Category: Reviews

[Review] Love Scenario – iKON

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Making their long-awaited return to the stage is iKON with their second full-length album, Return. There is only one title track of this particular YG album, the title track being Love Scenario. This is the group’s first comeback since their promotions of Bling Bling and B-Day in May last year.

Am I the only one surprised they went with a more mellow track as their promotional single this time around? I did expect a more hard-hitting track, similar to how Bling Bling or debut was. But that being said, we know that iKON can handle this softer sound through some of their other singles in the past. I feel like the group did a good job with mixing it with their usual hip-hop style, which is definitely what they are known for.The instrumental was nice, definitely stripped back in comparison to their previous songs. The vocal work here is superb and the raps were (per usual) really good. For me, the best part of the track is when the members sing together during that final chorus. The harmonies there were really nice and it made the chorus feel a little catchier. To me, the only thing the song lacks is a catchy element. If there was something more prominent, I would have liked this track so much more. 

It is only the fourth week of the new year and I think we already have a contender for the Best Music Video awards for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. The way this video was shot in a way I don’t think we see much. The shots at the start of the bus stop, B.I’s slow-motion spinning shots, the lighting for Ju-ne’s solo moments and the choreography shots, all looked quite cool. I might be lousy when it comes to explaining the awesomeness of videos so I guess it is best if you all go watch this video to understand what I am getting at.

[Updated] The performance is quite fitting for the song. It doesn’t call for an intense choreography routine, which is exactly what the choreography avoids. I did like some of the moves, such as the one I saw at 0:32 – 0:35 of the music video or Ju-ne’s solo part.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 8.9/10 [Updated]

[Review] Baby It’s U – Jung Sewoon

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Jung Sewoon has made his first comeback since his debut last year with Baby It’s U and his second mini-album, Part: 2 After. A few months ago, Jung Sewoon debuted with Just U, after participating in Produce 101 Season 2 and finishing in 12th position.

Baby It’s U is described as a ballad but mixed with the EDM style of music. And while it does use two different extremes of music, the song works surprisingly well. It isn’t the first ballad/electronic mix that has been attempted but it is the first one in a very long time. That being said, don’t expect anything hard-hitting because it features EDM. It started off as an acoustic track but it soon progressed into a song that featured a softer form of EDM. The instrumental is quite balanced and very calming, which is something that I really like about this song. It allows his vocals to be at the forefront of the song, which something that I have grown to love since his debut track. I find the song quite catchy and addictive, so I am sure it will be another chart-topper like Just U was, on my Weekly Music Charts. Overall, the track is quite upbeat, fresh and definitely something I will be coming back to.

The music video feels more suited for that period leading into the Summer season. It is something that I am definitely noticing with many comebacks featuring that Summer feel in this videos (or songs) despite it is Winter in South Korea.  The video is made up of Sewoon walking around and enjoying great scenery. It definitely makes for a nice video to watch, with great cinematography. He does find a cylinder cypher, which he solves during the video (and this also made up the teasers for his comeback), which makes sense since he is singing about solving the puzzle to his lover’s heart. Overall, it is a good video complimenting well with the song.

The performance is quite nice. It isn’t anything impressive but it does a good job fitting in with both the ballad (i.e. the slower walking bits at the start) with the more upbeat moves during the chorus (and hence fitting in nicely with EDM side of the song).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] To Heart – fromis_9

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From another trainee survival program to their first big performance on the stage of the 2017 MAMA Awards held in Japan, fromis_9 has started out big. Now, they are back with their official debut track and mini-album, which both share the same title, To Heart. The MAMA version of their pre-release single, Glass Shoes, is also featured on the album.

To Heart is a decent song but it does suffer from that standardness that I tend to mention when I don’t think the song is that unique. This isn’t a major problem as the song does feel somewhat fresh from its upbeat and bright instrumental. I love the classical feel that the pop instrumental gives off, particularly the violins at the start (which were definitely ear-catching). At certain points, it felt like the song was definitely pulsing or thumping, which creates a really addictive and catchy beat. The vocals were equally as bright and energy filled as their instrumental, which goes hand-in-hand with each other. I do like how the vocals lead into the raps for this song. While it does go over 3 minutes, the song does end up as a blur sometimes, which isn’t another major problem but rather a surprise when the ending appears out of nowhere.  For a debut song, To Heart does the job quite well.

