Vocals: 7 / 10
Continuing on with the usual expectations from Super Junior’s vocals, the song is clearly dominated by Kyuhyun and Yesung. Ryeowook, who is usually also a standard in the Super Junior lineup, seems to have taken a more supportive role, only getting one main line and a few short belts in addition while Donghae seems to have stepped up via utility voice. This song sounds better with lower voices, favouring Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, and Yesung (and Donghae’s first line), so Sungmin, Kangin, and Ryeowook seemed out of place. Siwon, Shindong, and Leeteuk received like three second lines, something I find strange since the previous releases have been a little more balanced in terms of line distribution (especially selections from the 5th album). As far as the English in the song goes, Yesung and Donghae received a majority of the English, and both of them are…well, to put it simply, pretty bad at English. Actually, all of Super Junior are pretty terrible at English…speaking of which, I think I speak for everyone in that “Sexy, free, and single I’m ready too, bingo” is probably the most pathetic line ever. They could’ve at least paused for half a second to create the space needed between “too” and “bingo” but no. And even if they did, it’d still be a terrible line. I’ll just pretend the line is “Sexy, free, and single I’m ready to mingle.”
Appearance: 8 / 10
Has Super Junior ever disappointed in looks? Not really. Has there always been one awkward man out? Pretty much. Lately, it seems Donghae and Eunhyuk are getting more and more of the spotlight while Siwon gets less and less (is this because of Siwon’s various acting roles? I pray he is not the next Kibum). That said, even with Donghae and Eunhyuk getting more screentime, the others are still minimal compared to them, especially poor Shindong. A mix of hair colours with that at least looked okay with the full group. The blondes in Sungmin, Leeteuk, and Shindong pull the look off better than Eunhyuk did, especially since two of the three have been blonde before. However, it seems once Super Junior departed from the days of “Sorry Sorry”, “Bonamana”, and “Mr. Simple”, their outfits have deteriorated quite heavily. Just look at Siwon, Kyuhyun, and Leeteuk if you really want to see.
Dance: 9 / 10
This dance is upbeat, synchronized, and catchy, nothing new in terms of Super Junior choreography for the past couple of years. Continuing off the success of past releases, there’s a visually appealing fluid dance style. There really isn’t too much to say except for how hilarious the dance is during “Sexy sexy sexy.” Highlight: Eunhyuk’s dance segment was amazing. The sliding and all that while the rest of the members stood solemnly behind him was very classy, so much so that during this clip from the music video teaser, I thought it was a rap / dance bridge segment and not a line from the verse. The clapping and snapping in tune with the instrumental was also neatly coordinated. All in all, impressive work per usual.
Music Video: 5 / 10
I am being really lenient on SM here with this score. EXO had interesting enough sets with dust particles flying around with their “Oh~ Oh~” and f(x) had uniquely coloured sets to match the style of “Electric Shock”. But Super Junior literally has a white room with a black section running across. Are you ****ting me?! This is Super Junior, one of the veterans of the Korean music industry and they get something like this? The other sets aren’t exactly revolutionary either, to be honest. But, then again, this is Super Junior, who seem to have made their new home in these fancy sets for the past three years. The saving grace for this music video is the complimentary if not controversial (Leeteuk) costumes. Other than that, it’s merely another stereotypical (and this bears negative meaning here) music video from SM. “Let your artists out of empty rooms for crying out loud.” Or, at the very least, show the members doing something interesting circa “No Other,” like picking up girls or something, any action is better than none at all.
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Overall: 72 / 100
The question with Super Junior and “Sexy, Free, & Single” isn’t whether or not the release is in the right direction, it’s where they will go from here. The 6th studio album is one with the absence of Heechul, the return of Kangin, and signifies Leeteuk’s enlistment to military service. Having already managed the departures of Han Geng and Kibum, how will the group approach the future? Maybe Kibum will come back? With repackaged release in “Spy” showing some more of retro Super Junior, stuff may be looking up.
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