[Review] Hyosung - Find Me (feat. D.Action)

Even though her career with Secret has stagnated, Hyosung has become a soloist with a prolific resume. Since "Goodnight Kiss" in 2014, she's released something good (decent) every year, and always to a dance-happy track. Teasers for "Find Me" would show no likely change to the formula. Classic Hyosung visuals with a good-enough choreography are likely in order.

I didn't expect that kind of start. Hyosung is not what you would label as a "power vocalist," and she has always operated under Jieun's shadow in Secret, so seeing such a strong showing from her is a pleasant surprise. Even outside of that, this is Hyosung at her finest. The entire song is well within her range and she sounds great from start to finish. She's barely reaching for anything, which is another good sign. Often we see members that take on solo efforts try too hard (heck even Girl's Day's own Minah had too much strain in her solo debut), so good job there. Structure-wise it's not very interesting, but Hyosung's sultry vocals combined with the nice pace of the song will always make this an enjoyable listen when you're looking for something upbeat.

While the song started off well, and everything else that followed was just as good, the nagging fear that I had was that the issues from her previous solo efforts would surface. Those would be a really bad rap of some sort that would ruin the otherwise perfect tempo of the song ("Into You") or some silly chant gimmick (or super awkward dance break) that would also do the same type of damage ("Goodnight Kiss"). Thankfully, D.Action's inclusion offered both a new voice and a way to escape those worries. For someone I've never heard of, he's not a bad rapper by any stretch of the imagination, and does a nice job linking his rap to the bridge.

The video is the usual Hyosung photoshoot. She tries on a few outfits for the camera and flaunts her beauty. Nothing we haven't seen before. Mixed with various dance shots and a small portion of prop usage, and these are really Hyosung's extra photoshoots she gets to do from time to time. Oh yeah, and she (unfortunately) does the whole "bare back and look vulnerably at the camera" deal that we just saw Hyomin do a week ago. Then there was Hyuna before that. These girls need to pay respect to the OG Jungah, who started this in 2013 with "First Love." Moving on, the choreography isn't all that exciting, and at a glance looks to be just a handful of flailing around (lots of arms moving above the head and such). Still it's more than likely on par with "Into You" and "Goodnight Kiss" in the dance department which is considerable enough. Not everyone can be BoA, after all.

"Find Me" is "Goodnight Kiss" in a more comfortable vocal setting, and drops the most glaring issues in the debut song had. There's no awkward chanting, nor is there an ugly bridge separating the chorus from the next verse. Everything flows together nicely, and a respectable vocal performance from Hyosung glues it all together. I can't help but get that sinking feeling about Secret's future, though. Hyosung already overshadowed the rest of the group well before she embarked on her solo path. Let's hope there's at least a Secret comeback before the end of this year.

[ Overall: 88 / 100 ]

[Review] Red Velvet - One Of These Nights

Funnily enough, last time I reviewed a Red Velvet song was right after a Girl Group Power Ranking article. Coincidence or not, we're here with the title track of Red Velvet's "The Velvet," which I'm assuming is some counterpart to their previous album "The Red." Teasers showed the girls slowing down, so we're up for something along the lines of "Automatic," which I can definitely appreciate. Their slower songs are some of my favorite, after all.

Gosh darn it. "One Of These Nights" is another instance of the weird translation titles. The Korean is either "7 Months 7 Days" or "July 7th" but at least the English title is not that far off (looking at you, GFriend). I thought maybe there was some significance to the date if that indeed is the purpose but as far as I know I can't find anything that would support that claim. If anything, the fact that "one of these nights" is a line in the song is more confusing when you look at the Korean title. All that jargon aside, looks like girl groups are really killing the slow tracks so far this year. "One Of These Nights" is a very calming song that soothes the soul. The girls do a wonderful job with their voices that are both relaxing and uplifting at the same time. I get chills every time the line "let's meet again" at 1:40. Everything is just perfectly smooth. This is more of a testament to the song itself, since everyone in Red Velvet has a passable voice. Admittedly, I've always been more attracted to Seulgi's voice than Wendy's. Yeri is for sure the "weak link" but isn't that far off from the Dasom's and Hara's of the industry. Plus she's much younger too, and will have plenty more room to grow. And again, she doesn't sound anywhere near out of place in songs like this.

