Taeyeon Comeback with the First Mini Album I

Taeyeon - I

Famed for her voice as well as her beauty, Girls'Generation leader Taeyon debuts as a solo artist at long last. Fans have been waiting for this for a while! Her new mini-album consists of six tracks, including her self-penned title song "I" featuring rapper Verbal  Jint. The Album released on October 7th 2015.

Sweeping and anthemic, "I" is a fantastic tune. It's largely acoustic with Taeyeon's voice featuring as the main attraction. Verbal Jint has his spot early on, and in another section, he raps the lyrics simultaneously as she sings, giving the tune even more depth. Her voice is used extremely well here, soaring all over the track. The song is about living well despite obstacles. 

"U R" is a ballad that showcases Taeyeon's ability nicely as her voice rises to eclipse the instrumentation. The production they threw at the later parts of the song serves to enhance the effect. She really lays bare the emotion as her vocals crescendo. The song itself is an ode to a lover.

"Gemini" is stylistically different from "U R," her voice more measured. It's still a slower song, but with gentle claps and a medium tempo. The vocals range from sweet to strong when appropriate, and it's got a nice, singable hook: "Come to me baby / Come come to me baby." The lyrics are tender, and speak of being together. 

"Stress" is the high-tempo tune on the EP with a pounding drum and insistent piano riff. The way she wraps her voice around the verses is breathless with some nice belts during the chorus. The song itself is awesome, about a bad guy that she just can't resist, and it freaks her out.  

"Farewell" a sweetly-sung ballad, reminding me a lot of a lullaby. The lyrics are about a breakup, but they're a little different from the standard. She asks "Are people who walk alone like me?" and suggests that "maybe I should have shown you my shabby self first."

Track Listing :

I (Feat. Verbal Jint) Click Here
U R Click Here
Gemini Click Here
Stress Click Here
Farewell Click Here
 I (Inst.) Click Here

source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-taeyeon-i

Ailee Comeback with the First Album Vivid

Ailee ~ Vivid

Three years after her debut, Korean-American singer Ailee has dropped her first full-length album, 'Vivid ‘ on 30, September 2015. She's got ten new tracks for us, and not an instrumental or remix in the bunch. She had a hand in writing and composing several songs on this LP. 

She puts her powerhouse vocals to good use on the Duble Sidekick-penned "Mind Your Own Business." A sassy sax starts out the song, which soon transitions to sassy vocals. It's obvious from her tone she's had enough. It's catchy and body-moving, ready-made to dance to. The lyrics talk about a breakup. 

The next track is "Insane," a slower, R&B-inspired tune. There's a pretty awesome main verse with her backup singers and the chorus is quite catchy. One standout thing about this track: it uses the sound of water dripping to help it keep time. I've already written about my enjoyment of sound effects as music, and this just further cements my opinion. The lyrics are lovelorn, about how she's going nuts without the guy. 

"I Love You, I Hate You" is a ballad that perfectly showcases her skyscraper vocals. It moves slowly, seductively, her voice drawing you in. Her masterful pipes go high and low again. In the lyrics she apologizes, even though her lover has already moved on.  

"Second Chance" bears some resemblance to the first track, but quickly forges its own identity when she hits the chorus. It starts slowly, smoothly, and then Ailee's vox come in and shatter the calm and demand your attention. It's got sort of a stop-start sensibility, married to some soul, Korean style. In this song, she's giving a 'second chance' to a guy she has her eye on.

The bluesy ballad "Why Are People Like This" is sung to an acoustic guitar. There's some faux-symphonic effects later in the song, but they don't drown out her voice, so that can be forgiven. The emotion here is raw and palpable, describing how the tears are flowing after a breakup. 
   
"Letting Go" is probably the poppiest track on the album, but that doesn't diminish what's done here. It's sweetly sung and shows you what she can do when she reins in her voice and gives you a sweet taste. On the chorus she unleashes it again and goes back and forth between belts and sweetness. Amber does what she does best on this track: rap. And it adds an awesome vibe to an already excellent song.  

The funky "Love Recipe" contains the same sass as some of her other tracks. Bold, brassy, and full of fire, her voice positively sizzles on this track. There's more guitar than anything else as accompaniment, just adding to the excitement. It's a bit naughty, as well, anticipating a hot time with a lover. "I'll never melt in your hand."

