[Review] T-ARA Triplets Special

How about a tripleheader? T-ARA have fallen off the pedestal but they remain active as individuals. They're one of those "unofficially disbanded" groups because the members all say the group isn't dead but until they release music together they might as well be. In the meantime, we have some solo efforts to go over. The triplets of Eunjung, Hyomin, and Jiyeon were very powerful in their heyday and each of them have had some solo success with songs like "Never Ever" and "I'm Good." Let's see how their most recent stuff holds up.

Hyomin - Allure

I don't think it's too crazy to say that Hyomin has seen the least success as an independent act out of the three. Songs like "Nice Body," "Sketch," and "Mango" aren't bad but can't compete with Jiyeon and Eunjung's best. Hyomin's best song in my opinion is the ballad "Gold," which brought her less-exposed vocals to front and center. That song gives me goosebumps to this day, and illustrates how a perfectly sculpted song can meet a singer's needs and show their talents efficiently.

[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 ]