After taking a year off to study different genres of music, the duo Turbo is back on the charts. The title song off their fifth album, E-Mail My Heart, is Cyber Lover [ASX], a dance/pop song inspired by the explosion of love affairs being conducted on-line. Jong Gook and Mikey discuss the CD's theme in a recent interview [RealVideo]. The two singers are funny in this interview because they are innocent in their lack of modesty.

This morning I woke with Park Hye Kyoung's Gobaek (Confession) [ASX] buzzing in my head. It's in the top ten right now, and the chorus, although a bit breathy, is really quite catchy. During a recent interview [RealVideo] (does she talk fast or is it just my imagination?) she talks about why she left her former group The The and how she views her own music.

Lee So Eun has a hit on her hands with the very pretty Seobangnim [ASX] off her second album, Shinbi. This song is graceful and conjures up a feeling of fragility and tenderness. Personally, I love the way the first three notes of the chorus sweep upward even though the song does sound a bit like a Walt Disney tune later on. She lived in the United States for eight years, which explains the fluency in English demonstrated in a recent interview [RealVideo].

I give G.O.D.'s Aesoo [ASX] a 95 -- it's a got a good beat, and you can dance to it. It's hard not to get happy feet when it comes on the radio. The song is completely different from their last single, Saranghae Geurigo Giyukhae [ASX], which was much more melancholic and touching. The five guys in the group -- So Ho Young, Yoon Kye Sang, Danny Ahn, Kim Tae Oo, and Park Joon -- put on a good interview [RealVideo]. If you want to know more about the group's name and how Joon Park (Danny Ahn's cousin) helped put the group together, listen to them chat.

Jang Ho-Il has been out of the music scene for about two years, doing other things with his life and music (he's been acting and working on his radio show). His new album, Retro, seems to have popped up from nowhere, but it's been simmering on the burner for awhile now, as he explains in a recent interview [RealVideo]. As the title of his album implies, he's cultivating a more retro sound, looking back into the 1970s and 1960s for inspiration. You can hear the 1960s influence in Gobaek (Confession) [RealAudio]. Geunaleh Ohoo [RealAudio] is a nice light song, too, but it is hard to place in a retro genre.

I've mentioned Lee Soo Young's I Believe [ASX] before. Its opening measures are so subtle that they are easy to miss without the speakers turned up. The traditional Chinese sound at the bottom of I Believe [MP3] is reminiscent of Lee So Eun's Seobangnim, which is also on the charts right now. I Believe also breaks into a sweeping movie soundtrack style at the end, which does detracts from the mood it was building. Missing You [RealAudio] is a nice R&B ballad but it still seems to have that soundtrack quality. In a recent interview [RealVideo], Lee Soo Young details her break into the music industry and her preference for live concerts.

Kim Gun Mo has been out of the music scene for about two years, which can be a long time in the pop music industry. Apparently, he's been honing his golf game in his time off (but his handicap is still kind of high). He's making a "comeback" now with his sixth CD, Growing. During a recent interview [RealVideo], Kim Gun Mo discusses his down time as well as his musical style. Although Sophie (the interviewer) compares him to Frank Sinatra, his most recent single, Kkok [ASX], doesn't really demonstrate the capabilities to which she refers. Nor does the first single off this album, Boomerang [ASX]. Try instead Chut Sarang (First Love) [RealAudio], a jazzy little number which really does sound of Sinatra, or Naegeh Dagahol Nuhl Wihae (You Would Come To Me) [RealAudio], another hot vocal exercise.

I've been waiting for Suzanne's CD to appear in the States. I first saw the video for the title song, Shadow [RealVideo], weeks ago, and the album is finally available here. Suzanne is trying to explore a variety of sounds, so this album consists of many different styles of singing: alternative, bossa nova, latin and pop. If you're thinking of trying to become a gasoo, you might want to listen to the interview [RealVideo] in which she describes the process of being discovered and producing an album.

When Sky released its debut single, the lead singer's identity was deliberately masked. That was because Choi Jin Young wanted to establish himself as a vocalist without relying on his (or his brother's) popularity as an actor. Although his group is churning out hits like Youngwon [RealVideo], Choi Jin Young indicated in an interview [RealVideo] that he is going to continue acting, he's just waiting for a good part.

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