[Review] KARA - Cupid Revisited

Another episode taking a look back at some of the song reviews I've done across the years. I'm not sure if I'll always stick to five year revisits, but for now it'll have to be the case. "Cupid" was the final main release for KARA and if memory serves it was quite anticlimactic. Let's see if my opinions have changed. Linked is one of their best performances of the song but unfortunately despite their amazing outfits the video quality is lying through its teeth.

• Seungyeon and Gyuri handle the bulk of the vocals, especially the excellent work at the end of the song. Gyuri has such a voice that I don't know how to describe, but regardless she shines here in "Cupid," utilizing her high range and pristine voice. Gyuri's voice definitely is "imperial." Gyuri might be the goddess but as far as visuals go in "Cupid" she surrendered that title to Hara.

In the final phase of KARA the duo always did all the work vocals-wise. Gyuri's voice has fluctuated from good to bad for me over her career but it definitely shone in "Cupid." Also funny is how I mentioned "surrendering" the appearance title but I'm pretty sure Hara has always held that crown over Gyuri. Maybe some comebacks would make the competition close but worst case Hara dangled the title only to yoink it back at the last second.

• Speaking of, Hara is definitely the superstar of this comeback. Her vocal improvement since "Mamma Mia" is very evident and I'm proud to see her progress so far. She's stable, and she just sounds good. Most of the Hara we know is rather weak in the vocal department, so this is very much appreciated for both herself and her fans I'm sure.

Seriously, one could not take their eyes or ears off Hara in this comeback. Hara's progress as a singer through her idol journey was remarkable and is one of the few examples of steady improvement - from afterthought to contributor (vocals-wise of course). 

• Youngji's primary appearance is in the rapping, which came as a surprise somewhat. I was surprised since I didn't expect this song to have a rap but at the same time, with all the other members having (hogging) all the lines it makes sense that she would show up with a rap. The rap itself isn't bad. She has good enunciation and flow, but her voice is really soft, which whether intentional or not, is disrupted heavily by the instrumental. If you're watching the video, it just looks like it's some awkward dance break with various shots of Youngji.

Damned if this paragraph ain't the truth. Youngji got the leftovers of "Cupid" which was in the unnecessary rap break. While I'll agree with 2015 me in that the rap wasn't too bad standalone, it's still very much out of place and Youngji's quiet performance is heavily obscured thanks to the instrumental. File this under the "mediocre rap breaks" section that most girl group songs don't ever need.

• The seemingly random spray of English in all KARA songs makes another return in "Cupid." While I've never been a fan of it, it's something I have grown used to by now and isn't bad enough to make me cringe. What did though, is the disappointment of choreography. While it didn't make me cringe per se, this dance pales in comparison to the frantic moves of "Mamma Mia" which definitely helped KARA make a statement with that comeback. The choreography in "Cupid" is just boring.

Yeah man, what happened to KARA's choreography? They've had iconic and legendary dances from "Mister" to "Lupin," from "Pandora" to "Mamma Mia." And then "Cupid" ended their group run with a whimper.

• I'm rather pleased with "Cupid." The song is smooth and has incredible vocal work shared between Gyuri, Seungyeon, and Hara's rapid improvement. A good instrumental goes a long way helping the song though it does hurt the decent rap by Youngji. 

Now this surprised me because years later, I'm not really into the song at all. The instrumental is definitely solid and the vocal performances put in by the members is commendable, nothing about "Cupid" really stands out.

• "Cupid" seems stronger than "Mamma Mia" outside of the dance category, and I might even say that this might have been a stronger comeback for this new KARA over "Mamma Mia."

And this surprised me even more. Looking back on KARA's final phase, "Mamma Mia" was definitely their magnum opus. Of course we didn't know then that "Cupid" was gonna be their last but to have thought it better a song than "Mamma Mia" is kinda absurd. Did I ever do a review for that song? Maybe another retrospective on that song review would be an amusing follow-up to this.