Showing posts with label k-culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label k-culture. Show all posts

Monday, 28 July 2014

Lunafly Concert Review


This review contains personal opinions!
Concert rating: 10!/10

An introduction of the group: Lunafly is a South Korean trio consisting of Sam (leader, vocalist), Teo (vocalist) and Yun (main vocalist, maknae). The boys are signed under Nega Network, the same company as Brown Eyed Girls and the rookie group, LC9, but compared to their seniors and hoobaes, Lunafly is not your ordinary k-pop group, as the trio sings and plays instruments like a real band (Sam - guitar, Yun - guitar, Teo - keyboard, drum, guitar). 
The trio debuted almost 2 years ago and its popularity is still raising, mostly outside of Korea through its numerous covers released through an youtube channel, but also through its original songs, which they usually release in both Korean and English, making its music more accessible to international fans.
The summer of 2014 marked the beginning of their first world tour that began in Latin America and continued with European countries. During their concert in Bucharest, Romania, Sam announced the release of their next song "Can I Kiss You?" which will apparently be an English track.

The impression: Lunafly is not the first k-group that marks Romania on its concert map. LedApple was the first to heat up the stage back in February, concert which gathered fans from different European countries in a number of almost 2,000. Lunafly's concert sold out with both VIP and Fan Sign tickets and when the fans finally stopped pouring through the open doors, there were more than 500 fans anxiously waiting for the boys to go up the stage. Yes, we were few in numbers, but the atmosphere was that of a rock concert, of that I assure you!
The whole event debuted through a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) presentation, continuing with a dance number performed by a Romanian girl group (sincerely, those girls failed to impress me; seriously girls, get your moves in sync first!), the boys stepping on the stage at 8:20 PM (they were scheduled to enter at 8:30).
But leaving aside the actual concert for now, I'll talk about the fans and the atmosphere. Some (please note that I deliberately said SOME!) of the fans left me speechless in the most negative way. I did not expect certain things to be seen/said/heard at/during such an event! I hope/wish that the next concert will reunite more suitable fans or at least the fans will understand where they did wrong and make sure they do not repeat the same mistakes. Seriously, some of the fans made me wonder if that's how the whole k-pop fandom is (no wonder we're called the worse fans)! And not to mention that when I first began listening to k-pop everything was so civilized... back then, k-pop wasn't just a "phase". But right now, I don't know. One thing is for sure: it makes me wish I could hide k-pop from everyone and keep it just to me and those from my generation... I sound old and cranky now, ain't I?^^' Still 19, peeps, still 19!
But the atmosphere... WOW! just WOW! Now, have you ever been to a rock concert? Like, Bon Jovi for example? Have you ever heard the whole crowd singing along with the performing artist? So loud that the artist himself had to scream to cover the crowd? Well, that's how it was here! We all sang along Lunafly, be the songs in English or Korean. We sang with them, chanted their names, the group name, screamed "I love you!" in both languages, laughed with them and when Sam announced their break, we reluctantly let them go change their outfits, kind of afraid they might leave just like that. Crazy, huh? They took a break of 20 minutes and then the show went on, with them wearing casual clothes and prepared for what was going to be the most impressing part of the concert: a Romanian song sang by all of them from the beginning to the very end. Sincerely, if I weren't already their fans, they would have won me then and there! The way they sung "Immortals (ro: Nemuritori)" in Romanian, their pronunciation and the way they jumped off the stage, jumping and cheering, making me feel that they were one of us - man, there's no way of explaining that in words! But it was the highlight of the concert for sure!

