[Review] S.M. The Ballad - Breath

Vocals: 25 / 25

Honestly, with S.M. pulling a (almost) brand new rotation for this second rendition of the group, I’m not surprised the vocals were executed so superbly, but we’ll take a closer look at each version.

The Korean version is the most balanced version. Jonghyun is standard: strong when he needs to be strong (during his solo parts) but also softer at times. Taeyeon is certainly a queen of ballads, and her voice is crisp, beautiful, and clear, but during the chorus, can simmer into the background while Jonghyun’s more powerful voice takes the lead. The multitude of harmony lines take a hit because of this. Nonetheless, she sounds excellent and gets the emotion and sounds across, and so does Jonghyun. The Jonghyun / Taeyeon pair brings the best listen when you’re looking for contrasting distinct voices. They leave little to be desired, while only having some small problems.

The Chinese version graces us with Zhang Liyin, who has been pretty much inactive for all we know for years. She is able to bring power to the table that we don’t quite get from Taeyeon and Krystal, and so for pure sound, Zhang Liyin is easily the best voice. Coupling her with Jongdae provides the Chinese version with the most power and explosiveness during the chorus and bridge. But, Jongdae is not Chinese, and so suffers from some slight enunciation errors. I do believe Jongdae was the right person for the Chinese version, since he shines with an equally powerful female lead, but I’d have been interested in seeing how Zhou Mi would’ve tackled this, given he doesn’t have as strong a voice but a native speaker. The Jongdae / Liyin pair has the most power together. Their strong vocals are unmatched by the other versions,

The Japanese version is a little awkward, since it combines elements of both the Korean and Chinese versions. The overpowering male voice from the Korean version is present with Changmin, and the non-fluent pronunciation from the Chinese version is present with Krystal. Changmin does drown out Krystal, but there are times where it’s less evident. Krystal pulls her weight, reaching the high notes gracefully (with some reach). However, I do think that the Japanese version does the bridgework and harmonizations rather well, possibly the best. The Changmin / Krystal pair is the most “tame”. It’s not the same balance of the Korean version, and nowhere near as powerful as the Chinese, but has its own charms.

Now, I’m going to talk a little about the “problems”. One of the most commonly asked questions when the new roster was revealed was “Where is Jino?” Jino made an excellent showing for himself during “S.M. The Ballad Vol. 1”, earning many fans (like myself). But after that, his absence from EXO raised questions about his status, and even moreso given how he’s not part of that “S.M. Rookies” stuff either. While I wouldn’t have wanted him in place of Jonghyun in the Korean version of “Breath”, it’d be nice to see this kid again.

Next up is Krystal. Now, plenty of people will argue that despite Luna being the main vocalist of f(x), Krystal’s inclusion was because of language ability / a more appropriate voice / presence / whatever. I say forget all of that. If you’re going to play the marketing game and bring Zhang Liyin out for the Chinese version, why wasn’t J-Min utilized for the same reason? J-Min’s career is literally Japan-focused, and she is a fluent speaker, not to mention that she severely outclasses Krystal for vocals in depth, power, and versatility. Krystal already secured a track in her “When I Was… When U Were…” duet with Jongdae. A Changmin / J-Min “Breath” would have been superb, all the while satisfying the marketable tag or whatever shenanigans S.M. wanted..

The last comment I’d like to touch on is a more personal one, but there definitely could have been an English version of “Breath”. Ignoring stuff like having a fourth MV, many people would’ve been delighted to see (hear) an English variant. The voices best for an English adaptation would have to be fluent, and so I’d use Henry and BoA. In contrast to the other versions, the English would have a more dominant female lead thanks to BoA’s layered voice while Henry rings up the higher register

Music Video: 5 / 25

I’m going to refrain from commenting much on the music video, since by definition, was just a trailer of clips for Changmin’s mini-drama or whatever. But, I’m pretty disappointed that for 6 people across 3 versions, only 1 room was used. If you look closely, even the close-up / solo shots are from the same room, too. That’s like a new low for S.M. Oh well. Having solo shots of members during their lines but simultaneously not having them lipsync seems like a questionable decision. Speaking of, I’d also like to mention that all versions had pretty mediocre acting / lipsyncing, although the Korean version had the best. Changmin being in the promo clips and the “regular” video is also rather strange, and Taeyeon is also the only girl wearing black, but at this point I’m just nitpicking. If I appreciated ballads for their music videos, I certainly wouldn’t be going to an S.M. video.

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Overall: 60 / 100

Ballads are not notorious for their music videos, although they certainly could develop one if they chose to. But since the general premise of the “Breath” MV was the promote Changmin’s drama, even less should be considered when you look at the final score. There’s some excellent vocal work in “Breath”, across all versions, if for some minor pronunciation quips and non-optimal member selections. Regardless, “Breath” is a ballad which can be refreshing, powerful, and light, depending on the version.