I love how they started with a home video of one of the members playing the violin and this leads perfectly into the song. I like the overall presentation of the music video, reminding me of Lovelyz’s past videos and GFriend’s school concept. But in a way, there is a different level of aesthetics given off in the video with it not being in a box. I actually like their outfits, which seemed to be a little posher and fancy. It is genuinely a great video to watch.

I really like their fist motion that they make during this performances. Looks really cool and could be the next big trend. I also like the ending for their performance as well (when they hold hands). For the most part, the performance was definitely upbeat and energetic like their song, so what more can you ask for?

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] In Love With Someone Else – Suzy

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Suzy is gearing up for comeback schedule for next week. And as a teaser, Suzy has pre-released a track, In Love With Someone Else, off her second mini-album, Faces of Love. This is Suzy’s first solo comeback since her official debut last year with Yes No Maybe.

Suzy’s pre-release takes the form of a ballad, which is no surprise as it tends to be the default genre for most pre-releases. Her ballad pre-release last year, Pretend, was pretty successful on the charts. So this comes with high expectations. And that she fulfils. It is your standard ballad. It features a really nice piano and violin instrumental which is more grounded in the background. That being said, when the song is required to build up to the chorus, it does so in your standard way but still giving off a grand feel. Suzy’s vocals are the main element of the song and it is clear how beautiful her voice is. You can literally feel the emotions that she had poured into the song which makes this a really good ballad to listen to.

I like the video was presented. The main part of the video is Suzy literally confessing to her now ex-partner that there is no longer there and that she is in love with someone else. I like it how she is singing her lyrics while doing so, which allows the audience to have some sort of a connection between Suzy in that scene. The rest of the video describes how they once the ideal couple (very lovey dovey) and how it progressed to the present point in time. I don’t think it showed Suzy actually falling for another person and I felt like that could have been added in to make it a little bit clearer. But from the lyrics and visuals already in the video, it was quite clear already.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Turn It Up – Rainz

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Adding to the long list of comebacks this week (that I need to get a move on and start writing the reviews for) is Rainz, who are returning with their latest title track, Turn It Up. Turn It Up is the main track of the group’s second mini-album, Shake You Up. For those who may have missed Rainz, the 7-member boy group made their debut late last year with Juliette.

To me, Turn It Up is a decent song but there is a quite a bit of confusion that hinders its potential. The song could have been that really cool and powerful dance hit but some of the segments just do not fit well with each other. Take the chorus and post-chorus (or bridge to instrumental dance break). They are distinctly different sounding sections of the song and the way they got from one to the other is quite uncomfortable. I feel like a better transition could have been utilised to make the song flow. For some reason, I also felt like the song took a little too long to get to the chorus. It just feels drawn out for a tad too long when I first listened to it and that feeling just stuck with me. But it is not all criticisms though. I feel like the instrumental (for each separate sections) were good and the vocal work/raps were pretty decent. It just be the sound structure of the song that doesn’t sit well with me.

Welcome to another post-apocalyptic world, which interestingly lasted for one-third of the video. The second third seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, which goes hand-in-hand with the first third. But the last third was a white background studio. I am not too sure of that choice, which feels a little odd when you look at the bigger picture. Majority of the video was just choreography shots, while a very small fraction was dedicated to close-ups. There just isn’t much else to comment on.

Choreography-wise, this is pretty good. I liked the intro to the performance, which doesn’t look that impressive when you compare to other performances but works wonderfully with the slow start. I liked how they matched the gradual buildup of the song in their moves. But the winning moment has to be the bridge and dance break that follows after. Very impressive.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Shinin’ – Jonghyun (SHINee)

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One month ago, KPOP (as a whole) lost a very dedicated and passionate artist, Kim Jonghyun, the main vocalist from SHINee. It was confirmed weeks prior that Jonghyun would be returning shortly with a new solo album. One month on, we finally are able to listen to the second and final album, Poet Artist, produced by Jonghyun, which was released in memory of the artist.