Otherwise, they sang all of my favourite songs: "I'm Yours" (Jason Mraz cover), "As Long As You Love Me" (JB cover), California King Bed (Rihanna cover), "Wake Me Up" (Avicii cover), "Fly to Love" (original song), "Special Guy" (original song) and by the end of the concert, I was crying (on the inside, too damn proud to manifest my fangirl feels in public) of happiness while heading to the fan sign event.
The autograph session was another thing I expected ever since I got my ticket! To see one of your biases face to face and tell him a word or two, to have him look at you and make you feel he's seeing only you, even if it's for 5 seconds - that's something only fans can understand! The boys were clearly tired ('cause by the end of the concert, poor Yun had to bend to make the right sound come out and Sam's voice had gone all hoarse), but they still smiled and waved while passing through the crowd of fans, heading for the room where the autographs were going to be given. One more point for them! And then the fans began going in and coming out all smiles, hugging each other and all! Gosh! And then I went in and got to look into Sam's eyes and stutter in front of him when he asked me if I had fun (ok, I didn't stutter and I assured him that I had the time of my life, to which he said, "Good! 'Cause I had the time of my life as well!", cheesy, right?!), smile at Teo's silliness when he clearly signaled who's autograph was that by making two dots above his head on the picture and lose all my words in front of Yun's perfect smile (ok, I didn't lose my words, 'cause I told him "Yun, you've got a wonderful voice!", to which he replied with a shy smile "Really?! Thank you!" - I wish I had the guts to use my Korean though...booo!) and before I knew it, I was out and gone... *sigh* I know that these kind of things don't last long because there are a lot of fans and all, but this time their staff was cool and smiling, while the Romanian staff was the worse. They didn't let Sam receive my letter directly and made me leave it on the table only to throw it later in a box. The disappointment was probably clear in my eyes, 'cause Sam assured me he's read it later (really, thank you Sam! It's ok even if you don't read it, 'cause you probably receive a lot of them and I... heck, I didn't even know what to write in there >///<). But yeah, the Romanian staff was really bad and disrespectful. Hope that next time they'll at least be politer!

The boys:

Sam - He is the sweetest and the most sarcastic, cynic member of the trio! But I still like him! He was my bias even before they debuted (I kind of know him before Lunafly's debut :P) and still is... sort of, kind of... you'll see why later^^' But this man, I love his English! I love his accent and the way he pushes the other members to speak English more and more. He spoke little Korean and talked to the fans the most, responding to the crowd screams and keeping the fire burning. I swear that he loves teasing his fans the most and he himself is teased the most by no other than the evil maknae, Yun darling (he was called old like the songs they cover, old like a grandpa). He even tried his hand on Romanian and it made my heart tingle when he said "You're beautiful" in Romanian or "I love you. or when he sang "Immortals". I really appreciate his effort and thank you for being such an awesome leader of Lunafly and a wonderful person nonetheless!
The part which I loved the most was when he pretended not to understand Korean when the fans asked him to do "귀요미 (Gwiyomi Song)"... silly leader, refusing to act cute!^^

Teo - Officially, he's the craziest of them all! And he's the one that kept us all on track when the cheering would go too loud! This man is incapable of staying serious for too long and got to say that his easy-going attitude could succeed in making you laugh even if you're the most serious person on Earth's surface! Where to put that he sings, plays the keyboards, the drums AND the guitar! He's really nice and special, fitting perfectly in Lunafly! 
What I like about Teo is not the fact that he's handsome or that he looks super with short hair, or his voice, or the fact that he knows how to make the crowd scream at the top of the lungs, but the fact that despite his English not being the best, he tried his best to reach out to us and kept talking, not minding his mistakes (he's truly a language genius, really! should have heard him talking in 7 or so impossible to pronounce languages!). So, for doing your best, thank you, Teo!



Yun - He is special, I swear he is! He's kind of, sort of my bias over Sam (but shhhhh! his crazy fans scared me off, so this is off the record, ok? don't tell them, 'cause I don't want anyone chasing me with an ax^^') and he deserves that place. Why? Well, one - I love his shy personality (it makes me wish I'd be able to meet him while he'd be a normal person and not who he is today; trust me, there's just one other celebrity that gives me the same feeling), two - I love his smile (it's boyish and shy at the same time and it suits him so damn well!), three - I love his voice (he has this special, husky tonality that gives me shivers no matter in hat language he sings!), four - I like the fact that he's so perfectly matching his bandmates and the fact that his skin is coloured, not looking like all the other idols - sorry for this - that seem to have shoved their face in white paint, five - he looks and is humanly approachable. And he really, really is a nice person. I don't know about other k-idols, but Yun is really sweet and nice!
My favourite moment with him was when the crowd was chanting "사랑해 (kr. I love you.)" and he started chanting "Te iubesc (I love you)" in Romanian, signaling his bandmates to copy him. 

