Seungyeon starts off the song and immediately I get the KARA vibes equivalent to the "Lupin" and "Pandora" releases. To me, these were some of their best songs so I was looking forward to the rest. The line distribution is rather mediocre to be honest, with Youngji getting pretty much no lines but that'll be touched upon later. Seungyeon and Gyuri handle the bulk of the vocals, especially the excellent work at the end of the song. Gyuri has such a voice that I don't know how to describe, but regardless she shines here in "Cupid," utilizing her high range and pristine voice. Gyuri's voice definitely is "imperial." Gyuri might be the goddess but as far as visuals go in "Cupid" she surrendered that title to Hara.
Speaking of, Hara is definitely the superstar of this comeback. Her vocal improvement since "Mamma Mia" is very evident and I'm proud to see her progress so far. She's stable, and she just sounds good. Most of the Hara we know is rather weak in the vocal department, so this is very much appreciated for both herself and her fans I'm sure. She is also stunning in this video. I generally prefer the darker hair for KARA but goddamn Hara looks flawless. Not to mention that "Cupid" is thankfully free of the tacky hairstyles that were seen in "Mamma Mia." It's kind of a disappointment that the dance was such a letdown, because it would've been another area where Hara could shine but beggars can't be choosers.
Youngji's primary appearance is in the rapping, which came as a surprise somewhat. I was surprised since I didn't expect this song to have a rap but at the same time, with all the other members having (hogging) all the lines it makes sense that she would show up with a rap. The rap itself isn't bad. She has good enunciation and flow, but her voice is really soft, which whether intentional or not, is disrupted heavily by the instrumental. If you're watching the video, it just looks like it's some awkward dance break with various shots of Youngji.
The seemingly random spray of English in all KARA songs makes another return in "Cupid." While I've never been a fan of it, it's something I have grown used to by now and isn't bad enough to make me cringe. What did though, is the disappointment of choreography. While it didn't make me cringe per se, this dance pales in comparison to the frantic moves of "Mamma Mia" which definitely helped KARA make a statement with that comeback. The choreography in "Cupid" is just boring. Nothing is impressive and a majority of the dance is them standing in place, shaking their hips, and then walking to a new position, rinse and repeat. I know the song isn't too upbeat but surely they could find something better than this. On top of that, the instrumental is pretty neat and is a shame the dance didn't live up to potential.
I'm rather pleased with "Cupid." The song is smooth and has incredible vocal work shared between Gyuri, Seungyeon, and Hara's rapid improvement. A good instrumental goes a long way helping the song though it does hurt the decent rap by Youngji. What kills "Cupid" is the lack of an interesting or impressive dance. Thankfully, we don't listen to music for the dance I suppose, but the final score will definitely drop because of the lackluster choreography. "Cupid" seems stronger than "Mamma Mia" outside of the dance category, and I might even say that this might have been a stronger comeback for this new KARA over "Mamma Mia."
[ Overall: 87 / 100 ]
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