#32: Hwanhee - ...하다가

Hwanhee, oh Hwanhee. Formerly one-half of legendary SM-made ballad duo Fly To The Sky, Hwanhee, if I may say so, has one of the most beautiful voices in kpop. I am as serious as I can be right now. Although nothing can beat last year's Because I Missed Your Heart, this gorgeous song is pretty close.


If you think about it, While Doing isn't really that complicated or dynamic a song - it's basically a simple melody put on top of a looped instrumental with a pretty piano line. What makes it special is that, like a few other fantastic songs this year, the simplicity was done on purpose - to make the singer's voice stand out. And boy does Hwanhee's voice stand out.

The song was made to be carried by vocals - the beauty of the song comes out in how Hwanhee wants to sing it, and how he wants his voice to sound. For someone with vocal technique and actual vocals as good as Hwanhee, it's no surprise that the song came out fantastic. And when I say fantastic I mean I'malmostspeechlessbecausehisvoiceisgorgeousandifiwasn'tawriteriwouldreallybespeechless.

Have you HEARD this live? I'm dying just thinking about it. And apparently, he was sick during that time. The horrid outfits he had during promo, which can only be described as vile, throat-eating things, have been forgiven. I choose not to remember them, for my sanity.

[August 15, 2010] SBS Inkigayo Highlights + Commentary

Do I HAVE to write an intro? I'm so tired (yet again) and I have two projects to finish by Tuesday. I'm not happy. Anyway. SHINee WON TODAYYYYYYYYY! *dances around room*


Video credit to CrazyCarrot350.

GP Basic - Game
The issue of these girls' ages is somewhat a sore spot for me because I started writing when I was around 14, and I got a lot of criticism just because I was young in a circle of bloggers who were all in their 20's - there were people who didn't even bother reading my writing just because I was 14, that's not fair at all. Just because someone young is trying to succeed in a world of people older then him/her, doesn't mean they should be overlooked completely. If they really want to do this, and if they're serious about succeeding, then I have no right to put them down just because of their age. I believe that they should be judged like any other new girl group, and that's why I'm going to say what I'm about to. They're not good. Except maybe for the girl in CL sunglasses, they're not very good singers. They don't have to sound like 40 year-old's to sound good, but they should at least be able to hold a melody. They can't. And once again, they have no sophistication, no class, when they perform. Again, I'm not saying this because they're young - if they were good I'd say they were, but they're not so I won't.

Nine Muses - No Playboy
There might be some nice voices hidden behind these girls, but their song sucks and they can't perform. There's no grace to the way they move - it looks so robotic and contrived. It doesn't help that the song goes nowhere. Look, I know they all look like models and they have long legs and walk like models but they're in music - I expect them to deliver when we talk about performance. They're not delivering.

G.NA with Yonghwa (CN Blue) - I'll Back Off So You Can Live (review/The Kpop Panel Review)
Yonghwa gave presence to today's performance, but that's about it. Sorry Yonghwa, please stick to singing, even if Jonghyun's better than you. OK, maybe stick to writing songs, then. She's not blowing me away with her performances yet, but they don't make me uncomfortable when I watch them anymore. Maybe by her next single she gets some presence.

Miss A - Bad Girl, Good Girl
All they really need to do is get rid of the breathlessness and their performances would be near-perfect. Today was their usual - tight, strong vocals with that hint of sophistication.

Infinite - She's Back
Well that's more like it, Infinite. Although I think certain parts were mimed, that wasn't half bad a performance. The song's on the cheesy side, but hey, if it works for them I'm not complaining. I'd rather they pull off a good performance and have a slightly cheesy song than have a fantastic song and not be able to even sing it.

Rainbow - A
Well, at least they gave the verses to the girls who can actually sing. Otherwise, this would've been a bigger disaster than it already is.

Secret - Madonna
Even if the high notes weren't pulled off very well, they still have the basics mastered. Their vocals aren't fantastic, but they're stronger than all the other rookie girl groups. And besides, I've already established that these girls are performers - they have the finesse and the elegance to their performance.

Son Dambi - Queen
Consistent performance today, but I'm starting to seriously get sick of the song. Next single, please.

