February 19, 2016

[Review] Rainbow - Whoo

Now that DSP's flagship girl group KARA has sailed off into the sunset, Rainbow's comeback seems like the golden opportunity the girls need. They can rise up to the occasion in KARA's absence, or they can continue to flounder under DSP's jurisdiction. If "Black Swan" was a pivotal crossroads in their career, then the release of "Whoo" is a hundred times more important.

Well, looking at this MV, doesn't seem like it's all that important. I can appreciate the "throwback" to using each member's assigned colour and all that, but there's basically nothing even remotely interesting about this video. You can make the arguments that simplicity works here, but "Black Swan" was a simplistic MV. This is far from the level of that. And again, this doesn't look like close to the level of effort a KARA video would be receiving, just looking at the sets alone (straight up blank rooms). The various props like balloons, food, etc. help add material to an otherwise blank MV. Without them, I'm not sure I'd have even bothered finishing watching the whole--oh who am I kidding. Everyone looks amazing (though Noeul unfortunately takes last and Yoonhye's eyes still creep me out). However it's a damn crime Hyunyoung has to go with the strawberry blonde. That girl rocks the black hair to perfection.

Thankfully, the song itself is extremely pleasant to listen to. It's an energetic dance number that's driven immediately by the electric guitar and drums in the background. Perhaps it's only right that "A" was also like that. Anyway everyone in Rainbow has respectable vocals so nobody sounds out of place, with the exception of the "clap clap" use in the hook. While I won't say it's a major contributor, I'm not sure what else could've been used, or if silence for those few seconds would've been better. Rainbow's less active members in Noeul, Seungah, and Yoonhye get charitable amount of lines. In fact, I'd say everything was balanced quite well as to not have anyone overshadow anyone. Even Woori takes the "clap clap" spam to bulk up her presence. On the opposite end, this may the best we've ever heard the Hyunyoung and Jisook combo. Hyunyoung may forever be an undiscovered singer but her work here is very smooth, and her velvet voice matches up quite exquisitely. The dance of "Whoo" is equally as fun as the song audio, with portions of more mature direction. When you see the vocals and the choreography together, Rainbow comes off as playful and sensual at the same time. Watching the live performances brings a smile to my face.

Like "Black Swan," "Whoo" shows us there is hope for Rainbow future. It's a fun and lively song with a good hook and potentially mesmerizing choreography. They just need to be able to promote for more than 2 weeks or whatever ridiculous amount was given last time around. If my biggest complain is that the MV needed more substance and choreography shots, I'm okay with that. The girl group current is rising up again so Rainbow really need to get their act together or they will never escape the depths of obscurity. "Whoo" can help deliver them back on track to the glory days of "A" and "Mach."

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]

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