Shinin’ is a funky track that is quite upbeat in comparison to his past promoted songs. However, you get the same vibes from each of his songs. I haven’t been much of a fan of his previous works but this particular song was very easy on the ears and I easily got into it within the first listen. The instrumental isn’t overwhelming but managed to remain funky and retro, which is quite good. It feels like restraint was put onto the instrumental but it allowed the song to become more retro. An instrumental like this also allows his vocals to be the main attraction of the song. They were quite smooth. I particularly like the way he delivered the lines during the pre-chorus, which makes me come back to re-listen to the song. The “Baby, come in, you you you‘ chorus was really catchy and addictive. Overall, definitely, a new song that I would be replaying constantly.

Fitting in with the funky and retro sound is the music video. I like the ending of the video, which reminds me of some of the scenes that came out of the Tron movie. But needless to say, the light strobes patterns do bring a sense of nostalgia. I also liked how Jonghyun literally shone throughout the video. Not sure if it is intended originally but it definitely put him in the spotlight.

For this particular review, I have decided to forgo the rating, which is something that I put at the end of the reviews. In its place:

You Did Well, Jonghyun.

[Review] Spotlight – Monsta X

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With a number of Japanese releases unveiled in the last few weeks, I thought it would be nice to actually get some of these reviews out in weeks that follow the release, not months. One of these is Monsta X’s Spotlight, which happens to be their first original Japanese single since their debut in Japan last year.

As soon as we hear the first seconds of the song, it reminded me of their debut single, Trespass. It had a similar type of synth for the intro, which I thought was cool. The song is quite intense and you get that feeling from the very first second. But for a very intense feeling song, the chorus was rather weak, which is pretty ironic. The drop back into the chorus was underwhelming and it just didn’t have that element to make it memorable. If it had a more powerful drop and something that gave it a catchy touch to it, I would have been won over. All the other parts (verses and bridge) is what gave the song its definition and I pretty much liked that. I liked their contrasting sides within the verses, how they start off with the tough powerful raps and then allow the song to drop down to a slower yet smoother vocal sequence. It is a little different to what we are used to. The raps were amazing and the vocal work throughout the song was quite nice.

I like the simplistic route that they were going for when it came to the video. The most important equipment in the entire video was the spotlights, which I thought gave off a really cool effect in some sections of the video. It reminded me of BLANC7’s Yeah, which I already had liked. Clearly, this one had more money injected into the budget and this allowed it look more defined and flashy in a way to watch. This flashiness made the roughness of the song stand out.

Monsta X has been standing out recently for their performances and this just cements that idea. That intensity is definitely featured heavily throughout the song. While I did not enjoy the chorus of the song, the choreography stood out for me.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Candy Pop – TWICE

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TWICE’s One More Time was voted as the Best Japanese Song by a Korean Artist for 2017. You can see who else won in the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking the link here. 

TWICE is back in Japan with a brand new single, Candy Pop. This is their second single to date in Japan, the previous being the catchy and addictive One More Time.

And while One More Time was catchy and addictive, Candy Pop doesn’t really give off the same flare. It just doesn’t replicate or exceed that nature of their previous single, which disappoints me. The sound does feel like their Korean releases but does sound a lot fluffier, which I think suits the Japanese market. There were few good moments that showcased their vocals and the raps were quite nice as well. The song just doesn’t feel like it buildups at all. Instead, it tends to feature a number of moments where they strip back the instrumental, which seems to feel like the slowing down the song. But that just cuts the flow of the song for me. Any attempt to showcase a buildup has been undermined. The chorus was okay but I felt the same copy-paste formula just doesn’t work as well, making the chorus feel repetitive, especially by the time we reached the third and final chorus. These are just some of my thoughts in regards to the song. For the most part, it was still okay to listen to but I wouldn’t go out of my way to find the song to listen to.

