[Bonus] Best Of Vocalists: Balanced

In this “Best Of” series, we’ll be taking a look at the various fields of talent in KPop. What kind of talent? Vocal talent, of course! I’ll bring up eight of my favourite singers across four different categories, while highlighting some of their most impressive works of course.

While none of these are particular rankings, these eight might just be the overall best, balanced in pretty much every way between control, pitch, range, utility, and more. While they are essentially capable of being leads, they’re just too strong at everything else to be labeled as such. 

Younha leads the pack as my favourite vocalist ever. She may not have the widest range or the most powerful voice, but the ability to put emotion, innocence, and consistency in her voice is unrivaled and her versatility is remarkable. Through the emotional “Broke Up Today”, energetic “Houki Boshi”, and the powerful “Hero”, Younha is allstar material.

Hyorin is known for carrying Sistar, who are at best mediocre singers without her. Her prowess in lower ranges is incredible, and her high notes and belts are something, too, if but a little airy. Hyorin’s voice is probably best described as “running velvet”, or “silvery”. It’s like methodical but precise, able to adapt to various styles at ease. Hyorin is hailed as Korea’s Beyonce, and justly so.

In contention for said title is rising rookie Ailee, whose explosive voice (“Girl On Fire”) is also the same lofting beautiful light ballads (“Evening Sky”). Throw on being a native English speaker and the ability to rap (Wheesung’s “He Is Coming”), and Ailee was my candidate for “Best Rookie 2012” or at the very least the solo artist recipient. If all else, Ailee will probably have one of the best covers ever (“Halo”).

Taeyeon finishes off the girls’ list in glory, as the most impressive female group vocalist with 5+ years in experience. Years have gone by and all Taeyeon has is matured since 2007. Complete versatility (“7898”, “Devil’s Cry”, “Hoot”) and angelic power notes (“O Holy Night”) are some of the best qualities.

Over on the males side, Kyuhyun tops out Yesung for Super Junior’s representative (don’t worry we’ll talk about Yesung later). While Yesung is definitely the expert at ballads and emotion, Kyuhyun isn’t that far off and is also stellar at various genres like rock (“Pretend Party”) and pop (“Rise & Shine”), too.

When one brings up DBSK, Junsu is the essence of prime vocal ability. The unique sound he possesses and quality control make Junsu instantly recognizable and with work like “In Heaven” and even older releases like the “Timeless” duet with Zhang LiYin (which was lovely, may I add), it’s not hard to see why. Since the DBSK / JYJ split, JYJ’s music has always tailored more to the vocal talents, and Junsu utilizes that as much as possible.

Seulong has the smoothest voice in 2AM and thus overall. Being a member of 2AM, most of his work is ballads (“You Wouldn’t Answer My Calls”, “Even If I Die I Can’t Let You Go”), he has branched off so to speak with collaboration work in “Nagging” with IU and even under “I Did Wrong”, too.

Originally, I thought of Daesung as a support role. While he does do the vocal work in Big Bang, it’s not typically expressive enough as some of the other singers on the group. However, going back through older stuff reminded me on just how brilliant he can be, with more recent things like “Baby Don’t Cry” and “Bad Boy” highlighting his smooth voice. The very fact that I feel his voice is more utility but at the same time omnipresent is proof enough of his skill.

[Review] 2YOON - 24/7

Vocals: 10 / 10

Okay, this was definitely something new for Korean music. Country is so distant a genre but Gayoon and Jiyoon do a standout job with their voices. 4Minute isn’t really too known for their vocals but 2Yoon is quite solid and this is no exception. The B.A.P reference was utilized nicely and perhaps because of that influence, I felt other parts of the song were also pieced from other songs. I heard parts of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” and SHINee’s “Juliette” throughout the transitions and chorus. Regardless, everything comes together nicely to create this unique blend. Gayoon seemingly continues to lose her distinct voice but more than makes up for it in the bridge and her power note is fantastic. There’s actually a lot of underdiscovered adlibs and vocal work, it’s just shielded by the crazy banjo instrumentals and stock. The plethora of English was almost perfect, surprising me since nobody in 4minute is really English capable. The timing of “rodeo” was just too strange, in fact I thought it was Korean before looking at the lyrics.