Red Velvet is no stranger to jam-packed MVs. From the tacky factories of "Dumb Dumb" and the curious colours of "Ice Cream Cake," they're not afraid to throw hectic scenes with bright and interesting combinations of colours are you. The only video that was extremely tame was the "Be Natural" remake, and even that MV used smooth camerawork and was more focused on an intricate choreography. Like the others, there's a million and one things going on in this MV. The video of "One Of These Nights" essentially combines the bright and aesthetically-pleasing colours and visuals of "Ice Cream Cake," "Dumb Dumb," with the smooth transitions and angles of "Be Natural," "Automatic." There are some interesting rumors of how this is paying homage (or describing) the tragic Sewol ferry sinking in 2014. I'm no conspiracy theorist so I'll acknowledge that such a thing exists and leave it at that. It's a complicated video that is offset by the lovely vocals, even if some of the colours seem too bright for a song that's this moody.

If "Ice Cream Cake" is Red Velvet's premier dance track, then "One Of These Nights" is their premier ballad track. It's a masterpiece, both in audio and certainly in video, and easily surpasses the previously impressive "Automatic." Beautiful singing, pristine visuals, excellent production, and has the best MV of 2016 so far. For a group that I'm not too invested in, they absolutely delivered with this piece, and is worthy of receiving the highest score I've ever given (at least to my memory).

[ Overall: 95 / 100 ]

[Bonus] Girl Group Power Rankings Revisited: Spring 2016

It's been 6 months since we last looked at the state of the girl group ladder. It's time to revisit them as April draws near. Again, rankings are mainly off music releases, but I acknowledge everything else like popularity, variety presence, etc. etc. I figured now is a good of a time as ever to take evaluations, since the more spring and summer-oriented songs are going to come into bloom soon, not to mention that if I waited until April, a 7 month difference is more awkward on the eyes than 6. Anyway here we go, no honorable mentions this time, straightaway we go.

10. f(x) (NEW)
The resurgence of f(x) is almost solely off the return album. "4 Walls" album was one of the best in the fall quarter, not to mention that the success itself was a good sign for the now-quartet. Not many groups can release an album with a solid tracklist, much less for one as important as it was for f(x). Luna gets more opportunity to showcase her immense vocal talent, and everyone in general seems upgraded without Sulli's presence. "4 Walls" the song seemed to be an awakening piece for me, because Krystal's voice sounds all the more sweeter in her other appearances, like in some older f(x) songs or S.M. The Ballad material.

9. Twice (NEW)
It may seem silly now, but calling Twice a powerhouse girl group may not be that far off. These rookies are basically killing it everywhere they go. Despite my opinions on the lackluster debut song (which I still hold), there's no denying the vocal talent (Jihyo), dance talent (Momo), and visual talent (Tzuyu) that they have. In the variety world they're making a name for themselves, too. Throw in Dahyun's hilarious facial expressions, etc. and there's appeal for everyone, usually a given when the roster features so many members. A shame that the crazy shenanigans regarding Tzuyu and Taiwan had to surface, as it's the only dark spot on an otherwise bright start for the group.

8. 9MUSES (+1)
9MUSES haven't really done anything to justify this small move up, but I wasn't comfortable with giving Twice anything higher than #9, so here we are. This isn't to say the "Lost" EP wasn't nice, as both "Secret" and "Sleepless Night" still have plenty of replay value, but compared to the content other groups are dropping, a 4 track mini album seems quite underwhelming. Still, Erin is a superstar and their visual game remains the best Kpop has to offer, especially impressive for a group of this magnitude. Also in that regard, with Minha making strides in her singing, and there aren't any weak links on the roster either. I'd like to see the girls expand into some top tier variety shows before a full studio album.

7. EXID
Like with Twice's "Like Ooh-Ahh," my feelings on EXID's "Hot Pink" remain the same. It's a song that lacks the needed punch to break through the group's better, more complete titles. All in all it was disappointing to see the efforts of LE and Solji get squandered by a mediocre piece. When you consider they're both at the top of their class (in rapping and singing, respectively, of course), you hope to see their music play to their (monstrous) strengths. There's not much else to say, other than Hani needs more Running Man appearances because she's an unstoppable force, and by the way we're still waiting on that Dasoni comeback!