The music video was far more interesting compared to the video. The introduction of the video reminded me of GOT7’s Just Right but the video takes on a different storyline. Essentially, TWICE are anime characters of a TV show in which the girl watches. They notice the disappointment on the girl’s face and go on a mission to cheer her up. They get into some trouble but with some help from JYP (or Brock) himself, they get to the girl’s room by conveniently smashing down a wall with their purple bus. Their presence itself complete cheers up the girl and all is fine. It is a fun video. The ending was probably really boring and dry. But the rest of the video was nice to watch.

We don’t see much of the choreography in the video. It just seems like the article regarding how similar their dance moves for their South Korean comebacks is applicable here between both their Japanese songs. I am talking about the move around the 4:00 mark of the video. But from what I could see from the rest of the video, the dance looked cute.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10 (I may return to redo the review for this part once I find an actual performance for this song)
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Real Men – The East Light

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It has been a long time coming but I am officially reviewing The East Light!! The 6 member boy band have been around since 2016, debuting with Holla. At the time of their debut, the group had an average age of 15. In 2017, the band made three comebacks with You’re My Love, Love Is… and I Got You. Managed by Media Line Entertainment, some of the members have been known to have participated in some variety shows such as Voice Kids, Superstar K3 and Produce 101 Season 2.

While I admit that I wasn’t that drawn to their previous works, Real Men sparked an interest due to their image change. More on that later but that’s the reason why I started to listen to the song. The sound of the song is definitely more mature than their past tracks but it also keeps to their more youthful sounds heard in their previous works. The track had a funky vibe, which was okay, but I felt like they could have gone a step further with the funkiness. That way, the track would have definitely been more appealing. That synth, which resembles the sound of something spiralling down, during the second half of the chorus was very ear-catching and worked well with the song. The vocal work, despite the higher pitch, was nice and a unique element that the group brings. Those ad-libs at the end just made everything feel so good. But the definite spotlight stealer was the rap sequence. It was quite addictive and a very strong element that made the song even better.

As mentioned before, I was definitely drawn to their more mature and darker concept. In pictures, it looked quite cool and definitely something I am drawn to in this industry. The video portrayed this very well. Part of me, however, felt the video felt a tad too dark but it allowed to add a level of aesthetics to the video. The black and white filter also worked well. Like the song, I like the rapper’s part of the music video. It definitely kept up with the tempo and intensity of the song. Overall, it is a good video to watch.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Heroine – Sunmi

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Sunmi was chosen as the Best Female Soloist and my pick for Best Choreography. She also ranked 9th on the 2017 KPOPREIVEWED End of Year Charts. To find out who else won the individual categories, click here. And to find out how your favourite song ranked for 2017, click here. 

Sunmi is officially back with her latest single, Heroine. Her return to the industry last year with Gashina became a chart topper and her performance became a hot trend in Korea and beyond. While Sunmi just dropped Heroine, it is apparent that she is an expected rival on the charts to any group or artist in the coming weeks.

When I first heard Gashina, I wasn’t a definite fan of the song. But with numerous listens later, I was on board the Sunmi fan train. Heroine definitely starts off on a much better foot with its instrumental attracting my attention from the very first listen. I like how it starts off with just the piano and as the song progresses through each subsection of the verse, the song builds up in a way that feels expected but still leaves you stunned. Her vocals are extremely soft at the start and like the instrumentation, it builds up wonderful to the pre-chorus where she just lets go of that restriction and project her vocals. I love the post-chorus saxophone type sound which gave off a funky yet intriguing appeal to the song. I thought the entire track was quite catchy and I predict within a days time, it will be the one track that I want to keep listening to.

Given Gashina and Heroine, I conclude two things. Only Sunmi can pull off a not-so-normal-looking solo dance performance in an empty location (I love her solo work at 1:30 – 1:46) and she likes her milkshakes. Both elements featured in the videos but it seemed to look more naturally occurring in this video. I love it when she walks forward and suddenly the spotlight is on her with the yellow curtains closing behind her. The entire video has an epic feel and I think the only reason why I think that is regarding how each scene was connected to the next. It gives off the feeling that all the differences throughout the video are interconnected somehow and that makes it a stunning video to watch.

