Rainbow - Kiss

Last year when Rainbow debuted I was quick to dismiss them as performers and as musicians, I still don't think they're that good, but with my iPod on shuffle I came across a song off their first mini-album - Kiss. It hit closer to home than I thought it would.


Rainbow are under DSP Entertainment, the makers of legendary Fin.K.L., DBSK's rival group SS501 (*ahem*) and super cutesy girl group Kara. Musically they adhere to the Kara side of things rather than the Fin.K.L. one and because of that I didn't really give them a chance. OK maybe I tried REALLY hard to seriously listen to Gossip Girl from start to finish but I couldn't - WAY TOO PAINFUL.

I tried listening to their mini-album/EP as well but once again, WAY TOO PAINFUL. Like I said a while ago, Kiss came up on shuffle and to say I was shocked is an understatement - I kinda fell out of my seat.

There's still the Kara-cutesy side of the song and to a certain extent I really can't stand it but crap chorus vocals aside (some of them can actually sing), the song reminds me a lot of a late 90's/early 2000's American/Brit offering. Better production quality but similar vocals and similar hook. The only difference is that this was released in 2009 and it's in Korean but with English lyrics it will REALLY work for someone like Billie Piper, Samantha Mumba OR possibly Play.

Oh my gosh, I've just discovered what this sounds like. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A PLAY SONG. You guys do realize that I started writing this review with the intention of pushing it as a generic late 90's song. Dammit, it does sound like it could work for Play.

For those not familiar with Play (although I know Paul, Mel and Poster Girl are), they're a Swedish girl group that had a short taste of fame in the US via a song they did for Lizze McGuirre - Us Against the World. The simple fact that they're Swedish and that they're a girl group made them one of the first artists I cam across when I was just starting to learn about European music back in grade school. Which is why I'm now freaking out.

Although Rainbow will never be the Korean Play (they can't sing, Play can), this song sort of brought me back to grade school and I'll be playing it A LOT over the next few days. Dammit.

3.9/5