Appearance: 10 / 10

Jiyoon’s hair is too short for my tastes but I can live through it. Gayoon looks awesome and both are for the most part, blended into the scenery as well as they can be. I was originally worried that Gayoon’s iconic sharp image would hurt her in a scenery like this but hat is off to her, she looked fabulous. What else is there to say? The outfits are also as basic as can be with regards to a country theme, and all the other supporting people (dancers isn’t really the right word) are the same. It would have been pretty hard to mess this one up, and I’m glad they didn’t.

Dance: 9 / 10

Well, along with the vocals, outfits, and setting, here is another fitting number. This isn’t some crazy intense hip hop movement or moves with loving emotion, this is just two girls dancing and having fun. Certainly not complex, but the choreography has some nice attributes that make it appealing. For example, they actually clap during the bridge, and the dance is just cute all around. “Boom, clap. Boom boom boom clap~”

Rap: 8 / 10

Firstly, this rap is probably one of the most appropriately used in all of KPop history, and this isn’t even pop! I figured if there was to be rap, Jiyoon would be the one to do it, since she’s got the lower and huskier voice but Gayoon doesn’t do too poorly. It’s essentially rap singing that meshes together with the instrumental as a makeshift verse. What first came off as sloppy execution or lazy decision making turned to innovative charm as I gave it more listens.

Music Video: 9 / 10

A strong message in the lyrics is iterated by the music video, where work turns to play at the lead of 2Yoon. They’re singing, dancing, drinking, and most importantly, having fun! The sets were stereotypical enough to match “country” as a theme, but I found the fog / light filters misplaced. The extra shenanigans of people around the neighborhood added to the MV’s fun factor. Interaction between 2Yoon and everyone else in terms of performance and dance reminded me of “Like This”, which is not a bad thing. More outside influences aside, the music video was still fresh, lively, and cute, if but a little claustrophobic. Also, random white guy in the background for the win.

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Overall: 92 / 100

This song is funky, energetic, weird, expressive…and I love everything about it. The recycling parts of familiar songs makes the music friendly and creative simultaneously. Even though I thought Jiyoon would’ve done the rapping and Gayoon the bulk of the vocal work, both executed their roles superbly. This theme is something no legit group or subunit would have thought “Hey maybe we should try this out” but 2Yoon takes the gold.

[Review] Super Junior-M - Break Down

Vocals: 6 / 10

There is just so much wrong in this song. Between the random breaks, bizarre melodies, and incredibly apparent amount of autotune, it’s not very easy to listen to. The chorus is bouncy and not in the good way. It’s not all bad though, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun are relatively strong, and some of Zhou Mi’s lines are also really nice. The enunciation of Chinese has also taken a step forward since the days of “Perfection”, but is still lacking when compared to psuedo counterpart EXO-M.

Appearance: 6 / 10

Remember last week when I said Siwon should not have long hair? Yeah, it’s not a good look. Continuing the trend, Donghae and Zhou Mi’s hairstyles that counter their usual handsome looks. Henry is, well, still unchanged since “Maxstep” and prior, looking as youthful as ever. Sungmin is probably the first and only guy that looks good with the blue / purple tint. Ryeowook and Kyuhyun look the usual. The outfits are also fairly reminiscent of those in “Perfection”, and that is not a good thing.

Dance: 6 / 10

The last time a Super Junior M choreography was impressive, catchy, and appealing was “Super Girl”. As for this, I spent 50% of the time writhing, 10% of the time nodding in approval at the nice moves at the dance bridge, and a final 40% of the time laughing because they looked absolutely stupid doing their dance. The only time the dance was worth paying attention to was during the break, where some integrated footwork looked good amongst the dancers. Also of note, the “move one by one in a straight line” seems to be a new favourite.

