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For months rumors have been circulating about Turbo breaking up? Luckily, the rumors were all unfounded, as the group's new release E-Mail My Heart proves. This is a good technorave effort by the duo of Kim Jong-guk and Mikey (who must be Korean-American because he lists lasagna as his favorite food).

The Prologue [MP3] introduces Mikey's improved rapping skills. I would say that he still has the same style of rapping, but he's improved with timing and flow. This is a pretty decent intro piece?it's a full-length technorave song indicative of what you're going to find on the rest of the CD. I think they should have placed D.D.R. (Double Date Revolution) [RealAudio] later on the CD. It has exactly the same beat as Prologue and makes for monotonous listening in that regard.

Turbo is apparently trying to piece together an Internet theme for this album, judging from its title and the title of the third track, Cyber Lover [RealAudio]. This song is a little lighter than its predecessors and it's reminiscent of that Gap Band song, "You Dropped the Bomb On Me."

Paradoxx [MP3] is classic Turbo. If you liked their earlier CDs (particularly the first one), you will probably like this song. By this point in the album, in fact, I'm wondering?did they cut these tracks way back when and just save them up for release now? Turbo's style hasn't changed much. The seventh track, Secret [MP3], and track ten, Knife [MP3], struck me the same way.

The first ballad on the CD is track five, Tonight [MP3]. The rap line is soothing, while the vocals are sweet. I like it better than Please [MP3], the eighth track. Please is a little closer to an R&B sound, and although the transitional passages highlighted by the guitar are pleasing, the heavy beat provided by synthesized drums is not a winner. Track thirteen, Easy Love [MP3], probably classifies as a ballad although it has a slightly quicker tempo than the other plaintive songs on the CD. The best ballad on the CD is Behind Story [MP3], which has a gentle, euro sound.

Waemollah [MP3] wins the award for best opening measures. The song is upbeat and not too demandingly techno. This tune has sort of a gender-bending sound in that I could picture Diva, or maybe even S.E.S. or Fin.K.L., doing this song. Why? [MP3] is also more pop than techno, and as a pop song, it's okay. Admittedly, I'm not usually wild about songs with refrains as complex as "shake your body, baby."

Moving in the opposite direction is My Life [MP3], which is more rock than techno. The guitar is better developed than in the rest of the album. By the time I reached this point in the album, it was clear that this was a CD best played at a loud party, not alone in a quiet room. The sound is just too repetitive for easy listening, but would make good party/dance music.

Stay [MP3] sounded like a hip-hop tune when it first started, but turned out to be more R&B. The sound was a little different from Turbo's typical style, sounding more like H.O.T. and a lot less techno.

Jong-guk and Mikey try out a softer R&B sound on Naesarang Naegyuteh (R&B Version) [MP3]. The underbeat is up and down, indicating that their relying on a synthesized drumbeat. My guess is that they'd get more emotion out of the song if they'd swing it just a little bit.

Memories [MP3], a duet (trio?) with Joo Young Hoon, makes a good closing song. The opening passage was the most interesting section, moving from an orchestral passage to a low-level rap.

Turbo 5 is full of good club and housecleaning music, and Turbo fans will not be disappointed. If you're looking for something to listen to on a cold winter day, you'd be better off looking at Jo Sung Mo's new CD.

By Denise Ahn

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