Overall: Lunafly really put on a great show! They're incredibly talented and if you ever have the chance to go see them live, don't hesitate 'cause I guarantee you won't regret one bit!^^ What really impressed me (and I was really skeptic and really kept an eye for this aspect) was the fact that they sang 100% live. They didn't even use those headsets you see idols use during live stages back in Korea. And this impressed me! Then, they're really in sync once with another, vocally and instrumentally speaking.
Another thing which I was really curious about was if Yun really can sing that high pitched part from their song "Special Guy" and WOW! the man sounded perfect! It really amazed me, because I know that tonality is not easy to reach and maintain. Good job! Or if Sam's rap is really that fast live - and man, Sam can really rap fast! This is what I call being multi-talented!
Sincerely, I was not disappointed and I do not regret one bit not going to their concert! They deserve 10/10! :)

I wish Lunafly a safe flight back to Korean and that they get more recognition for their talent, 'cause they deserve it to the very bit! 
Let's meet again someday, ok?

P.S. If you want to hear the boys live, head here. The live stages are from their concert in Paris and I'm linking them here because the videos are Hd compared to the ones made during their concert in Romania. Enjoy!

Credits: the photos are not mine and belong to the person mentioned on the photos. Take out with full credits, please!

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Block B "H.E.R" EP Review

This review reflects personal opinions and not those of a professional!
Personal rating: 4.5/5

The impression: Block B had me waiting for this album quite reluctantly thanks to their photo teasers. I mean pink? Doesn't ring like Block B's style at all! But I was willing to wait and see how it turned out. And I wasn't disappointed.
I like the fact that their live stages promote "Jackpot" as well since it would have been a shame not to give the deserved attention to this track! And as always, the guys do not disappoint when talking about singing live and putting a show at the same time!
But enough chit-chatting and let's get down to talk about the tracks!

The tracks:
01. Extraordinary Woman (보기 드문 여자) - Compared to their other albums' intros, this track is a slow melody with a jazzy feeling that reminds of the old American pop (talking here about Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Blue etc.). It's not a powerful track, but it gives this peaceful feeling that's just right during a quiet evening with some wine and a good meal. Yep, the boys are now on another level as entertainers. Ok, so I like that Zico tried his hand on another genre other than hip-hop/rap/powerful k-pop, but sincerely, I don't think it completely suits Block B. They had other slow tracks on their previous albums as well, but there were a lot of tracks a la Block B to give them real attention. But with this track opening their new EP... Otherwise, the song is nice, especially the instrumental background - we have guitar, battery, making the fans wish to hear the track live with a band. Even the rap parts are mild and putting into the limelight the exact feelings the track talks about: a man that is in love with his girlfriend, a man that is surprised by his own feelings.
Got to ask: is this year the "season" of love confessions?
A plus given to Zico's English part at the end! It makes me wish he'd have a solo English track sometime in the future!

02. H.E.R - And the track that bears the same name as the EP! This is the crazy style Block B had us used to! It's fun, it's colourful, it features Zico's genius rap, the instrumental is made by a band - what more would we want from this track?!
Just like the previous song, it talks about love, about this "extraordinary' woman that has left all members speechless and made them go gaga after her! But unlike the other track, this one features the craziness of Block B gone to the max! I love how he song gets to you and you hear yourself humming along with it after listening just once (trust me, I got to annoy my friends with this song after it got stuck inside my head).
I like how they changed the members turns to singing as well. Usually we have Zico introducing the track, Kyung or PO, Jaehyo (a line or two), B-Bomb or U-Kwon (again, a line or two) and Taeil doing the actual singing. But now we got to hear P.O singing - ok, let me say it in a different way SINGING, P.O SINGS! And we clearly got to hear B-Bomb and U-Kwon, even Zico can be clearly heard during the chorus. Surprisingly, Taeil is the one that got less lines this time and of course, poor Jaehyo. But it's the major change that makes the track so fun, since P.O's voice is husky and sounds so perfectly during the funky intro and chorus!
And about the MV - is colourful and funky and it still has that Block B trademark craziness, thing which is totally adorable! Especially Zico with his bubbles and body gag movements! But all members are just as crazy and seem to be made for comedy shows! And for this we have to talk to the director that made their MV look so good.
Pluses: Zico's silly act, Zico's aegyo part, P.O's singing voice, B-Bomb's tough act, U-Kwon's voice.