"Fill Your Glass" is an interesting ballad, starting as it does with military marching drums in the background. As on "Letting Go," it's a slow burn, with beautiful vocals giving way to soaring belts. Electrifying guitars only enhance what she does here. The lyrics basically describe the aftermath of a breakup, tears filling the glass.  

"One More Step" is anthemic and sweeping, buoyed by the impressive pipes on this girl. It reminds me of a lullaby for a couple reasons, not the least of which is she says "keep it together my child" in the beginning. It's also quite soothing. There's sweetness in the lyrics, and also hope, talking about how sadness is gone.  

Track Listing :

Mind Your Own Business Click Here
Insane Click Here
 I Love You, I Hate You Click Here
Second Chance Click Here
Symphony (Feat. Chancellor) Click Here
Why Are People Like This Click Here
Letting Go (Feat. Amber) Click Here
Love Recipe Click Here
Fill Your Glass Click Here
One More Step Click Here

 source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-ailee-vivid

Girl Band Lovelyz Comeback with the First Mini Album Lovelyz8

Lovelyz ~ Lovelyz8

Woollim's rookie girl group Lovelyz is back with 'Lovelyz8', a reference to the fact they are an octet again. Member Seo Ji Soo had to bow out of their debut promotions thanks to malicious rumors that shook her mental state. All eight girls are together again and have dropped a new album for the fans. Welcome back, Jisoo!

"Welcome to the Lovelyz8" is the intro track. I'm not sure what Coach & Sendo were aiming for, but it didn't work, whatever it was. While it's not an awkward rap or something equally as silly, it's an electronic mess that did little other than give me a headache. 

The title track, "Ah-Choo," is pretty much what we've come to expect from Lovelyz. It's a slick production with angelic voices and synth washes and a head-nodding chorus, together with the characteristic belts and the band's charm that go into the recipe for a great song. I'm not sure why they sneeze every time they see the boy, that would indicate an allergy. 

"Shooting Star" is the pre-release track, a soft, sweet, soft pop song. It's slower than the previous tune and has a gentle, soothing quality. It does no less to showcase their cute voices, though. The song is about a breakup.

"Hug Me" picks up the pace, which is way more my speed. It increases in tempo quickly and becomes a proper dance track. It's a sweet love song sung in that way-high octave Lovelyzspecializes in. Innocent lyrics talk of little more than holding hands.  

The disco-inspired "How To Become a Pretty Woman" splits the difference between head-nodding dance and soft vocals. It works well, though. The tempo doesn't let you forget that it's mainly a dance track. And "I'm pretty pretty pretty pretty" is a great hook. 

"Sweet and Sour" reminded me a lot of an A Pink song. It starts out as a soft popper, picks up during the chorus, and has those skillful instrumental descents into the main verses from the chorus. An extremely well put together tune, and the girls sing their hearts out here. The title refers to the sauce, comparing that to their love and how their "heart melts." 

The final track, "Rapunzel," didn't feel as if it belonged on this album. It's a great, body-moving track with mature overtones. And the girls kill it here.  Despite singing "Rapunzel," there wasn't really anything in the lyrics about the fairytale.  Though, the amusing pronunciation of the title was enough to make me snicker a bit. 

Track Listing :

Welcome to the Lovelyz8 Click Here
Ah-Choo Click Here
Shooting Star Click Here
Hug Me Click Here
How To Become a Pretty Woman Click Here

Sweet and Sour Click Here

Rapunzel Click Here

source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-lovelyz-lovelyz8

Boy Band iKON Debut with the First Album Welcome Back

Ikon ~ Welcome Back

With a fanbase larger than quite a few established acts, this debut is eagerly anticipated. They blew up the charts with their warm-up single, "My Type," and now they officially debut with their half-album, 'Welcome Back.' This EP contains five new tunes, as well as "My Type." Members B.I. and Bobby wrote the twin title tracks "Rhythm Ta" and "Airplane." 

The EP launches into "Welcome Back," a song that has an R&B feel to it. They're backed by sassy saxes (probably synth, but it still oozes cool). Bobby really kills the raps here. It's also really catchy, and I found myself singing along. The lyrics are nothing amazing, basically saying they miss her and they're lonely even though they tried to be strong about the breakup. It's a strong opening, and it gives me hope for the rest of the album. 