6. Apink (-1)
The only exciting news surrounding Apink lately is the mere rumor of an Eunji solo. That alone is of course all that's needed to generate hype, but so long as it's just a rumor all we can do is speculate. Like 9MUSES, they haven't really deserved to be moved around, Mamamoo is on the rise and so overtakes them at present. Of all the groups on this list, they are probably the most stable. They have strung together a great series of hits since 2013 and their next release should be a game-changer. Also, it's not worth talking about any acting roles they have because every group has someone involved in acting. If they aren't, that's probably more rare.

5. Mamamoo (+1)
I say, Mama-mama-moo~ These ladies are the perfect combination of charisma and talent and have shown us that since debut. Whether it's through the studio or Immortal Song, they are blowing people away with their voices and pulling people in with their beagle charm. Mamamoo is an extremely balanced group, only lacking perhaps in the choreography department, but only a select few girl groups really have an advantage in that aspect anyway, everyone else is generally on par. I have not fully experienced the "Melting" album yet but rest assured it's high priority. "I Miss You" adds another excellent ballad to the list, while "Pride Of 1cm" is just the zany fun Mamamoo everyone loves. The groups in the top 4 better watch out, Mamamoo is on the march.

4. Sistar
Like Apink, Sistar have not released anything (as a group) since we last saw them with "Shake It." This may be a blessing in disguise. While they don't get a chance to climb up the ladder, they also didn't release anything bad which could've possibly given Mamamoo the opening to grab the #4 spot. Hyorin did join the delicious "Love Line" collab, and they've all been working hard in the variety fields, but we crave for more Sistar. Even though a Hyorin solo comeback or Soyu solo debut would be awesome, Sistar will need to make their next comeback a good one, otherwise they will fall prey to the groups just below them. Hopefully it's a spring or fall (not summer) comeback, we don't need any more of the summer jams.

3. Girl's Day (-2)
Music-wise, Girl's Day has been the most quiet out of all these groups. Regardless, the reason they drop has more to do with AOA and SNSD's activity than nothing else. Heck, if Sistar was but the tiniest bit active before now I'd have considered putting them here instead. Despite the mediocrity that was "Ring My Bell," they are still very much worth of being in the top 3. They've had the best set of title tracks in most recent memory, and all the members are quite well-rounded. Minah is a vocal delight, Yura and Sojin are visual wonders, and Hyeri was (still is?) in the ranks of Suzy and IU as far as the hot topics go. Girl's Day's spot boils down to: if Sistar are #4 after the last 2 years of only decent songs, then Girl's Day shouldn't have to worry after only faltering in 2015.

2. AOA
Seolhyun still has the crown for girl group members, and while there are plenty formidable challengers (Hani, Tzuyu, to name a few), she continues to hold that prestige going into April. AOA have been distributing their progress across the roster since they sang of heart attacks in the summer. Choa dropped some solo activity with "Flame" and "Don't Be Shy." The former was a pleasant ballad and the latter a standout piece. Jimin also added some to her resume, advancing AOA's individual efforts. Lastly there was the debut of the new subunit AOA Cream. While they had an unorthodox song, it's respectable for the effort in giving Yuna, Hyejeong, and Chanmi more time to shine, even if the MV was a little too much Sailor Moon. AOA is the next group with a chance to start a good few years together, and for now will happily occupy the silver spot in consecutive rankings.

1. Girls' Generation (+2)
While they fell in the fall, Girls' Generation recovered quickly and returned to the #1 spot (I say "returned" even though there was only one previous official ranking, but it's not hard to believe that they were the #1 girl group for extended periods of time prior to Jessica leaving). The centerpiece for the resurgence was of course, Taeyeon's nearly flawless solo debut. "I" was splendid and certainly a main attraction of fall 2015. Further aided by the TTS subunit releasing Christmas music, and the few new songs that have arrived with the Station project, including a Yoona(!) song and the smooth sounds of Taeyeon again in "Rain," and Girls' Generation are bringing back the quality in their music. With more solo debuts in the mix, they will keep try to maintain their #1 position.