03. Hold Me Now (이제 날 안아요) - More than the first song of the album, this one is indeed a ballad. It's a sweet track featuring amazing vocals and the sweet tune of the piano. It's a love song and once again, it has that touch of the old pop ballads, something that makes me think of either Westlife or Blue or, if we talk about k-world, then it's definitely SS501. So yeah, as much as I like Zico's composing skills and this song as well, I have to point out that it's definitely not Block B's style. 
Plus: Jaehyo's fans can rest assure that the boy can really sing! I mean, this song is mostly his :)

04. Jackpot - Now this song is complete madness, screaming Block B from the very first seconds! This track is pure genius, so funky and fun, it makes you sing along with it without even knowing the language or the lyrics! It just has that thing, you know?
Love the piano at the beginning and the drums during the song, the fact that a live version of this song would sound so badass and rockish that would make the floor tremble under the fans' feet! But what I enjoy the most is the playfulness of their voice and of the entire tune, while the words they sing are real. I think this is one of the first songs of the year that has a real message behind the lyrics. Here, Block B no longer talks about love and break-ups, feelings and touching stories, but about success and greed, about how people perceive these and how every single one of us is struggling to become successful and how easy it is to get lost on the path of success. I think the song, which is composed by Zico, of course, is a message for their fans and for the entire k-world: they will be back more successful than before, they will not be brought down by anything and that with every blow they receive, they'll only raise more powerful. That's just deep, man! Congrats to Zico!
Plus: The MV is a piece of art! It's a sort of continuation of "Very Good", but at the same time it's somehow different. The "Very Good" MV was somehow more violent than funny, while the MV for "Jackpot" is funny and full of nonsense, featuring a lot of glam and that funky image Block B manages to pull every single time! Love Zico's kimono from the beginning, his blue lenses, his English, Kyung's hypnotic umbrella, B-Bomb's gentleman's image, P.O strange taste for bugs and bright hair colours (swear that this man can pull any hair colour!), Taeil's high kick during the dance and chorus part, U-Kwon's obsession for guns and fight scenes, Jaehyo's high note at the end. But what's really interesting is that the MV puts the lyrics into visual content: the boys are transforming the girl, preparing her for her successful path. But, as real life teaches us, no good deed gets unpunished, as the girl flips the bird while walking away from the boys, all dressed up. Not that she remains unpunished either... see what I mean? Everything in this MV has a moral!

Overall: The album is great! Zico is one heck of a composer and producer and I think he knows exactly what the strong and weak points of his fellow bandmates are.. I may not be that fond of the slow tracks and all, but I guess Zico had his reason for including them in this album. As their all related to love and one "extraordinary" woman, should I guess that he's in love? :) (c'mon, I wasn't wrong with Taeyang's dedication of 'Eyes, Nose, Lips" either :P). I deducted 0.5 points just because I personally believe that songs like those don't suit Block B that well. Otherwise, the songs are very good and nice to listen, especially since they make me believe I hear a drama's OSTs :)
One more thing: I really read comments on the internet about Block B's comeback and I was pleased to see that despite them having some difficulties in the past, the BBCs remained strong on their side. One thing though - some compared Zico's skills with GD's composing ability and said some nasty things about how the younger generation has some more "juice" flowing inside them. Well, I didn't like that. Not at all. GD is my bias and so is Zico and I never, ever thought of comparing them. GD is GD and sincerely speaking, I think that man will compose songs even when he'll be old and cranky, while Zico is Zico, his rockish and badass style overflowing with every sing he writes. They're both geniuses and awesome singers! Why compare them? That's just mean and it could hurt them both! So, please, BBCs and other fans as well, let's show the artists the respect they deserve, ok? 'Cause just as you don't like being compared to someone else when doing something, I guess they don't like it either. After all, they all work hard for the fans :)

Monday, 2 June 2014

Taeyang "Rise [Vol. 2]" Album Review


This review reflects personal opinions and not those of a professional!
Personal rating: 4.5/5

The impression: To be honest, when YG Ent. posted that famous picture on their official Facebook, asking fans "Who's next?" I was sincerely hoping for WINNER's debut and was quite disappointed when they announced Taeyang's new album. But, and there's a big but in here, I no longer regret. Giving a listen to this album made me fall in love with every single musical note, with every single word.
I like how this album is an overall throw back Thursday and how even the album cover is made to remember us of that old Taeyang that used to be called Sol or Solar, a nickname that died with time as he raised to fame and became known more for his swag-ish and dance tracks. Take the title of the album as it's written on the album cover "Rise Taeyang" and you'll understand just how awesome this album is meant to be and just what's its purpose - Taeyang rises once again like the Sol that reached the peak of all charts back in 2008.
So, let's welcome this little piece of the past that has been caught and dressed up in this beautiful, brand new album, shall we?