"Rhythm Ta" is the title song, and apparently a controversial one, as netizens are claiming the lyrics are dissing their idols. Member Bobby dismissed the claims, putting a more positive spin on things. To me, it's a generic diss, a boasting song, nothing more insidious. Besides that, the song is a heckuva lot of fun, from the piping synths to the rapping and the hook: "Rheethum Ta."  

My thoughts on "My Type" It's not bad, and gets better and better the more I hear it. 

The fourth track, "Today," is a pretty catchy pop tune. They have some funky guitars going in the background, which I dig. I like some of the nasally intonations -- they remind me of G-Dragon. It's a little slow for a dance tune, though. The title is no mystery: as of today, the boys are suddenly attracted to a girl that they used to view as a friend.  

"Airplane" is a slower song, sort of a combination of sung verses interspersed with raps.   Bobby and Junhoe handle the rapping here, which works really well; everything is on point and the melody is intact. I have respect for artists that can do this, as often a rap can ruin a good song, and a song can ruin a good rap. I'm happy to report the absence of ruin. The lyrics are clever: the girl is aboard an airplane, and the boys are begging the pilot to either let them on or kick her off so they can talk. 

The last tune, "M.U.P.," is an anthem-like song. The tune alternates between piping synths and washes while the boys take turns rapping and singing. The title is an acronym for "Make U Proud," which the lyrics back up. They become very candid and humble here, saying that they're broke losers, but they will change and make the girl proud. A good closer to a good album. 

Track Listing :

Welcome Back Click Here

Rhythm Ta Click Here

My Type Click Here
Today Click Here
Airplane Click Here
M.U.P. Click Here

Source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-ikon-welcome-back-half-album

Boy Band Day6 Debut with the First Mini Album The Day

Day6 – The Day

'The Day' has come for the debut of DAY6, JYP Entertainment's new band! The sextet consists of Sung Jin, Jae, Jun Hyeok, Young K, Won Pil, and Do Woon. Already making a splash in the music world, the album is said to bring a new style to K-pop. The fact that the boys wrote and composed all of the songs on this album is a definite plus.

"Freely" starts out light and poppy with a lively rhythm and quickly turns into a dance track. Taking more of its cues from pop and less from EDM, the track has more punch than dance songs might have ordinarily. It's a strong, body-moving start to the EP and sets the tone nicely, as they exhort us to "dance dance tonight."

he second track, "Out of My Mind," is another head-nodding pop song. It's about as lively as the first track, but has more substance to it as the purpose is not necessarily dance. It reminded me a bit of Super Junior D&E's "Growing Pains." I like the vocal belts during the bridge setting it up for a strong chorus. K Young's rap here is a real treat, as he quickly transitions to singing on the last line. The song itself is about a girl who doesn't treat them well and drives him nuts. 

The title track, "Congratulations," is a solid power ballad. I like the vocals here, they have a rawer sound than what we hear in k-pop, and it works to convey the emotion well. We can hear the guitars in here, as well as the synth slams that help hammer the message home: 

"Congratulations, you're so amazing
Congratulations, how could you be so fine?
How could you trample on me...
Leave me. Go to him."

"It Became a Habit" is a hella catchy soft rock tune. Continuing in much the same vein as the previous three tracks, there's guitar and synth, and earnestly sung vocals. They shake it up here by having the raps happen early on. The awesome hook pretty much sums up what it's all about:

"Even though you changed, I haven't changed
You remain in me
You became my habit."

In contrast to the other tunes, "Like The Sun" is not only bright and catchy but also upbeat. I like how the arrangement changes with their mood, and everything comes together nicely. You can practically hear Sung Jin smiling when he's singing this one, and K Young sounds positively exuberant. The lyrics tell you that "her smile is like the sun."

They slow it way down for the power-ballad "Colors." This song is dark and heavy, and there's more of an electric guitar influence here, too, bringing a somber mood to the song, but still lending it a lot of power. The guys are singing about how the colors in their life are missing after the girl left. 

Track Listing :

Freely Free Click Here
Out of My Mind Click Here
Congratulations Click Here
Habits Click Here
Like That Sun Click Here
Colors Click Here

source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/09/album-mv-review-day6-the-day