from MUSIC ROOM:
Sampling New Releases
Bursting onto the scene is J, a Korean-American R&B singer from Virginia. Her Uhjae Chuhruhm [RealAudio] should become a big hit for her -- it's has a typical "pop chart like" beat, and her voice is pure. Nareul Neuggyuhbhwa [RealAudio] is slightly more poppy, but just manages to hold on to the R&B sound.
In direct competition to J is Riaa, who just released her 4.5 album. The piano opening to Yamanhae [RealAudio] is nice, but the song is more a rock ballad than a sweet song. It has decent orchestration and makes for pleasant listening. Chooshin [RealAudio] might be a better song -- it's similar in style but the vocals are clearer.
Shin Hwa 3, Only One seems a bit disappointing. I, like many others, have been waiting for it almost since the release of Shin Hwa 2. Arguably, they are the best of the Boy Zone type groups currently out there. It's not a bad CD, but the money to buy the CD could be put to better use.
The first full track on the album, I Wanna Be [RealAudio], is a complete rip off. This techno-rap piece is little more than a rehash of the S.E.S. release "Twilight Zone." Both groups are managed by SM Entertainment, so this fact is not terribly surprising, but let's face it, all SM groups could do with a little more originality.
Unfortunately for Shin Hwa, the last two CDs that spun for days in my CD player were by Drunken Tiger and 1tym. In comparison to the singles out by these two rap groups, Only One [RealAudio] sounds a little weak. Maybe 1tym should consider doing Only One [MP3] because they could probably do it better. And why is the English rap in Shin Hwa so bad when Korean-American Eric Mun, who obviously speaks English, raps? Is someone at SM making him write jibberish?
A relief is All Your Dreams [MP3], the only song on the CD that sounds like most will expect Shin Hwa to sound. It is very reminiscent of T.O.P. (without the sampled classical music) and other tracks on Shin Hwa 2.
Another reason Shin Hwa's album may be taking a big hit is because D.J. Doc also just released a CD. Like Drunken Tiger, D.J. Doc is a guilty pleasure -- on one hand their lyrics are wayward, on the other, it's not hard to groove to their rhythms. For instance, D.O.C Blues [RealAudio] is pretty dang' cool. This song has one groovy beat and it's a good song to blast from your speakers when you're cruising. You should sound like a tough guy with this playing.
Also out in the States is Baby Vox 4, and the lead song seems to be Why [MP3]. This song puts the synthesizer to good use -- the opening passages are lively and uptempo. Sometimes the song seems thin but it should fare well on the charts.
Baeshin (Infidelity) [RealAudio] has a darker sound and a harder beat (if Baby Vox can ever be hard), which does seem to drag in the second half of the song though. Still, the album as a whole is solid and if you liked Baby Vox 3, you'll probably consider your money well spent.
By Denise Ahn
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