[Album Review] Color (2nd Mini Album) – Kwon Eun Bi

The next album on the reviewing front is Kwon Eun Bi’s Color, her second mini-album since her debut last year with Door and Open. I unfortunately have not reviewed Open. However, I put on her second mini-album on my reviewing agenda as I wanted to expand on the different artists who I commonly write album reviews for. And with the title track Glitch (and ESPER, her single for the UNIVERSE app) impressing me, it felt logical for me to expand and include Kwon Eun Bi. After all, who knows what I might discover.

While Color might not be the knockout album I am looking for, it was still a particularly decent one. The album, consisting of five tracks and one introductory track (not included in the final rating), starts off with dance tracks and eased out a series of ballads. It is two sides of the spectrum, but we get a bit of variety as a result (and that is always a good thing). Check out the mini-album and let me know what you think on the overall album and the individual tracks, as well!

1. The Colors of Light – Starting off this mini-album is the intro track The Colors of Light. This is primarily an instrumental track (aside from the faint whisper of ‘Like a glitch’ in the background towards the end of the song). The track begins with this scenic and dreamy instrumental piece that reminds me of the playlist I play when I go to sleep. But The Colors of Light hints at what is to come as it glitches up. Some of the glitches resembles the title track, while others are much harsher and abrasive. However, the track soon normalizes back on the dreamy aspect just before we ease out of the song.

2. Glitch (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Glitch. (9/10)

3. Magnetic – The violins make Magnetic intriguing and keeps me around for the rest of the song. And I am glad that was the case as Magnetic was a pretty awesome song overall. Its chorus was quite charming and there was some nice flow in the song. Kwon Eun Bi sounds amazing throughout and impressed me with her more powerful moments and ad-libs. I think it would have been nicer to hear the very brief rapping earlier in the song (i.e. second verse) but in a more fulfilling manner. I think Magnetic calls for it and this potentially could have taken the song to the next level for me (provided it was executed well). (8/10)

4. Colors – Colors is a neat R&B ballad track. While the entirety of the song is pretty straight forward, I enjoyed Kwon Eun Bi’s is delicate vocals at the start of the song and how it builds towards the end to give the ending a definite and conclusive ending. The presence of both delicate and defined vocals helps keep the song from falling into neutral territory and allows the song to be somewhat more impressive. (7/10)

5. Speed of Love (우리의 속도) – Next up is a ballad, slowing the album down even further. The combination of the jazzy styled instrumentals and Kwon Eun Bi’s youthful and smile-inducing vocals in this song makes it a really soothing piece. Speed of Love features swayable and drifty melodies that makes this a strong track. I liked the golden aura that comes from the song, and the old Hollywood style start. (9/10)

6. OFF – OFF continues the slow momentum of the album with another ballad. The swaying melody is a lot more noticeable in this song, as it isn’t masked up by other elements or characteristics. This is because the producers allow Kwon Eun Bi’s vocals to be the focal point of the song, with the accompanying instrumental being small and soft for the most part. It isn’t something unique, but it is spectacular and ends the album the opposite manner to how it started. (8.5/10)