Ryeowook (Super Junior)

[Album Review] Drunk In Love (2nd Mini Album) – Ryeowook (Super Junior)

January 10, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Ryeowook (Super Junior), Super JuniorLeave a comment

It is time for some more album reviews. Like last year, I will be reviewing the 2019 albums every Thursday and Sunday, while this year album reviews released on Tuesdays will be for the ‘older albums’. And kicking off the 2019 series is Ryeowook’s Drunk In Love. Intrigued by his opposing singles (see reviews below), I thought I check out the album. One of my many misconceptions regarding the singers who release ballads is that they only release ballads. But as you tell by my review coming up, this isn’t the case – which means I have a lot of albums to check out!

ryeowook-drunkinlove-2 — *Drunk In Love* Album Cover

1..I’m Not Over You (너에게) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of I’m Not Over You. (10/10)

2. One and Only (우리의 거리) (Pre-Release Track) – One and Only is one of the many songs on the album that do not fall into the typical ballad category. Instead, it takes on a mid-tempo pop vibe, which sounds quite good. The song is bright and very soothing. I like the way Ryeowook’s vocals glide over the instrumentation, contributing to that soothing factor. I really liked his harmonies with the backing vocals, which add depth to the song. I also liked that high pitched distortions, which added a quirky factor to the song. Overall, it is a nice track to listen to on a sunny day. (8/10)

3. Drunk In The Morning (취해) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Drunk In The Morning. (10/10)

4. Without You – Without You is probably my most favourite track on this list. I liked everything about it. The pop instrumental (which has some orchestral mixes in it) really gives the song a nice burst of energy and it makes the song feel quite like a Western pop song. I also think his vocals in the song were smashing. They were really showcased in this song and go amazingly with the instrumental. I enjoyed the melody of the song, which made the song catchy. (10/10)

5. Something Good – Continuing on with the bright theme of the album is Something Good, which is another exceptional song. Once again, Ryeowook’s vocals are showcased throughout the song. But I think this song stands out for the sudden burst and change to the song through the chorus. And I liked how this is continued yet maintained throughout the rest of the track. It is a little in your face but it does work. It is also another catchy song and it does do ‘something good’ to the listener. (9.5/10)

6. Sugar – Given the title of the song, you can’t really direct a song titled ‘Sugar’ down an emotional route. Sugar goes for a fun sounding track that seems to have a subtle retro influence. The sweetness doesn’t really kick in until the young child begins singing. It gives the song a really cute touch and makes unique as it isn’t something that any KPOP idol has done thus far. I also thought Ryeowook’s ad-libs really ended the song on a very polished note. (9/10)

7. The 2nd Story (파란 별) – Ending the album is a ballad. I am not too sure about the context of this track as I can’t find anything under ‘The 1st Story’ that is associated with Ryeowook (I expected there to be a prequel). The song itself is a typical ballad. Not too emotional but not too boring. Ryeowook’s vocals are huskier in this song than any other song. I also like how peaceful the instrumental was, which was quite nice. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.1/10

ryeowook-drunkinlove-3 — *Drunk In Love* Teaser Image

[Review] Drunk In The Morning – Ryeowook (Super Junior)

January 4, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Ryeowook (Super Junior), Super Junior1 Comment

Earlier this week, Ryeowook made his solo comeback with I’m Not Over You, which he is promoting as the main title track for this latest album release, Drunk On Love. I am not sure about the nature of Drunk In The Morning (i.e. if it is another title track or just a secondary track /ut a music video for it was released today, resulting in the publication of this review.

Drunk In The Morning gives us one side of the spectrum of ballads. That strong power vocal and moving instrumental that I think is seen as the more traditional style of ballads. However, the instrumental is a little non-traditional, featuring a mixture of modern synths and an orchestra. But it does a wonderful job of showcasing that emotional picture. But it is the Ryeowook’s power vocals that give the song a painful touch, while also giving that level of impact that I seek in songs, which means the song is memorable. I’m Not Over You shows a ballad at the opposite end of the spectrum as it approaches the genre in a different manner. Given the nature of these two contrasting songs, I am genuinely interested in what the rest of his album will be like. Hence, I will write an album review for Drunk In Love to be published next week! You heard it first here!

I liked how this music video connected with Ryeowook’s music video for I’m Not Over You. Some of the sets are similar, particularly the one with the satellite dishes (in the other video) and the payphone (in this video). Even the same love interest is shown here (but with different feelings to match the song, of course). Something must have happened between videos to let it get to this state! I think Ryeowook’s acting in this video is commendable. His vocals already bring pain to the song. But it is his acting that really consolidates all of that emotion and set it into stone for me.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] I’m Not Over You – Ryeowook (Super Junior)

January 2, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Ryeowook (Super Junior), Super Junior2 Comments

The first major comeback of 2019 is Ryeowook’s long-awaited solo comeback, I’m Not Over You. This is his first release since his departure from his military enlistment and The Little Prince comeback back in 2016. He also rejoined Super Junior for the One More Time promotions in October of 2018. His solo comeback was supposed to be back in December of last year (with teasers released) but was delayed last minute until today due to health concerns. Hopefully, Ryeowook has fully recovered and is able to showcase his vocals and music releases this year.

