Jaejoong ~ No.x
Jaejoong salutes his fans
with his second full-length album, 'NO.X.'
He's currently serving in the military, but he still takes the time to serve up
12 tracks for your listening pleasure.Jaejoong collaborates on his title track "Love You More" with composer Tae Wan, who
worked on JYJ's "Back
Seat" and Junsu's "Flower."
The album kicks off with "Good Morning Night," a rocker starting off with a jangly beat, but soon ends up with Jaejoong's vocals over a crunchy guitar. It's a great contrast, a hard rock guitar softened by Jaejoong's tenor. It's quite a way to start an LP! It's got playful lyrics too,Jaejoong saying good morning to the evening, and telling you to enjoy the night.
He
slows it way down for "Drawer," with piano and guitar
again, but very tender. His voice is wistful and pleading, and rises when the
music does. The whole arrangement is quite soothing, and the nice thing is even
though there's some production thrown at it, he's not screaming to be heard
over it all. On this track, he likens his heart to nearly-empty drawer.
"Love You More," the title track, is a smooth, hard rock gem, polished to near-perfection by veteran producer Tae Wan. Jaejoong croons over an electrifying guitar. The JYJ member is in fine form here as he goes from smooth to scratchy, giving the vocals some serious punch. The song is about how he's overflowing with love, and he wants to love her more.
"Love You More," the title track, is a smooth, hard rock gem, polished to near-perfection by veteran producer Tae Wan. Jaejoong croons over an electrifying guitar. The JYJ member is in fine form here as he goes from smooth to scratchy, giving the vocals some serious punch. The song is about how he's overflowing with love, and he wants to love her more.
The
ominously titled "Love
You To Death" is characterized by
needy vocals and the mood is somber. It's a mid-tempo piece with pounding drums
which add to the overall effect. It's a piece to get lost in, as Jaejoong gives his voice a
rougher quality. There's very dark language here -- it's obvious he's in pain
over a breakup.
"Good Luck" is another rocker, starting out with a bluesy hard-rock beat and guitars to match. The bass in here makes it obvious that it's playful, and it nearly has a danceable beat. It's a nice switch from "Love You To Death." There's a frenetic energy to it, and the chorus has pretty much the same melody as the verses, so there's no build, just a bridge. I love how his tenor hits some high notes and also gives us some sweet vocal snaps. On this track, he's tired of her insistence that she's right.
"Good Luck" is another rocker, starting out with a bluesy hard-rock beat and guitars to match. The bass in here makes it obvious that it's playful, and it nearly has a danceable beat. It's a nice switch from "Love You To Death." There's a frenetic energy to it, and the chorus has pretty much the same melody as the verses, so there's no build, just a bridge. I love how his tenor hits some high notes and also gives us some sweet vocal snaps. On this track, he's tired of her insistence that she's right.
"Blame" takes us on a trip to
the '70s with a Santana-like soft rocker with
organs and electric guitars. It's noticeably slower, and showcases s Jaejoong's vocals nicely, with
wistful croons and some explosive moments. The message is pretty simple,
despite some nice imagery: he blames himself for a breakup.
"Welcome To My Wild World" opens to blazing guitars and an easily chanted hook. The English is awkward --the chorus is an approximation of the title -- but it still doesn't stop it from being a great pop-punk tune. There's a time change about 2:19 that's awesome and likely gives you the reason for this pandemonium. The song is playful and accessible, and here he sings about a wild time, probably being drunk and belligerent.
"Welcome To My Wild World" opens to blazing guitars and an easily chanted hook. The English is awkward --the chorus is an approximation of the title -- but it still doesn't stop it from being a great pop-punk tune. There's a time change about 2:19 that's awesome and likely gives you the reason for this pandemonium. The song is playful and accessible, and here he sings about a wild time, probably being drunk and belligerent.
