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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