Taemin - "ACE"

SHINEE's maknae Taemin has debuted as a soloist! Shawols know that he is the member who has consistently expressed the wish to go solo, and now he finally has. He has definitely made a name for himself outside of being 1/5th of SHINee. Although his solo style is very similar to SHINee's, there are some clear differences that set him apart.

The first song on the album, "Ace," was written by TVXQ's Changmin and features his vocals during the chorus. This title track's R&B style is not new to Taemin, as SHINee has had their fair share of singing this genre, but "Ace" features a jazzy bass line to which Taemin sings along flawlessly.

This track showcases his unfailing musicality along with "소나타 (Play Me)". Another slow track, it utilizes samples in the background to keep listeners from becoming disinterested. The parts that stand out the most, though, are the tempo changes after each of the main verses. Taemin's high vocal range is showcased during these parts and allows his fans to hear a softer side of him, compared to his power vocals in SHINee's performances. "괴도 (Danger)" is the second title track and is picks up the pace compared to the previous two tracks. The style of the track, along with Taemin's vocals, are eerily reminiscent to Michael Jackson's style; but as MJ is his idol, it makes sense. The best feature of "괴도 (Danger)" is during the hook when the instrumental becomes more simplistic and listeners can really hear his vocal ability.

"Experience" features the new hit style in SM: emphasizing the off beats throughout certain parts of the song. It definitely keeps listeners entertained, but there actually may be too much going on in "Experience." It even features a dubstep segment, which sounds a bit off when compared to the rest of the song. This style is continued in "Pretty Boy", featuring Kai of EXO. The incorporation of samples in this album is done very tastefully, but the harsh trumpets in this track take away from the intended effect. It was a good idea to include Kai on this track, as some listeners get bored with only singing and need a little rap to aid them in regaining interest. The last song on the album, "거절할게 (Wicked)" starts off with a sensual trombone line but quickly changes to an uptempo beat for the first verse. In the case of this song, the back-and-forth between tempos really works. It gives off both a jazzy and R&B feel at the same time.



Overall, ACE is a great effort by Taemin and sets a great stage for him to work with as he ventures on to more solo activities. 4.6/5

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Toheart - 1st Mini Album

Toheart is a duo comprised of SHINee's Key and Woohyun from Infinite. Although I suspect the ulterior motive is to more smoothly integrate Infinite into being part of the SM family, it's no secret that Key and Woohyun are best friends and this collaboration was bound to happen. Their voices match well together, not to mention the production quality of the whole album is excellent. This was a brave venture for SM, and the result is great.

The first track, "Intro," is a more jazzed up version of the album's title track without lyrics, so I won't comment on it much. But if you're into instrumentals, the instrumentation is fantastic. The title track of the album is "Delicious". The lyrics are a little wacky,

claiming that love is "nutritious," but listeners are introduced to the album's central funky sound while showcasing Toheart's confident vocals. The DJ scratches give this song a bit of a 90's feel, but the groovy guitar line makes it great for just jamming out on a summer day. Key's unique rapping over Woohyun's smooth crooning is best shown in this track, pleasing both SHINee and Infinite fans. The next track is "미로 (迷路) (Maze)" and really sounds like a combination of SHINee's and Infinite's respective sounds. It's another fun song, begging for listeners to get up and dance. The album takes a turn with "You're My Lady," a smooth R&B track given a jazz feel with trombone and guitar lines. The band instrumental really brings out Woohyun's vocals and Key's scatting is fun to listen to. The slow tempo is carried into "Tell Me Why," including a more Indie sound. I'm surprised SM decided to include this, but it will definitely stand out in mainstream K-Pop. The last song, "출발 (Departure)," ends the album on a calm note, riddled with the sad, yet uplifting, sounds of a harmonica and soothing flamenco riffs.

Toheart's 1st mini album is a daring venture with excellent production quality, but the songs could have used a bit more variety. The jazzy and groovy sound throughout the album is definitely not used often, but listening to the same central theme in every song can get a bit old. Overall, though, the album is great and I'm sure we can expect excellence from Toheart in the future. 4.2/5

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Super Junior - "Sexy, Free & Single"

Super Junior is back with their sixth album entitled Sexy, Free & Single. To be honest, it's a little disappointing. For a group of such high standing, I was expecting a lot more. The album is good, but not good enough for where they are in the industry. With almost 7 years of experience under their belt, it's time to stop playing it safe and take their music to the next level.