The next
tune, "Breathing," is a slower soft rock
number. It starts out acoustic, but gets some flowing electric guitars in there
to guide the tune. It's sweet and smooth, withJaejoong's vocals ebb and flow
gently but urgently. It's a song about the ecstatic feeling he gets just by
being with his girl.
"All That Glitters" is a little faster than "Breathing," but not by much. It's a mature tune; already epic-sounding, Jaejoong's voice propels this song to ethereal heights, switching from slightly hoarse to high tenor, with some snaps in the bridge. This tune screams regret, as Jaejoong beats himself up mentally, and can't stop dwelling on his pain.
"All That Glitters" is a little faster than "Breathing," but not by much. It's a mature tune; already epic-sounding, Jaejoong's voice propels this song to ethereal heights, switching from slightly hoarse to high tenor, with some snaps in the bridge. This tune screams regret, as Jaejoong beats himself up mentally, and can't stop dwelling on his pain.
We
move on to "Meeting
Again, We Will Meet Again, But…Despite the
awkward-sounding title, it's not a mistake. It's a heartfelt ballad, with piano
and faux-orchestra. At the end they dial it back to just a piano and Jaejoong's angsty vocals. Breaking
up, he knows he'll see her again, and here's the "but": he's sad
because he knows how painful it will be.
"Run Away" is another ballad, but it's different than the others. He doesn't do much with his voice here, his even tenor beckoning and lulling us as it echoes around the tune, and it sounds a bit lonely. He's asking why, whenever he tries to love her, she runs away.
"You Know What?" is a mid-tempo, folksy
tune, done to an acoustic guitar. Commanding drum beats help tell the tale. Jaejoong handles the vocal duties
well. The melody is not bad, and certainly listenable, just not amazing. The
lyrics, however, are clever and playful, explaining how he's blamed for
everything while she gets off scot-free -- until his humorous reveal at the
end.
This is a lively, cross-genre work of art. There are elements here of Britpop, blues, ballads, grunge, hard rock, and pop punk. There are definite callouts to earlier genres and eras, but without being obvious or slavish. One thing's for certain: Jaejoong puts together a very slick package, and is far from being boring or predictable, re-inventing himself with every comeback. I'm giving this an enthusiastic thumbs up.
This is a lively, cross-genre work of art. There are elements here of Britpop, blues, ballads, grunge, hard rock, and pop punk. There are definite callouts to earlier genres and eras, but without being obvious or slavish. One thing's for certain: Jaejoong puts together a very slick package, and is far from being boring or predictable, re-inventing himself with every comeback. I'm giving this an enthusiastic thumbs up.
Dancer,
martial artist, painter, composer, each of these have their dreams, and each of
them chase their dreams, moving in time to the music. The MV is interspersed
with scenes of these characters pursuing their craft, along with performances
from Jaejoong.
Jaejoong does his best. He's not really a dancer as much as a performer, and here he grabs the mike and sings his heart out. Other scenes are largely fan service and don't do much for me (being a straight male).
Jaejoong does his best. He's not really a dancer as much as a performer, and here he grabs the mike and sings his heart out. Other scenes are largely fan service and don't do much for me (being a straight male).
The
wardrobe is okay. There's not much call for crazy costuming here, so the whole
thing is more realistic. The apparel is appropriate for the vignettes in the
MV. Jaejoong himself is in knee-high
boots and various button-downs. I like the shirts they put him in, I might as
well keep this for style suggestions.
It could all be a big mess, but it works. Each vignette has its own lighting and sets are realistic, if a bit spare. The camera work has that cinema verite feel to it, without being cheap or amateurish. All of it skillfully contributes to the message "follow your dreams." It's good without being grandiose, outstanding without being overwrought. Thumbs up.
It could all be a big mess, but it works. Each vignette has its own lighting and sets are realistic, if a bit spare. The camera work has that cinema verite feel to it, without being cheap or amateurish. All of it skillfully contributes to the message "follow your dreams." It's good without being grandiose, outstanding without being overwrought. Thumbs up.