I love her performance, once again. She used a table in Gashina and her choice of prop for Heroine were chairs. But that is not the main point. I love her sexy side and her moves during the post-chorus dance break was extremely cool. The chorus and various other parts gave off an edgy vibe, allowing this performance to incorporate multiple different styles into one.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

[Review] Roller Coaster – Chungha

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Kim Chungha was voted as the best new solo artist of 2017. To find out who else won in the individual categories, click here. To find out which song has been awarded the 2017 Best Song award, click here!

The Best New Soloist of 2017, Kim Chungha, has finally made her first comeback with Roller Coaster and her second mini-album, Offset. Kim Chungha previously made her debut with Why Don’t You Know last year, which definitely got her name out there in the industry.

Given the title, you expect the song to have some sort of thrill to it. And Chungha manages to deliver it with an upbeat song. It is not exactly thrill-seeking music but it has some momentum to it which I think it quite nice. The buildup to the chorus was great but the drop into the chorus felt (once again) underwhelming. Her vocals work stand out throughout the song, which suited the song really nicely. I liked how she ended the lines during the chorus with the slight upward bend of each final word (1:09-1:12, for example). My most favourite part would have to be the ‘Look’ during the pause just before the final chorus. While the instrumentation was quite cool, it did feel a little plain. It needed that kick in terms of intensity, which could have been satisfied with a fitting rap sequence. An instrumental break that allows for a rocking dance break or just some bass during the chorus could have lifted the song to a whole new level. Overall, despite it needed something else, it is still a decent song to check out.

It has been a while since we have seen neon lights and colours in KPOP. There isn’t much to the video but it was still a nice video to watch. While I have expressed in the past that I am not a fan of the light images that are displayed on the wall (and the singer just standing in front of them), I thought they were a nice addition to the music video. Sure, they can be distracting at times but I felt they looked good this time around. The choreography shots also looked quite nice.

To me, there is a cute side to the choreography (i.e. the start of the chorus) but the performance mainly focuses on the sexy side of the spectrum (i.e. all other moves). I actually thought it was a really cool dance routine to watch and cannot wait for the live stages.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] My Flower – JBJ

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The 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards have ended and the results are out. To find out who won in the individual categories, click here. To find out which song has been awarded the 2017 Best Song award, click here!

JBJ have made their return with My Flower. The project group made their debut last year with Fantasy and is due to disband later this year. However, there have been talks of JBJ extending their contracts, which is clearly a thing that fans want to hear about! This comeback comes in the form of their second mini-album, which is titled as True Colors.

To me, My Flower is very standard. It feels like a traditional pop song that doesn’t have much within itself to make it a memorable track, which is disappointing since Fantasy was a really good song. The song does have some colour or flare to it but I just don’t think it is enough to be another great track. I liked the falsettos during the chorus, which were somewhat catchy. I liked the instrumental during the post-chorus parts, giving off a faster tempo and more intensity than the other parts of the song. But that is all I can say. The first rapper wasn’t horrible but his parts felt unfitting for the song. The drop into the chorus felt underwhelming and the ending to the post-chorus instrumental break just seemed misplaced in the middle of the track (it felt more like something that should have been only at the end of the track). Overall, it was definitely a let-down in many ways but still listenable in others.

While I didn’t like the song as much as I hoped I would, the music video was a far more superior aspect of the comeback. The video reminded of the similar concept previously done by Oh My Girl. Just a lot more simplistic in terms of its presentation. And I liked it. The white background allowed the members to pop (with their coloured clothing) and the use of colours as the video progressed just made everything feel more bold and vibrant. The use of the coloured lights during the post-chorus definitely added to the moment.

There are two sections of the choreography which I liked. The first being the second half of the chorus (this could become viral) and the second part is the post-chorus instrumental break. Besides that, everything else was good but not as memorable.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] Quit – Jang Wooyoung (2PM)

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The End of 2017 Charts have been released and if you haven’t yet to check which song was selected as the Best Song of 2017, click here to check it out!

Last week, Jang Wooyoung teased the start of his promotions for this latest mini-album, Bye, by releasing the pre-release track, Going Going. Now, with the actual min-album officially out yesterday, Wooyoung has powered ahead with his promotions, with the release of the music video for this title track, Quit. He also released a separate music video for Party Shots and a special video for Don’t Act.