Rap: 4 / 10

Eunhyuk raps twice in different length segments and both of them are at best random interjections between the singing. The raps themselves are only mediocre, so I’m not impressed. The song had some serious dubstep sound so I understand the urge to insert rap, but Eunhyuk can hardly rap in Korean, let alone in Chinese. Next time, save it for something that could actually benefit from decent rap, a la “Superman”.

Music Video: 4 / 10

Eventually, I’ll just use a carbon copy of a music video description for every SM review and just change a couple words. That way it’ll be exactly like the differences in music videos! I could even use colours or something! Well, there’s certainly no plot, and the rooms are bright, fancy, whatever. Also, Siwon doesn’t appear in the choreography because he’s supposedly hella busy acting, etc. But seriously, his solo shots are literally the same stance / look except for one at the near end of the video. I don’t want to think it since Siwon’s awesome but he’s on track to becoming the next Kibum of the group.

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Overall: 52 / 100

I think this is the lowest score I’ve given any song so far? And as a statement to how S.M. has been doing in terms of music, it’s certainly not a good set of marks. Across the roster, I’ve continued to not be impressed with releases over the last year or so. With word that the SME machine plans to continue its march strongly into 2013, I think they need to step up their game and change a few gears.

[Review] JYP, 2PM, Miss A - Classic

Vocals: 9 / 10

I will always give credit to JYP because he doesn’t just interact with his stars through writing and composing music, he’ll also perform, too. He, along with Wooyoung and Suzy create a soothing trio of soft vocals, furthered by the excellent strings / piano instrumental. While a little on the higher side for JYP, he does a good job in transitions between the verses and chorus. I’ve not been too much a fan of Wooyoung’s voice but he definitely does well in this supportive role, and Suzy’s chorus and short adlibs are both lively and lovely. Suzy’s English is also solid, thankfully, since there is of course a handful of English. Excellent work.

Appearance: 8 / 10

At a glance, everything falls into place. Nobody is too wacky, or stands out, following the setting and theme. I wasn’t really a fan of Wooyoung’s bright blonde, but overall the cut doesn’t look bad on him. Coupled with the athletic wear, he looks just like a typical high school / university student. Suzy is of course perfect. I actually thought her face looked a little chubby, which is something I like. Being too skinny freaks me out. Goodness, Taecyeon, please go back to short hair. Taecyeon’s part of that illustrious group of male visuals who should never have long hair: Siwon, T.O.P, Yunho to name a few others. JYP and Chansung earn a bonus point I guess?

Rap: 7 / 10

I’ve seen better, and I’ve certainly seen worse out of Taecyeon. While the vocals were soft and complimentary, Taecyeon’s low harsh voice cuts through the bridge with his lines. Using him to open and close the song with the same line was also a solid touch. But oh my, using “plastic” to rhyme with “classic” has got to earn a place on the list of “Worst Engrish” ever, alongside “Sexy, free, and single I’m ready too, bingo.”

Music Video: 10 / 10

Let me first note for the people who criticized the acting in the MV, that I did not find the acting bad at all. And truth be told, the fact there is actual acting in a music video is already leaps and bounds ahead of the current metagame of MV’s. The last time I remembered relevant acting in music videos was JYJ’s “In Heaven” (Song Jihyo <3). The “Romeo and Juliet” basic plot was certainly well executed, and there were actually many nice touches that I did not notice until a few more watches. The party in which Wooyoung and Suzy meet for the first time is the celebration of the engagement between Suzy and Chansung. The connections between all the characters. Taecyeon decides early, bringing Suzy the running shoes for her to GTFO. The quality of the story being memorable for the characters to watch it together again and again. It’s a lovely music video.

