song on the album, definitely jazzy, and high energy. You can hear a lot of Cindy in here, a bit of rebellion the way it's sung. It's inspired by the Cheshire Cat from 'Alice in Wonderland'. When Alice asks the cat for directions, he gives her a vague answer. It's about growing up and not knowing what you want to do.

"The Shower" - A soothing, low-tempo track, with a quiet guitar to back our angel-voiced singer. There's a harmonica that also does some time here as well, adding a bit of hope to the tone. IU gives her voice an ethereal quality, which helps with the reflective, pensive tone that this song requires. It ends with the very same line it begins with, and she's asking a lover what was important to them while standing in the rain. 

"Red Queen" - With this song, IU picks up the pace again, starting out with a peppy drum track and launching straight into the song. Rapper Zion.T is on this track, and I had my reservations, initially -- it's just not that kind of song. But he doesn't rap so much as sing, and the combination works. She drew inspiration from a picture drawn by f(x)'s Sulli: the Red Queen in 'Through the Looking Glass.' She tried to make the Queen a sympathetic character. Did it work? I'll leave that for you to decide.  

"Knee" - Another reflective song, with some lovely emotional delivery. A slow piano, and a layered chorus help give it a very lush feeling. The nice thing is that it's never over the top -- it works perfectly with IU's voice, even when a violin comes in to keep us company. A reworked pre-release track, this song was written in a moment of self-doubt during a sleepless night, and she missed being able to rest her head in grandma's lap and enjoy some worry-free rest. 

"Glasses" - A quiet song, that has a bit of swing and a bit of sass. There's a wonderful, epic surprise waiting for us when it hits the chorus: one of the best transitions to a time change I've heard.  Mid-tempo, soothing, yet original, this is a great way to finish an album like this. It's a song about seeing things the right way.

Track Listing :

New Shoes Click Here
Zezé Click Here
Twenty-three Click Here 
The Shower Click Here
Red Queen Click Here
Knee Click Here
Glasses Click Here

Source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-iu-chat-shire