"Sexy, Free & Single" acts as the lead single and starts out the album. The track strays from their usual funky-style used in past singles like "Sorry Sorry" and "Mr. Simple," giving listeners a refreshing sound. There are a lot of good points in the song, most notably SM's excellent production quality (as always), and Super Junior's strong, confident vocals. It also presents listeners with a more, long overdue mature sound from the group; but all this is countered by poor execution. The transitions lack variety and the build-up of the song is very anticlimactic. It's a VERY good song, but not as great as it could be. "From U" utilizes Super Junior's top 3 vocalists, KRY, and introduces listeners to a smoother side of the group. The pretty melody and simple instrumental woos listeners, yet can get pretty old pretty fast. As an ELF I appreciated the message behind the song, but it left much to be desired musically.

Next on the album is "Gulliver" with lyrics written by Eunhyuk. The instrumental is hard-hitting and showcases a more hardcore side to Super Junior. This track especially stood out to me because it is exclusively a rap track, with the exception of Ryeowook singing the chorus. It gets listeners excited for the few listens with its uniqueness, but quickly loses its "umph." Once again the build-up leaves much to be desired, and the tempo change comes out of nowhere. Eunhyuk's lyrics of comparing Super Junior to Gulliver are clever, but the chanting after the change is really repetitive and really should go.

"Someday" had the potential to be an amazingly pretty song, but falls short in a lot of areas. Most of the arrangement is extremely boring and the vocals are shaky in some parts. The chorus and hook are really nice and the jazzy cut adds a nice touch, but it's still not attention-grabbing enough. It's a nice listen for once in a while, but not everyday. The same could be said for the next track "Now," as well. The song gives off an electro-British-rock-pop feel and seems extremely out of place in the album. This is the experimentation Super Junior should be making, which is good, but it didn't quite make the cut. The instrumentation is kind of all over the place and the chorus, which is the most memorable part of a song, is not nearly as strong as it should be.

"Rockstar" is an LMFAO-type song, full of in-your-face lyrics and a fun, funky instrumental. This song stands as one of the better ones, as Super Junior is always best when they don't take themselves too seriously. This track allows their playfulness to shine and isn't half bad in terms of production. Although this type of track has obviously been done before and isn't the best, it's something new for Super Junior and that's good. "Bittersweet" is a track consisting of only KRY and Sungmin's sweet vocals, giving listeners a break from the previous fast-paced songs. This song is sort of like a lullaby with a punch. It's a bit boring and leads to nowhere, but it's not entirely bad. It's an okay song, but can be forgotten easily.

The last uptempo song on the album is "Butterfly." The opening instrumental grabs your attention along with the theme of repetitive sections in the lyrics, but it soon becomes boring. The instrumental is initially exciting, but gets old after a while with each consecutive listen. The track also could have done without the dubstep cut in the middle. I like the song for its different style, but could be better from a musical-standpoint.

"Daydream" is one of my favorites from the album. I'm a sucker for songs built around piano melodies, so this song really stood out to me. The instrumental isn't too complicated and allows the emotions of the song to really shine through. But, once again, there's no big explosion after the build-up; it resumes it's mild feel. "Daydream" had the potential to be great, but it wasn't polished enough.

The album ends with "A 'Good' Bye." The cheap keyboard line before the hook doesn't quite fit, but the rest of the song is pretty good. There is a LOT of experimentation in this track, much like how the rest of the album should have been. Sounds varying from a ticking clock to a string section are present, keeping the listeners on their feet. But after the first listen, it loses its charm. It's another unique track, but still isn't great. "A 'Good' Bye" is a nice way to end the album, and with a fitting title, but still isn't their best effort.

Sexy, Free & Single is a really good album with excellent production quality and a good lead single, but Super Junior can do better. Many songs were looked over that had the potential to be great, and the album feels rushed-- probably because of leader Leeteuk's impending leave to the army. Blunders such as these resulted in their sixth album not being as good as it could be. I just hope Super Junior releases another great album like Sorry Sorry before it's too late. 3/5.

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