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings (#7-#1)

[ A Tier ]

7. Jia (Miss A)

Now that we’re approaching the final few, it’s time for the surprise Jia placing! When I first started drafting this list, Jia was more towards the middle of the pack. However, a few key reasons compelled me to place her at #7. Jia is the first foreigner on the list. Not only is she not Korean, but she has some pretty fast raps, only made harder since Korean isn’t her native language. “Goodbye Baby” and “I Don’t Need A Man” are extremely great examples of fast high quality raps with sass and charisma, and her other work is not too far off, making her really consistent. Jia, like Yura, also benefits from being in a small group that gets actual singing lines outside of just rapping, and her singing voice is okay. Solid marks all around for Jia.

6. Amber (f(x))

And now we’re onto Amber, another non-Korean. Out of all the rappers, it’s hard to argue that Amber has got the character / charisma section down pat. She also is a talented rapper, with the attitude and appeal she has to fans. But. But. But. This is, unfortunately, f(x) we are talking about, and if Bora suffers the most from being underrepresented in her group, Amber suffers the most from having awful marketed raps. There are some good stuff out of f(x), like in “La Cha Ta” and…plenty of music that isn’t f(x) songs. That’s a pretty bad problem if your best works aren’t from your own group. Amber is also useful as a utility vocal, but despite her having a better voice than Sulli or Victoria, she never got lines until recently. Amber is skilled at her role, but is just horribly managed.

5. Minzy (2NE1)

If Hyorin’s ranking was embarassing because she isn’t a rapper, Minzy’s is probably worse. Minzy definitely gets (or got) more exposure at rapping, to be fair. Older songs like “Clap Your Hands” and “I Don’t Care” show that Minzy can be an explosive rapper, all the while knowing that she is an excellent vocalist (“Lonely”, “Ugly”). Minzy is yet another member on this power ranking that is a balanced idol in all aspects, as her score will show. Being better marketed places her above Amber, and being better in singing and overall utility places her above Jia. But I didn’t want to place her too high up.

4. CL (2NE1)

Because CL is next. For the third time, two groupmates have been ranked next to each other. Something tells me that isn’t a coincidence, by now. Anyways. Whether you love CL or hate her, there’s certainly no denying that her stage presence is off the charts. She controls the crowd and is always the center of attention. Energy and charisma are CL’s best traits, not to mention a very respectable singing voice, compared to her group (and to other rappers). I’ve always taken a liking to CL, but I personally prefer the old CL, along the 2010-ish era of “Can’t Nobody” and the like. Releases like “Baddest Female” and “Do You Love Me” haven’t been as exciting in my eyes (or ears). I’d have ranked her within the top 3 a year or two ago but the relatively deteriorating quality of recent songs will keep her just outside the S Tier.

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[ S Tier ]

3. Yubin (Wonder Girls)

Here we are. The final set. The superstars. The best in the class. Whatever may be, Yubin starts us at #3. Yubin is a staple in Wonder Girls (was). We’re looking at the debut Yubin in “Tell Me”, to the prime time “Nobody”, and the more contemporary “Like This”, and I’d be hard pressed to find a rap I genuinely disliked. While I would classify her rapping more on the tamer side, since she lets her ridiculously low voice (seriously, she makes everyone else previously mentioned with a low voice sound light) do the bulk work, she’s just as good when she goes extreme like in Ivy’s “I Dance”. Wonder Girls’ songs tend to be very catchy by nature; adding Yubin’s distinct low voice plus solid execution makes her a very memorable rapper.

2. Erin (9MUSES)

The first piece (#20 through #8) was written before news of Sem and Eunji’s departure from 9MUSES. Eunji’s withdrawal (I refuse to acknowledge this as a “graduation”, despite the group’s track record for maintaining stability), solidifies Erin into the full rapping position and one of the very best rappers. Erin has really good control over her energy and charisma, along with some of the more enjoyable lives with her stage presence (no doubt in part to her 4D personality). While other rappers may be sort of holed into one way of delivery, (Bora’s serious sound, CL’s style) Erin keeps almost everything fresh. The negative qualities of Erin are how little she’s utilized with singing, and line distribution, both of which are difficult when the group (used to be) is 9 members. Erin proves to be one of the best.

1. Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls)

You’d have thought my endless praise for Erin throughout the last year would have placed her at #1, but someone edges her out of this spot, which rightfully belongs the queen: Miryo. Miryo AKA Johoney is the straight up master of charisma, in studio and on stage. She exudes energy, is probably the fastest rapper on this list for pure speed. Different styles and structure of rap mean nothing to her. “Kill Bill” is as different from “Abracadabra” is to “Sixth Sense”, but Miryo executes the rap breaks in near perfect ability. Miryo’s faults would be the very popular “lack of vocal utility” in most rappers, as I can’t recall a memorable moment with her voice. All in all though, for the most important, Miryo is pretty much perfect.

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Final Glance

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And there you go. This was plenty of fun to write / think about, so I can only hope you had similar enjoyment. Maybe I’ll do something for vocalists in the future. Maybe not, heh.