Wooyoung takes an unexpected turn with his main title track. Something along the lines of Going Going or Party Shots would have been understandable, but Quit is just completely surprisingly for me. The song starts with an acoustic guitar, strumming out a pretty nice rhythmic piece. Throughout the entire song, the guitar remains as the centrepiece of the instrumental, which is definitely interesting. They did bring out some percussion but it was much more light compared to the instrumental. What the song does best is bring out Wooyoung’s vocals really well, which isn’t something that you get often. It doesn’t feel masked in any way and just makes the song feel raw and pure. Despite the chill vibes from the song, his vocals add the emotional touch to the song. Overall, while it definitely was not the route I expected Wooyoung to go, its unexpectedness just puts the song into a stronger spotlight, in my opinion.

The entire music video is set after a breakup and how it has an affect on a person’s life. It plays nicely with the song and is definitely a toned down concept that mirrors the toned down nature of the song. Despite that, however, the video was more on the boring side of the spectrum. There just wasn’t enough to make me feel that interested in the video.

I suspect this will have a performance to it but we won’t see one before Thursday (if I am not mistaken). I will update this review (and the Block B review) on Thursday or Friday this week.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Album Review] Top Seed (3rd Studio Album) – Infinite

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Another very long album review for you all. Infinite returned last week with their third album and I intended to publish this at the end of last week. A few things popped up which prevented me from doing so. Regardless, the review is completed and published for your viewing pleasure. I won’t write anymore due to the length of this review.

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Top Seed Album Cover

1..Begin (Intro Track) – Starting off the album is your Infinite styled mash-up between an orchestral piece and something similar to their title track. While I don’t tend to review the intro track to most albums, I have to say I really like the clashing cymbals in this one.

2. Tell Me (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Tell Me. (7.9/10)

3. Synchronise – I am on the fence in regards to this song. It seems like the instrumental (particularly during the chorus) drowned out the vocals and it also felt overwhelming, Despite that, the rolling drum beat was nice and the transition between verses to the chorus was pretty good. I like the extension of the instrumental at the end of the song. The only other thing I am disappointed in was the lack of a rap segment, which felt expected. (6/10)

4. No More – I felt that this song wasn’t that interesting. Despite that, it had some elements which made it a decent song. It features great harmonies from the members. In regards to the previous songs, it is definitely nice to hear a song that is tone down. The vocals were nice and so was the rap sequence. (5/10)

5. TGIF (Dongwoo Solo) – This is first of three solo songs that featured on the album. The song does a good job at presenting the vocal and rapping talents of Dongwoo. I thought the chorus was really well done. The buildup to the bridge was nice but the instrumental break was too awkwardly placed and broke the flow of the song. (8.5/10)

6. Pray (Maetal’s Sorrow) (기도 (메텔의 슬픔)) – Pray has a dramatic start to the song, which is something that drew me to it. The orchestral instrumental had an interesting tango twist to it. I really enjoyed the epic feel to it but I felt that the song could have used more powerhouse vocals to make it even better. (8/10)

7. Why Me (왜 날)– It is your typical ballad but I have to say that the vocals were on point throughout the song. In particular, Sunggyu stood out during his parts in the chorus. Once again, it is a great song to sway to, which makes it a good song in my book. (7/10)

8. Wind (분다) – Starting off the track are whistles along with some acoustic guitars, which draw your attention in. Once the upbeat chorus is unleashed, the acoustic guitar takes a turn and transition into electric guitars, which I thought was incredibly cool. The harmonies during the post-chorus were awesome. Sungjong shined the brightest, particularly in his part during the bridge. I particularly like this song a lot. (9/10)

9. I Hate – The rock-based song adds another genre to the album and they nailed it. And despite me liking the song, there isn’t much to comment on. The vocal work from each member is amazing here as well, but Dongwoo’s rough vocals fit the song so well. (9/10)