Following The Little Prince, I’m Not Over You takes the ballad route. It is a nice ballad with soothing piano instrumentation. There was also some orchestra in the instrumental. It was very lightly featured during the start of the song. Almost inaudible because the piano was the main instrument heard. It builds up gradually as the song progresses, going for a climatic and epic peak during the bridge of the song. This drew my attention to the song as it added energy and a very attention-grabbing period of music to the slow ballad. It slows down for a moment afterwards but climaxes once again during the final chorus. Besides the instrumental, we need to discuss Ryeowook’s vocals which were superb. His vocals were perfect for the ballad with the title ‘I’m Not Over You‘ being the one line that just I anticipate every time I listen to the song. That falsetto during the bridge was definitely another highlight to the song and showcases his skills in a jaw-dropping manner.

I think the video was pretty good. The scenes we saw throughout the video simply showed the main story. That was, Ryeowook is searching for his lover using the many satellite dishes and tracking computers that he has in his room. But while that seems to be a tad too technological for a ballad, that isn’t the case whatsoever. Ryeowook was shown singing in these sets, reminding us that the song is the main attraction and that the video was a simple aid in helping us understand the music video.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

Rewind: January 2016

February 13, 2016February 6, 2016Posted in RewindTagged Crush, Dal Shabet, GFriend, iKon, IMFACT, Ryeowook (Super Junior), Taeyeon (SNSD), Teen TopLeave a comment

2016 has started and we are already one month into the year. Damn time flies. And by the time you are reading this, we already be 1 and a half month in. Is that Christmas bells I hear in the far distant? Hahahaha… This is my revamped Rewind post for the month of January of the year 2016. Let’s go!

Major News

Probably the biggest news of the month is in regards to Tyuzu’s controversy in China. Now, while most of this is political, here is just a brief run down of what I know is going on. Tyuzu was seen on a broadcast holding a Taiwan flag and saying proudly that she is Taiwanese. China (and I say its people) did not like the idea and decided to censor her. She issued an apology, but some people think JYP forced her to do so, as now all his artists (GOT7 and 2PM were reported in the news) have been “shut out the country”. It has gone far as Twice’s stage being left out of the Golden Disk Awards when it was broadcast live in China, which for who do not know, is a Korean award show that was supposed to be held in China, but due to certain circumstances was moved back to South Korea. All I have to say is that she is probably now scarred for life. Everyone always talk about equality and to be proud of who you are. And sadly this is a reflection of how hypocritical the world is.

Major Comebacks

GFriend made their slaying comeback in January with Rough and have since been stealing all the music show’s trophies this week (which happens to be February, but since they officially made their comeback stages in January…). They have proven to be a powerful force and given that they only made their debut last year, makes this an amazing feat. Congrats 여자친구.

Other artists that made their comeback in January are: Teen Top, Dal Shabet, Zico (Block B), Stellar, Cross Gene , The Legend, Shin Hye Sung (Shinhwa) and many other artists.

Major Debuts

Ryeowook from Super Junior made his official solo debut this past month (28th of January) with The Little Prince, a ballad. While quite popular, he is currently competing with GFriend on the music shows and unfortunately been placing second.

IMFACT is also another rookie group that made their debut on the 27th of January. Their song, Lollipop, is currently one of my most played songs and I am actually listening to this song while I am writing this. Hahaha..

Other debuts in the past month include: Yezi (Fiestar), SUS4, & CocoSori

Polls

I did ask you all which iKON song you guys liked the most since their debut. The results are in and the most liked iKON song is: Airplane and Dumb & Dumber. Both scored 25% of the votes. My Type, Rhythm Ta, Anthem and Apology all scored 13%. What’s Wrong did not receive any votes.

Top 5 Songs for the Month!

And that is it for the January of 2016. February’s rewind is going to be a long one with all these confirmed comebacks.

The Little Prince – Ryeowook (Super Junior)

February 2, 2016July 10, 2016Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Ryeowook (Super Junior), Super Junior1 Comment

The first release from SM this year and this time, it is also a solo release of a member of a popular band. Ryeowook, one of the main vocalists from Super Junior, has officially made his solo debut, joining the ranks of band member Kyuhyun. Ryeowook is also the second member to make his solo debut from Super Junior.

The song, is what we all expected from Ryeowook, a ballad. For his vocals, I have never been a big fan. His voice seems ordinary and there really is nothing to celebrate every time I hear his voice. He also has a high pitch voice, which never seems to fit in with the rest of the band. But this song highlights his voice and damn does he sound good or what? The song captures his vocals and makes good use of them. As for the song itself, I feel fine listening to just the instrumental. As you can tell, totally digging the orchestral sound. The verses seem a little bland, but the rest of the song (chorus + bridge) sounds catchy and really nice. (Secretly enjoying the chorus) I love how the song starts off super slow and builds up as we listen to more of it. His vocals do a good job at handling and balancing that build up in the song, making it sound as nothing complex is going on. The lyrics of the song are based off that famous French book of the same title, The Little Prince. So, what can you conclude from this paragraph? His voice is too damn good. And his song is amazing as well.

The video was a little boring to watch in my point of view. I have to say, the sets of the video were beautiful artworks that were made to look like the real deal. We see him struggle against his problems in the video, and while his expression is a little dull (we could have seen a little more acting), the way he interacts with the objects around him make up for it and display the “man in pain” that we know from the book. The imagery of the video was amazing, such as the pouring of wine on the white rose and the small snippets of burning pages and pictures from the book made the video look artistic and very beautiful. The colours give off that really nice Autumn night feel, which I think looks fantastic. But as a whole, I am not drawn to the video as I am with the song. I may have yawned when I was watching the video a few times.

Overall, the song was amazing and the video was great. 8.5/10