Final Glance
10. f(x) (NEW)
9. Twice (NEW)
8. 9MUSES (+1)
7. EXID
6. Apink (-1)
5. Mamamoo (+1)
4. Sistar
3. Girl's Day (-2)
2. AOA
1. Girls' Generation (+2)
Previous Ranking (Fall 2015) (Part 1) (Part 2)

[Review] Hyomin - Sketch

T-ARA has been rather quiet early this year. Finally, they're making moves. Having a Hyomin solo comeback is a little questionable, but as long as nothing like "Nice Body 2.0" is released then our ears will be spared. Hyomin really really dropped the ball in comparison to Jiyeon and Eunjung's solo debuts, so for being the member who gets another opportunity, this is her chance to make up for the disaster that was her debut.

With a single listen of the song, I can confidently say that "Sketch" is better than "Nice Body." How much better, is up for debate. My immediate thoughts were that this song is much better for Hyomin's voice. She's not a particularly strong vocalist, so having a slow sensual song is more up her alley than the more active pop sounds. Come to think of it, nobody in T-ARA really has a good voice for pop, yet they dominate with pop hits anyway. Perhaps that's the power of a group. Moving on, the other thing that instantly jumped out at me is the lack of a hook. Slow R&B tracks aren't necessarily known for being catchy, but nothing in "Sketch" really stands out musically speaking. This is basically the only thing I can write about this song. It's smooth as glass, sure, and Hyomin does a commendable job with the sensual voice, but there's a clear lack of pizzazz which is unfortunate. "Sketch" is more than likely going to be forgettable, though that's perhaps a better fate than a memorably poor song.

I think she was focused on being sexy / fanservice so much that she forgot about lipsyncing, because she does a lazy job of it in the MV. Everything else is pretty much eye candy to the max, and not in the overly obnoxious "Nice Body" style either. There's some bed game, chair dancing, and tattoos are involved. It's a video that will draw criticism and praise alike, and nothing new to Hyomin (or anyone, for that matter).

A good comparison song for "Sketch" would be Hyosung's "Goodnight Kiss." But unlike the catchy dance nature of Hyosung's track, Hyomin places more emphasis on sounding gentle and sensual, which impressed given her lack of notable vocal talent. Where "Goodnight Kiss" falters with the silly chanting and unnecessary breaks, "Sketch" delivers consistency from beginning to end, even if that is only a mediocre consistency. Maybe the bar was set to high by Jiyeon, forever dooming everyone else in T-ARA to have only decent solo showings from now on.

[ Overall: 70 / 100 ]

[Review] FIESTAR - Mirror

FIESTAR join the girl group fray with their comeback since "You're Pitiful." This is a key release in the group's development. After the success of "You're Pitiful," they need to keep the momentum in their favor. Yezi is responsible for a huge portion of their potential. She impressed the world on Unpretty Rapstar, and her solo debut has some excellent material. Will she be able to carry them to greater heights?

I'm not sure if this is just me, but the instrumental slaps you across the face with similar key notes to "You're Pitiful." While not as delicate, they are used more aggressively but eventually after enough listens I can't really hear the comparisons anymore. Anyway "Mirror" is very much the daughter of "You're Pitiful." From the sombre overtones, soft singing, and the visual styles of the MV, definitely pays homage to FIESTAR's best song to date. But the offspring song varies in significant aspects.

Let's talk line distribution. Jei is the poster child of FIESTAR for sure, but the amount at which she overshadowed the other members was kind of ridiculous. Thankfully, "Mirror" is much kinder to everyone else given the rather inexcusable distributions of songs past. At least, more specifically, Cao Lu isn't left with nothing anymore, which is always a step in the right direction. The members all seem to match each other in vocal output, too (I consider this a good thing even if Linzy's skills aren't fully used). This chorus is definitely the highlight of the song, with her and Hyemi's crystal clear voices ringing evenly against the instrumental. The bridge is nothing to write home about, but it's nice to see that the final chorus was split between everyone (except Yezi). Speaking of, Yezi gets adequate (appropriate) time in the spotlight in this track. She has a lengthy rap in each verse, though she doesn't show up anywhere else. I really liked how she was used in the last chorus of "You're Pitiful," adding another layer to the singing with her rap and was hoping it'd make another appearance here, but oh well.