The tracks:
01. Intro (Rise) - I really needed to say some words about the intro of the album since not only that is an awesome introduction to the album, but there are some pretty impressive elements mixed in this short track.
First of all, Taeyang's English. Just... WOW! I'm not a native speaker or whatever, but wow, did he manage to impress me with a clean pronunciation! For a non-Korean speaker, a clean English will always impress and most of the times, it will make us sing along. So, there goes a point to Taeyang for his hard work!
Secondly, the beat. It just made me move along with the rhythm even though I'm not the greatest dancer out there. I always thought that an intro that makes you move or sing along with it introduces a great album! And guess what? Up till now, I was never wrong!
And thirdly, the message. Most of the intros don't usually have that much consistency since it's only a fragment of a song. Ok, it has to be catchy, to make people want to hear the full version of it, but most of them just make you skip them and just go for the next track. But this one- this one is one of those intros I really wish it had a full version. I'm not joking! Even though it's pretty short (1:45 minutes), I personally think it manages to capture pretty well Taeyang's intention/thoughts. Something happened - in between the release of "Ringa Linga" and this album, something caused Taeyang to feel the need for a public declaration "I'm not going anywhere, 'cause I worked my ass up here! I'll show you that I am Sol and I will rise brighter than the morning sun!". Or that's what I felt he was saying through this intro...

02. Eyes, Nose, Lips - Maybe this is a real-life dedication, maybe be not... Whatever it is, it was turned in a beautiful long song that got sing along with it and wanna scream to the whole world "THIS IS THE REAL TAEYANG! THIS IS OUR SOL! THIS IS HIS REAL POTENTIAL!" (fan-girl mode deactivated).
If I were to ignore the already existing MV and close my eyes to imagine a new one for this track, I would more than surely see Taeyang in a black-and-white suit under the spotlight, singing to this invisible female that causes him to feel sorry and at the same time long for those better times when they were together. I think it would suit the whole song so much better than the real MV, where Taeyang insisted to appear half naked, thing I don't quite fancy since... it's distracting me from the whole feeling of the song, alright?! Yes, he looks great (even though in my opinion, his abs looked so much better before), but his nice, naked body doesn't go along that well with the feeling of loneliness this track gives away. Or is it just me who sees it like this? Ok, maybe his bareness is used to show his vulnerability , but still... it's distracting to one's eyes!
Anyway, this R&B song, combined with the piano and the acoustic guitar really highlights Taeyang's vocals, proving that he's not only a great dancer (with one of the nicest smiles, if you ask me), but a full artist that debuted displaying a range of colours through his voice. I think that's the most important thing about this song.
But what I love the most about this track is the jerky way he sings the chorus. To me, it sounds so much more personal since it sounds like a regretful enumeration of all the things that were taken from him...

03. 1AM - If the previous track was probably the immediate reaction of the guy after being dumped, this is clearly the later attitude of the very same guy. The track is fun and has an upbeat rhythm, displaying the cool attitude of the guy that really tries his best to get over everything, but still catches himself thinking of her at 1am sharp.
The rhythm is so silly that it just makes you move your feet along with it, move your fingers in the air, wanna go to this guy and just offer him a solution to get over the whole break-up thing. It's fun! It makes me think of Taeyang in a colourful MV or a street performance where he could show a silly acting to display his incapability to get over that girl he speak about. Or it could be a meeting between old lovers where he just gets up and starts showing just how hard it was for him to get over her...

04. Stay With Me (ft. G-Dragon) - Ok, I have to admit that I was waiting to listen to this ever since I saw it was featuring GD.  I really think Taeyang's R&B tone goes really well with the relaxed rap of his best friend, G-Dragon-sshi. And they make me smile since in this song, they are one and the same guy: GD is the cool part, the one who acts all macho and doesn't show his soft spot for the girl, while Taeyang is the sweet side that says everything he bears in his heart (you know, like a male best friend that usually gets friend zoned?).
I really respect all YG artists since their use of English in songs really makes sense. I think I've heard so much broken English that makes no sense in other k-pop songs that I no longer find it silly. But this song's English lines really act as bridges between how the man acts and how he feels, which is awesome!
Another thing I absolutely love is the choir bridge mixed with GD's laid back rap pleading! It's just brilliant! Ok, ok, you caught me, this is my second favourite song on this whole album!