10. Reminisce (지난 날 ) (L Solo) – L has always had a great voice when I hear him in Infinite songs, so his solo work obviously put forwards his underrated vocals. And while it shows off his capable vocals, the song is rather plain for my taste. (6/10)

11. Love Song (고백) (Sungjong Solo) – Sungjong gets the honour of being the last member to have a solo song featured on the album. Love Song is like that Spring ballad that gets released each year. It has a very bright feel, accounted for by the instrumentals. And both vocals and instrumental complement each other really well. (6/10)

12. Begin Again – We began the album with Begin and now we must Begin (another chapter) Again. It is an upbeat song that has a really great chorus and the vocals (along with the harmonies during the chorus) just made so much better. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.5/10

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Top Seed Teaser Image

[Review] Going Going – Jang Wooyoung (2PM)

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Jang Wooyoung will be back with a brand new solo mini-album in South Korea next week. Despite this, Wooyoung has dropped a pre-release titled as Going Going for the fans on Monday, which is why we are here today. Wooyoung has been active in South Korea for the past few years after 2PM went on a hiatus to allow the members to individually enlist in the military. I just haven’t got around to review any of his solo works since Sexy Lady in 2012.

Anyone called for a throwback to the 90s? Going Going is a track that is overloaded with all the same elements (e.g. disc scratching) and vibes as some of the popular music from the 90s. And in reference to my earlier review today, I still think this track could have been a great title track for the Summer months, due to its vibrant sound. But this is just a pre-release, so I guess we have to let that slide. The drums in this song is definitely a successful attempt at trying to get the song to stick in my mind. That bridge with the consecutive drums was definitely a highlight. His English lyrics did catch me off guard when I first listened to it, making me doing a double take back to check the lyrics to be sure I heard correctly. And while I did like the vibrancy of the music, I wasn’t sure about the chorus. It just felt a little plain, in comparison to some of the other parts of the song. I feel like the verses had a lot more colour when compared to the chorus. Great song, though.

Following that vibrancy, the video is clearly shot to make it fit that Summer season. I just don’t know why the video was hit with a dark or pale filter, which really felt unnecessary in my point of view. Some of the shots didn’t seem to have the filters, which was pleasing to watch. Besides that, I don’t think there was much else to the video to comment on.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Like Paradise – Kriesha Chu

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The winners of the KPOPREVIEWED Awards 2017 have been announced! Check out who won by clicking here!

Time to review a brand new artist! Kriesha Chu is technically not a new artist, as she made her formal debut with Trouble last year in May. For those who are not familiar with Kriesha Chu, she came runner-up on KPOP Star 6, which aired in 2016 and 2017. Like Paradise is her first comeback and the title track off her first mini-album, Dream of Paradise.

Like Paradise is a decent song that introduces me to Kreisha Chu. The song does a feel a little bland, in my opinion. The song doesn’t really peak for me. Instead, it remains too consistent from start to end. That’s the biggest problem that I have with the track. The EDM chorus was very nice (particularly the launch into the chorus), with her vocals compliment the style. I just feel that this song would have done a lot better in the Summer months. The EDM and synths do give off a somewhat bright vibe. It isn’t like a particular sound can only exist in its stereotypical season but I personally do not think it works this time around. Her presence in the song did leave a strong impression on me and I am interested to see what else she has up her sleeves. Initially, it did take a few listens to get into (hence the delayed review). But now, I like it quite a bit and don’t mind it playing in the background if it appeared on my playlist.

Some of the shots looked quite nice in this video. I am always complimenting the drone shots when it comes to some of these videos that are set outside. The video also featured a little storyline. The two girls used to be best of friends. But after discovering they liked the same guy, their friendship turns sour despite their attempts to make it work. I feel like the part when they reunite seems a little unresolved. What happened to the dude? Did they both take a step back from him and this allowed them to be friends once again? Or did he step back because he was feeling troubled? The video doesn’t really say much in regards to this and I feel like it should have been addressed since that is a major part of the video. But overall, it was a nice video to watch.

The performance just lacks energy. I know she is trying her best to come to a compromise between singing live and take on the choreography. But I feel like the dance is weak, to begin with. I just don’t think the performance is interesting enough to watch.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6/10