May might as well be Power Rankings month but that doesn't mean April didn't have some goodies. With reviews becoming shorter and sparser, here's a look at some highlights from last month.
Baby Soul - A Piece Of The Moon
Lovelyz have underrated vocalists. Baby Soul was one of three members with music before joining the group, and this was her first release since being part of Lovelyz. "A Piece Of The Moon" carries her beautiful voice and sounds like it was taken straight out of a romantic drama's OST list. My inner singer will always be a sucker for pure vocals and Baby Soul delivers here.
BTS - Make It Right
While "Boy With Luv" wasn't amazing, there were plenty of other tracks on BTS' newest album to be excited about. One such track is "Make It Right," with writing help provided by Ed Sheeran. It's a classic R&B number that not only has the smooth voices of V and Jungkook, but also complimentary rap efforts from the trio of master rappers. I absolutely appreciate how this live performance is simply raw singing and rapping, with no choreography. BTS have shown they can sell anything but this is the style of music from them I appreciate the most.
Elle Goulding, Diplo, & Red Velvet - Close To Me (Remix)
Elle Goulding? Never listened to her music before. Diplo? Heard of vaguely through "Dirty Vibe." Red Velvet joining them for a remix? Real shit. I'd be more for collaborations if they could remaster English songs into these hybrids. Wendy really blew me away with her line because I never expected her to (a) ever sing that low to begin with and (b) sound so damn good while doing so. Seulgi also surprised with her lower registry but damn Wendy. Joy's bridge is also right up her alley so "Close To Me" is close to my heart for a great remix.
BTOB - Sorry
My classification tendencies would prefer to call this a BTOB release and then clarify Eunkwang, Minhyuk, and Changsub sang this song. Same goes for any unofficial subunits. Anyway, "Sorry" is a ballad championing Minhyuk for the rap segments which flow very well and are not out of place in the slightest. Eunkwang and Changsub continue to prove their worth as the musical pillars of BTOB and are underrated compared to the rest of the field. "Sorry" is another trophy in this group's collection of slower, emotional pieces.
IZ*ONE - Violeta
"Violeta" is a masterclass of following up on a previous hit with a twist. One can easily hear the similarities between this and "La Vie En Rose" but the subtle (or in some cases, not so subtle) differences make them sister songs and that's pretty good for a temporary group. For starters the instrumental is harder-hitting (super obvious during the vocal-less chorus). While I like the choreography of "Violeta" more, it does feel out of place given the instrumental. The surprise was how good the rap from Minju was, despite it being shorter than Yena's rap in "La Vie En Rose." So while I wanted an encore from Yena, I'll take a solid Minju outing as consolation. Props to them for stringing two hits together.
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