The MV gives me "Black Swan" vibes, which is to say, simple sets used to show off the girls being sad, while being coupled with choreography shots for eye candy. They're trapped in a house of mirrors, looking gorgeous the whole while. Not much else to say. The choreography is also subtle and seductive. Nothing too flashy, but not to the point where it's boring, either. While there aren't any chairs, jackets, or male backup dancers this time around, "Mirror" provides a more simplistic visual in terms of the dancing, which is appropriate given the nature of the song.

"Mirror" is to "You're Pitiful" as EXID's "Ah Yeah" was to "Up & Down." The backbone was unchanged and both songs are clear winners. However, unlike "Ah Yeah," I'm not sold if "Mirror" is better than the predecessor. Visually speaking, it is, because Jei doesn't have 80% of the video content, and I like the more simple dance better. But vocally speaking, it's not as interesting (especially the bridge), and while Yezi's double rap is good, both combined don't measure up to the quality in "You're Pitiful." In the end though, it's a good song that feeds off what made "You're Pitiful" so great, and that's worth applauding any day.

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]

[Bonus] Best Of Taeyeon

As we celebrate Taeyeon's 27th (international) birthday, and before I get swamped with exams, let's have a Taeyeon appreciation post! Or at least in some way. We're just gonna highlight some of my favorite Taeyeon performances and appearances across the years. They'll mainly pertain to some of her best vocal work because who doesn't love some good Taeyeon vocal runs right?

5. How Great Is Your Love

This is the only ballad on the list, and it's a good exception to the rule. "How Great Is Your Love" is not only one of Taeyeon's best solo attempts, but also one of the group's best as a whole, too. The tracklist for "The Boys" was pretty wild, and was held together by this excellent ballad and of course, the masterpiece "Trick." Taeyeon is crystal clear here, and the rest of the supporting cast as well. As far as the most serene Taeyeon has ever been, it doesn't get much better than here.

4. Twinkle

Taeyeon is known for her incredible OST work and excellent ballad voice, but "Twinkle" accentuates her versatility like no other. She sounds very comfortable, and shows flashes of brilliance, too. Keep in mind, this was the debut track of the TTS subunit, the prized vocal line of Girls' Generation. "Twinkle" couldn't afford to disappoint, and thankfully did the opposite. And yeah, she sounds more strained here than in almost any other song since debut, but that doesn't take away from everything else.

3. Stress

Now "Stress" is a real earworm. Combining pop rock elements with Taeyeon's voice, illustrates yet another side to her utility as a singer. If she had never sang a single ballad in her life, or debuted in 2007 with something like this, I doubt anyone would bat an eyelash (though there is slight strain). English is pretty much perfect as per Taeyeon's usual standard, too. The key success of this piece is that "Stress" follows in the footsteps of yet another Taeyeon classic.

2. Devil's Cry

"Devil's Cry" is without a doubt Taeyeon's best individual effort in anything anywhere. The world never expected to see the power of rock course through her veins, yet she delivered a smashmouth performance no one ever imagined. The reason "Stress" wasn't ranked higher than "Devil's Cry" even though the former is a complete song is that there's not enough power, not enough aggression. Taeyeon ramps those dials to 11 here and it's a damn shame the length of this could not have been extended. Also noteworthy is that Gayo Daejun performance with Changmin of TVXQ. A killer combination for a killer song.

1. Genie

The song that started the Girls' Generation train for me has no reason not to be here. Outside of the choreography which made waves and the general catchy nature of the song, the final moments of "Genie" were what captivated me to Taeyeon in the beginning. It's honestly not quite the most impressive vocal run ever, but my goodness does she sound good or does she sound good. After all these years, Taeyeon's part in "Genie" should still rank among the best girl group vocalist sections of all time.

Other excellent pieces that didn't make the cut include the Mr. Go OST "Bye" (and the Chinese version!), the really good runs in "The Boys," and the recent smooth-as-silk "Rain."

Happy Birthday Taeyeon~