Park Yuchan made his solo comeback a few weeks back with his very first solo album. Both the album and title track are titled Slow Dance. If you missed the review, you can find a link to it in the review section below. I was contemplating whether to review this album when it was released (like I do for most albums). Though, I needed very little persuasion after seeing a number of people requesting me to have a look at the album, along with the number of retweets and likes that I received on Twitter for the review. And I am glad you all directed my attention to the album as I have found some really memorable songs. So without any more delay, I present to you my thoughts and opinions regarding Yuchan’s album.
1..Slow Dance (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Slow Dance. (8.5/10)
2. Strong – Strong is that sleek type of song that you just want to continually replay. Like Slow Dance, the song doesn’t have that ‘KPOP feel’. The instrumental for the most part is acoustic and has this Western feel to it which I really enjoy listening to. I am loving that guitar that features towards the end of the song (the highlight of the song!!). But there is that odd electronic record scratch in the instrumental (at the start and after the first chorus). If you thought the song was getting boring in any way, the scratches attempt to regain your attention (as it is louder than the rest of the instrumentation). And boy, did they surprise me (I had the volume up). Like the instrumental, Yoochun’s vocals aren’t KPOP-like. I really like his husky tone and the melody just makes it so better. (10/10)
3. We Met Again (재회) – We Met Again is a ballad fitting for an OST to a romantic drama. For those who don’t know, one of the criteria I have with ballads is a ‘swaying effect’. I know, it sounds very elementary. But you know those songs where the crowd puts their hands up and sways along to the flowy instrumental? That is what I look for. And this has that exact swaying effect. The melody was very beautiful. Once again, the guitar was nice in this song. The title alludes to a very emotionally driven song. But I found that his vocals didn’t feel that emotional. Instead, I think the best way to describe the song is that it takes you on a journey. Once the song ends and he sings the final line ‘I’m standing in front of you’, you also feel like you have walked the same path as Yoochun and arrive at the same place as he did. I can imagine a music video of him walking along a breezy road as this is where I want to be listening to this song. This was my interpretation of the song and the exact feelings I had while listening to the song for the first time. (9/10)
4. Thorn (가시덤불) – Thorn is another ballad and it starts off with Yoochun’s deep vocals. I really like the raspy sounds he produces when he goes quite low. It gives a nice texture and immediately separates this song from the previous ballad. And I liked how he maintained the same voice from start to end. I found this to be very impactful and made this song stand out in its own way. The instrumental was your typical classical instrumented ballad, but it sounds so beautiful. When done right, I fall for the song and this is one of those cases. Like the previous track, the title hints towards a heartbreaking song. The lyrics that I can find seem to reflect upon pain and suffering one have experienced. He vocals just make it sound so real and painful. The song brought me to a standstill for both meaning and execution. (10/10)
5. Magic – Following two ballads, Magic changes up the mix with a more upbeat song. I like his vocals in this song. Instead of going for what he has already presented with us in this album, his vocals are rather nasally. I also enjoyed the falsettos he gives us. Both of these aspects combine to become a very nice vocal combo. The instrumental features this groovy beat that I think it rather infectious. You could feel the happiness coming off the song. Overall, I thought it was a smooth song. Not the most outstanding song on the album in my opinion. But because this song is surrounded by ballads, I am glad that there was some good energy coming from a song off the album. (8/10)
6. Everything Is Memorable (뒤돌면 모든 길이 추억이라) – This song is another ballad and I think he goes slightly deeper than in Thorn (Please note I don’t study music – nor have a musical bone in my body. So, this whole blog is based on what I feel and what I think of when it comes to a song). He vocals don’t remain too deep however for the length of the song. For the second verse onwards, he pushes his vocals out and it showcases his ability and variety. Instead of a ballad like we have gotten thus far, there seems to be a soft jazz influence to the instrumental, giving it a different feel to Thorn or We Met Again. It is another good song from Yoochun but I don’t necessarily connect with the song and hence I don’t enjoy it as much as his previous ballads. (7.5/10)
7. Graduation (졸업) – ‘Completing’ the album is Graduation, seems to be another ballad. But rather focusing on heartbreak or emotions, Graduation is rather uplifting and bright. I genuinely like the melody from start to end. The verses were very refreshing and the way he sings the chorus gives me the impression that he is rather proud. Given a song titled ‘Graduation’, this makes quite a lot of sense. I thought the ending was rather odd. It seemed like he pushed a lot of lyrics into a small section of the song and it felt somewhat rushed. But he manages to pull it off without a hitch and hey, it is another happy song to just kick back to and enjoy. I honestly have nothing else to say about the song, which is not a bad thing in this case. (8/10)
Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10
KPOPREVIEWED 