[Album Review] ROVER (3rd Mini Album) – KAI (EXO)

Finishing off today is the album review for Rover, KAI’s 3rd mini-album. Rover is KAI’s last album release prior to his enlistment in the military. However, we did get to see KAI in the two EXO pre-releases for EXIST (EXO’s more recent album release). Anyway, back to Rover. The mini-album was released back in March of this year, and features the title track of the same name and five other side tracks.

To me, Rover is a mix bag of an album release. There were some really good songs on the mini-album. But other songs earned a luke-warm response from me. Find out which songs on Rover got what type of response by reading the rest of the review below, and let me know if you agree with my sentiments of Rover and the individual songs.

1. Rover (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Rover. (9/10)

2. Black Mirror – Black Mirror is a solid hip-hop track that provides commentary on our dependence on social media on our phones, with the title Black Mirror making reference to what the phone becomes when it is off or not in use. I liked how the producers kept the song low, which takes advantage of KAI’s deeper tone quite well. On the flip side, however, I just found it hard to connect as there wasn’t anything memorable or catchy coming the song, especially when it came to the choruses. (7/10)

3. Slidin’ – With the R&B genre in play, Slidin’ enables KAI to bring a sensual tone to the song, which per past tracks sees KAI in familiar territory. This sensual tone allows more appealing moments to come to life, which helps makes the song more appealing and notable (when compared to the preceding track). The instrumentation, for the most part, consists of a continuous loop of a harp-like synth and trap elements. A heftier set of string comes into play at the very end of the song. Despite its late introduction in the song, it interestingly felt well-placed and (retrospectively) allows Slidin’ to finish on something that isn’t what we have heard previously in the track. (8/10)

4. Bomba – Bomba is the side track on this mini-album that caught my attention when the mini-album was released months ago. And it still continues to stand out for me. Bomba goes for a reggaeton-inspired instrumentation, whilst also bringing a pounding rhythm and some really nice synths into the mix. All of this makes Bomba into an effective track. KAI’s vocals were quite well executed and lively in this track (comparison to the other songs on the mini-album), and the melodies and repetitive hooks are all very catchy and memorable. A definite 10/10 for me. (10/10)

5. Say You Love Me – Say You Love Me returns the mini-album back to R&B and hip-hop territory. I found this track to be super easy to get into and enjoy, with a simple yet catchy chorus driving this home for me. I also really like how KAI becomes dynamic in his vocals and rapping in this track. My biggest gripe about Say You Love Me is that quivering synth we hear in the background. It just gives off an unstable vibe, which I didn’t think the song should be exuding. (7.5/10)

6. Sinner – Sinner begins with KAI’s deep yet monotonous-like vocals and a very minimalistic yet atmospheric instrumentation consisting of piano and synthesizer. I did wish the instrumentation in the beginning was a little tighter, just so KAI’s vocals felt more form-fitting. You kind of need to stick around to fully appreciate Sinner, which the start of the song might undermine. I personally felt that the producers went a touch too light on the instrumentation in the beginning, which might turn people away who gets the impression that Sinner is plain and lacking. If you do stick around, Sinner changes gears and intensifies towards the end of the song, allowing the synthesizer to take over the song and close it out in a well-rounded manner. (8/10)