[Review] 9MUSES - Drama (Revisited)

"Drama" came out a little over five years ago, and it was yet another rebranding of 9MUSES who had suffered through their most dramatic roster shift yet, losing Sera, Lee Sem, and Eunji. Some pillars remained like Hyemi and Hyuna, while new members Keumjo and Sojin made their debuts.

• The song itself is quite good. "Drama" is carried by the pretty vocals of 9MUSES, with Kyungri and Hyemi at the top of the list. There's a variety of structure in the song and all the members do well in filling those roles out. Having said that, "Drama" is rather bland and while the "only you~" hook is catchy, nothing else really makes this song unique, per se. Past releases like "Wild" and "Glue" had a signature 9MUSES sound to them, and while this song is most like "Dolls," the chorus is not nearly as powerful and the rapping is too segmented to be very effective.

Slightly contradictory comments everywhere in this paragraph. Bland chorus but pretty vocals, segmented structure but quite good. In present day I simply revere the older catalogue too much to have much appreciation for "Drama" like this.

• Visually, Keumjo sticks out rather unfortunately. Everyone on 9MUSES has this elegant mature air around them and I just don't think Keumjo has that. She looks far younger and while you can also make that argument for Minha, Minha is still very mature in her beauty which Keumjo lacks. Sojin is easilly 9MUSES material but only if she didn't cut her hair. Watching her perform "Knock" with long hair really gave her that presence and while she's still very pretty with short hair the long locks would suit her much better and make her fit in aesthetically a lot more.
  

As always, uniformity in a group is a helluva drug, so it was a shame to see Sojin ditch the long locks. And yeah, Keumjo never quite meshed with the model-status of the 9MUSES visuals.

• As far as vocals are concerned both Sojin and Keumjo blend rather well with the rest of the cast. They have nice airy (breathy, even) voices that compliment Kyungri and Hyemi. I see a handful of comments comparing Keumjo to Sera in terms of vocals and honestly I don't think they're remotely similar: Sera has clarity whereas Keumjo has power.

While they slipped on the visuals department, neither were caught lacking in vocals. They fit right in with the rest of the roster. Keumjo's vocals were another asset alongside Hyuna, Kyungri, etc. while Sojin's harsher voice did great when rapping. Nobody could truly replace Erin after she left, but Sojin put in work, especially in songs like "Remember."

• However, it's practically a crime that Hyuna didn't get more lines. Hyuna has such a rich voice that really shone in "Dolls," so I wanted to see more of her in "Drama." It's also kind of a shame that they're shaping Keumjo to be the new lead vocalist, as Hyemi more than deserves that spot in the limelight. If Hyuna has been underutilized, Kyungri is overutilized. Kyungri has all her standard vocal parts but also has a portion of the rap. I really don't want Sistar19 syndrome in a group with 8 members and plenty of talent. Erin should have handled all the rapping to herself, and that's what I expected with Eunji's departure. While Sungah does a commendable job with her lines, Erin is one of the best available and not using her to full potential is really disappointing.

Ah yes, member mismanagement in this group? Surely you jest. Hyuna needed more, Kyungri needed less, and Erin needed more. Pretty much spot-on with all of these descriptions years later. At least Hyemi got some of her due in the twilight years of this group.

• I would hesitate to call "Drama" safe, given the new members and new roles. However, the performance is very much a 9MUSES standard, even if members like Hyuna and Erin are being overshadowed. In the end, with pleasant visuals and a synchronized sound, "Drama" is a good start to hopefully a strong rebound year for 9MUSES.

And it was! 2015 gave the group a very solid year despite the roster turmoil. What followed "Drama" was "Hurt Locker" and then "Sleepless Night," both of which were very high in quality. Unfortunately, they sputtered out yet again after that, and didn't return until two years later before yet more inactivity leading into disbandment. This group really is one of the biggest missed potential in Kpop girl group history, and I will continue to bring that up every time I write about 9MUSES.