Contemporary Package Showcasing K-Pop Now
It’s an impressive solo debut. Beginning
with slow jam style title ‘Ace’ through ‘Danger’ to the last song ‘Play Me’,
it’s no exaggeration to say it is hard to find fault with this album in the
completeness of song and the singer’s talent and capability. The highlight is
‘Danger’, a song that can match up with SHINee’s representative song
‘Sherlock.’ Sleek, flowing, and even speedy, this convincingly arranged song can be assessed as
a certain climax K-Pop can reach. It makes much of multi-layered tracks, in
which you can recognize the composer Thomas Troelsen’s excellent sense. The
album is also diverse in genre. Slow jam songs ‘Ace’ and ‘Play Me’ begin and
end the album, while it is balanced with electro pop ‘Danger’ and extended with
the funky rhythm of ‘Wicked’. Well, this album did its best to give the
impression of ‘contemporary’ with the six songs, and did it right once again in
image as well as in sound. It is an album that shows what K-Pop is with “catchy
tunes, good singing, attractive bodies, cool clothes, mesmerizing movements,
and other attractive attributes in a nonthreatening, pleasant package” as
defined by Korean Studies scholar John Lie. (Written by BST)
Completing A Boy’s Growing-Up History
Sometimes I look back on SHINee’s career.
Every time, I imagine how pleased old
SHINee members would be that when young, they kept getting such good music,
singing nice songs and making nice performances. Of all the idol groups I know,
SHINee is writing the most remarkable career.
It is the same with this album. Taemin
hasn’t been noticed musically as a SHINee member, but this album will become
his turning point. His music and vocal
is winning acclaim. It also completes Taemin’s ‘growing-up history’.
Besides, what is noticeable is the name
Deez in the credit for high quality slow jam ‘Ace’.
SHINee’s and Taemin’s music, with Jinbo and
Deez joining in, is sure to be a nice present to fans of black music. (Written
by KBH)
Credits: juju, Naver