05. Beautiful (Body) (ft. CL) - This is exactly that type of dance track that absolutely makes no sense to me! First of all, it's disappointing to all those fangirls that don't look like Young Bae's ideal type... kiddin', but really I personally felt like hiding after hearing this song.
Unfortunately, I don't find the song anything special. The beat is alright and easy to move along to, but otherwise, the lyrics don't have that much of consistency and the message is quite shallow... Heck, let's be honest here, the whole song pretty much says "I wanna have your babies!"... Sorry, this track is disappointing from this perspective. Otherwise, the way he admits he howls like a wolf when he thinks of her body - that's damn funny!

06. Ringa Linga - Another dance track. Should I stop here? I mean, I don't want anyone to think that I insult Taeyang or anything, but I personally don't think this type of song or style suits him. He has a great body, hands down, and great dancing skills, I'll give him credit for that. But this type of songs don't display his vocals like his other songs do. Ok, here he raps quite coolly and the singing bridge put some of his vocals into the spotlight. But that's pretty much all, I'm sorry to say this...
I have to admit that when I first listened to it, I wasn't thrilled at all. It just didn't grabbed my attention. It was someone else's dance cover that made me take a liking into this song, which is quite strange since I usually go for the original version...

07. This Isn't It - Is this the aftermath of that courageous approach to the new break-up in track 03? I think so. But still, I like this song very much for the sweet display of emotional vocals, for the acoustic guitar arrangement, for the piano accompanying Taeyang, for the sincerity of the lyrics. I like how it's soft as a lullaby and full of the regrets of a man that doesn't know how to be happy after a break-up (really now, Taeyang dear, who broke your heart to so many pieces? VIPs will protect you, don't you worry!).
And if the other tracks were somehow familiar to me, this one really brings out a new type of rhythm and a new melodic line, which makes me take a different type of liking of it. It's a song to listen during rainy days, or when the summer wind blows strongly...

08. Throw Away - Another track that sounds fresh and really nice! And sincerely? It's my absolute number one from this album! Why? Because is one of the best love confessions ever (second after 'ROD' of GD). The best thing someone can do for the person he/she likes is to change completely so that they match, so that they meet halfway. And here, Taeyang sings exactly about he throws away everything he held tightly onto before: selfishness, greed, thinking he's better on his own. And that's really sweet and nice of him!
I also love the melody's arrangements - I think they used a band for it and some classical instruments like violins (I can hear them on the background at times) and of course, the piano. Where to put that awesome featuring of the choir once again! Really nicely composed and arranged!
Curiously, I have nothing to complain about! The track is incredible, Taeyang's vocals were in great shape, the instrumental to die for... I absolutely love it! Really! It's already stuck inside my head :) 

09. Love You to Death - Now this is another song that I really love and that is number one for me as well. I love Taeyang's way of singing it - relaxed, laid-back, with sex-appeal. This song would be perfect to display Taeyang's dancing skills as well as nice vocals.
And I absolutely love the rock-ish feeling of it, the intoxicating darkness infused in the instrumental. And the oscillation between high and low tones Taeyang creates with his own voice - man, now that's what I call sexy! I wonder if Kang Seung Yoon participated in composing the instrumental...
Oh, and there's also CL's participation in the song. Usually, I'm not that much of a fan of auto-tunning, but here it only sustains the sexy feeling Taeyang himself creates, so I cannot do anything else but like it just as much as I like the rest of the song.
As for the message, it's a clear confession and promise of everlasting love. Is there anything else to add? Nope.

Overall: Taeyang's 'Rise' is definitely a mixture of fresh sounds with those of throw-back-Thursday, thing which I really like. He manages to remind his fans of the old times when he was Sol and when he sang just as much as he danced, where the swag of YG was yet to be established. I love how there's familiarity in some of the songs, while some are just amazing through their new beats. I think Taeyang really managed to re-create himself back as Sol while keeping that cool image he has built over the years.
If I were to be really sincere, I wasn't expecting much of this album as the past singles and songs disappointed me. But this album managed to make me fall in love with Taeyang the artist, with Taeyang the singer, with Taeyang the performer and with Taeyang the man (the public one since I never met him in person :D). I think all VIPs will like this as well as other k-pop fans! And he'll definitely gain some new fans through this new release!
But, although I praised this album all throughout this review, I still couldn't give him 5 out of 5 as the dance tracks weren't really my cup of tea and a track or two sounded like some American R&B songs, not that it's a bad thing or anything, but I pretty much prefer Taeyang to sound like himself and not like Chris Brown... get what I mean?
I wish his album to get first place in different charts! :)