Se7en - Better Together(The Kpop Panel Review)
Even if I'm literally throwing up the recorded version of this, when I watch the live performances I suddenly like it again. The power of a good performer. Strong performance today, and even with the white-haired girls, it was rather sophisticated. The performance, I mean.

Hwanhee - While Doing
Now THAT is a gorgeous voice. It has timbre, character, and technique. He gets a little exhausted towards the end, but the mid-range melodies are all well-delivered, it's just the higher parts where he strains. I think that's the reason why this song works - it's not has good as his single last year (which I was completely blown away by), but his vocals are enough to carry the song. Brian may have the presence and decent vocals, but Hwanhee's the voice.

BoA - Hurricane Venus (The Kpop Panel Review)
I don't know what to say anymore, it's like I've said everything there is about this! She's consistent with her vocals and performance, yes, but that's expected of someone who's been around for as long as she has. I want a damn good song, and I don't have that.

SHINee - Lucifer (review/The Kpop Panel Review) (WINNER)
Aaaaaand Jonghyun's letting go again. *sigh* I named this week's MuBank performance the best one so far, and it still is - everyone, apart from Jonghyun at parts, sounded fantastic, but the magic that the MuBank one wasn't there. They had presence today, and they performed well, but once again, music is half heard (representing the technical side) and half felt (representing the "oh my gosh I got goosebumps" side) - they lacked a bit of the "feeling" today. Just a bit though. It's up to you to decide if a little goes a long way on this one. But they won so YAYYYYYYYYYY.

[August 6, 2010] KBS Music Bank Highlights + Commentary

Was this a brilliant idea or was this a brilliant idea? LOL! ;D Click the images to enlarge.

Best of 2009: December #2 & #1

*jumps around* THE LAST POST FOR THE BEST OF 2009. Except for the wrap-up and final rankings, at least. I cannot believe it. Hahah.

#2: Alicia Keys - That's How Strong My Love Is

Since I haven't done a review of the album yet (I will next year, I PROMISE), let me just get everything out of the way right now and say that this is my favorite song off The Element of Freedom. It's got a gorgeous melody and an even more gorgeous piano line - that's the focus of the song, really. I love how it's pretty and not serious as hell - some people think that if you just have a simple melody and a simple piano part it has to be haunting and serious every single time. Sure there are times when you need those types of songs (Britt Nicole's Have Your Way, for example) but we need a break. Thankfully, Alicia realizes that. Brilliant song, turns somewhat epic but still not explosively epic at the end and dammit, it needs attention.

#1: Hwanhee - 심장을 놓쳐서

Hwanhee used to be under SM Entertainment with the act Fly to the Sky - they were an R&B duo and let me tell you, these guys had gorgeous voices. No really, they were versatile, beautiful and dammit, they could sing. Now he's gone solo and his carrier single late this year is something I liked when I first heard it, still liked when I kept on listening to it non-stop for a day but literally fell at my feet for when I heard the instrumental at full volume.

I tweeted this earlier this month but I'm serious - this song has the possibility of being the Forever of Korea. The only difference is that this song has a heck of a lot of groove (think a slightly less effortless Craig David) and the guy's voice is just BRILLIANT. I am in no way kidding, listen to this at an extremely high volume and you will be blown away. I was.

Let's take a moment to talk about the instrumental. I love the percussion part even if it's not real drums and the synth part makes the song really cool but amidst all these computer-generated crap made into brilliance is an element I always, always, adore in a song. YES, IT HAS A STRING SECTION and a DAMN GOOD one at that. Then there's the piano part during the breakdown after the middle 8 before the song explodes - THAT plus a string section is enough to make this one of the best songs of the year.

The schedule for the rest of the year and early January:
29th: Rankings and sum-up of the best songs
30th: 9 Best Albums of 2009 #s 9 - 2
31st: Best Album of 2009 AND 50 most played songs
1st (January): Looking Back at 2009
2nd: What to Expect in 2010
3rd: Vocal Commentary Special Re-briefing
4th: DBSK's Vocal Prowess V2.0 - The Intro
5th: DBSK's Vocal Prowess V2.0 - The Individual Analyses

PHEW.