S#arp
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The S#arp have reconfigured their group in the process of recording their second album. So Ri has added her voice to the mix, joining Ji Hye Lee (vocals), Chris Kim (rapping), Ji Young Seo (vocals) and Suk Hyun Jang (vocals). Their new album has a lot of talent behind it, including the song-writing skill of Yong Jin and Lee Chul Won.
The S#arp produced a lot of listenable music on their debut album. The title track, Evolution [MP3], has some unique sounding rap in it that was reminiscent of the mutated voices of CLON. Lying [MP3], the fourth track on the CD, has an edgier beat closing in on a dance rhythm. You can watch the Lying video [RealVideo] to remind yourself of this one. Sad Way [MP3] starts with a Mediterranean flair and turns into a rapping prayer with a lot of English. The real hit off the first album was Yes [MP3], an upbeat dance anthem that seems to have good staying power with the listeners. The percussion riff on the toms at the beginning is still my favorite part of the song. The Yes [RealVideo] video is worth watching if you want to check out the former group members.
Some of the music on the new album falls in with The S#arp's old style. They consciously tried to avoid using too much English in their rap, and they tried to write lyrics that everyone could follow. The technodance Gaggai (Closer) features the female vocalists in the group, along with a couple of rap passages for Chris. This song reminds me a lot of Space A's last album.
Tell Me, Tell Me [MP3] will probably be the big hit off the CD, even if it sounds like something Diva could have put out (where are the guys during the first half of this song?). Again, the futuristic video [RealVideo] reminds me somewhat of Space A. It's hard to tell where the video [MPEG] was filmed, but it looks like Lee Ji Hye, Seo Ji Young and So Ri are surrounded by ventilation shafts.
For You starts out with some hard-edged rap with female vocals that sound like Baby Vox to me. The voices seem a little thin in this one. This track is followed by Blue Day, a ballad enlivened by the sounds of a classical guitar. The synthesizer adds some chimes to fill in the space behind the rap passages and make the bridges more solid.
Aggyeohn Sarang (Gimme1x Gimme1x Gimme1x) [RealAudio] is in a completely different place than the rest of the album?namely, Sweden. This is a throwback to ABBA if I've ever heard one, despite the rap thrown in halfway through the piece.
I thought Exit [RealAudio] would be all flow rap judging from its beginning, but it turned out not to be. It's actually an upbeat, happy-sounding song. If group is going for a reputation of hardcore rap and rhythm, they're missing by a mile. On the other hand, their music is very listenable and singable, which was their stated goal.
The album is closed out with Forever With You, an R&B ballad. This is a tender, slow song with a slightly soporific effect. If the group was trying to avoid singing in English to please their Korean fans, however, they failed on this one. The entire chorus is in English.
Can't get enough of The S#arp? Watch the at rehearsal [RealVideo], doing a sound check for KMTV [RealVideo], a KBS clip [RealVideo], Lee Ji Hye goofing around [RealVideo], and an introductory clip (Sora Imnida) [RealVideo].
By Denise Ahn
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