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Overall: 85 / 100

I didn’t want to make the title “JYP, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Suzy” since that’d be too lengthy, but in the end it’s a solid collaboration effort for Reebok and puts a certain SM collab work to shame. The vocals are standout and the story, while overused, is more than a reason in itself for such a nice music video. Taecyeon’s rap is okay, I guess they had to have him rap, otherwise what else would he do? Let’s not use the word “plastic” ever again though. 

[Review] Girls' Generation - I Got A Boy

Vocals: 7 / 10

This song has around four phases, all with different tempo, melodies, etc. and the transitions are mediocre at best. Some of the earlier transitions are good, but towards the end everything seems to fall apart and collapse on itself. I don’t know why but S.M. really struggles with effective transitions compared to YG (2NE1’s “I Love You”) and JYP (JJ Project’s “Bounce”). I’d much prefer so called “plain” songs if it means bypassing the feel of three very different songs hashed together. Don’t forget there’s rap, which also really hurts the flow of the already choppy song. Line distribution, however, is at its best in “I Got A Boy”, with all the usual vocalists getting everything and everyone else just rapping, and since there’s a good amount of the latter, it feels even. A lack of adlibs, power notes, really anything interesting keeps this score average.

Appearance: 9 / 10

I can’t give this a perfect score because Sunny decided to dump large amounts of ice cream into her hair and then shape it into a bush. I cringe every single time she shows up in the MV. Ughh. That said, everyone else is flawless. Yuri, Taeyeon, and Jessica in particular stand at the top. Seohyun’s bangs look good, and definitely make her look younger (maknae forever). I noticed the use of coloured contacts to I guess intensify the eyes? The problem is I only really noticed the positive effects on Seohyun (everyone else just looked a little strange), and secondly, this is really KARA’s ype of thing, and SNSD kinda shows only KARA can pull it off well every time. The outfits were colourful enough, in comparison to the sets and energy of the song. Fix Sunny’s atrocity on her head and I’d be able to say no one stood out for good or bad.

Dance: 10 / 10

Confidence, and lots of! Everything was powerful and crisp. There’s plenty of synchronized moves and a healthy amount of individual and group bits. When Hyoyeon did not get a dance break I was disappointed, honestly but I guess the highlight of the choreography is the extended “Ohhh (you’re something else / you’re crazy)”. There’s even a little aegyo thrown in rather timely. Certainly feels rather strange to be praising the choreography of SNSD as the best part, but that’s what it is: the best part.

Rap: 7 / 10

The segments of rap were okay. Not awful, not amazing. I think had they been used at the end I’d have probably given this a much lower score since the end was messier. The English transitions by Tiffany and Jessica were probably the better ones but mehh not impressed. I’m not a fan of extended uses of random rap unless it’s either used full time in a verse or is rap singing and like I said, SNSD is okay at best when it comes to rapping. Tiffany’s description of “explosive rap” was misleading, I think “bright” or “energetic” was the more accurate term.

Music Video: 5 / 10

The girls were not lying when they said “I got a boy.” There’s only one, and there’s no additional material to the plot / non-dance parts that wasn’t shown in the teaser save the first 30 seconds. What was the point of all the clips of them sharing the single boyfriend? They kinda just hide together and leave him hanging after he shows up, perhaps unaware they all live in the same house? Are they angry at him for being probably the best playa in the world? Denying? More questions than answers with this one. Oh and S.M. really had to fucking use the slowmo pan because it’s apparently the coolest thing since canned bread. Guarantee you Super Junior M’s upcoming “Break Down” will have it, too.

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Overall: 76 / 100

Girls’ Generation is back with confidence and charisma, certainly, but the song truly is underwhelming. The transitions are not “Flower Power” level awful but still leave much to be desired. The rapping and choreography definitely help make up for what is essentially three songs rolled together without much vocal showing. “Genie” remains uncontested as the top SNSD song for me. If S.M. had stuck with one theme (the “Ooohhhh” one preferably) I think the success would have skyrocketed, but hey it’s GG, it’ll probably skyrocket anyway.