It’s official: I AM ADDICTED TO THIS ALBUM. Very trendy and very unique. It is different from everything you hear these days in Kpop.
Will be back later for the review!
Ok so let me start first with a little background on 2PM. They are under JYPE, which is the company founded bythe quirky singer and producer Park Jin Young. They are called the “beastly idol” because of their performance style and personality.
Their first mini album is Hottest Time of the Day, which included 3 songs, 10 out of 10, Angel and Only You. This is a pretty decent album, it’s just that the title song “10 out of 10″ turns off a lot of people so not many attention was given to 2PM at that time. But I have to stress that Only You and Angel are awesome and so underrated.
Their second mini album was a big hit earlier this year with songs like Again and Again and I Hate You hit number one on various music sites and shows. This also is a decent album, because it has this R&B/Dance fusion style going on which is completely my taste.
They made a comeback this week with their first full album and it is EXPLOSIVE. This is one of the best idol albums, and possibly the best dance pop albums of the year in Kpop. Let’s look at the songs they had to offer this time:
Track 1: My Heart
This is just an intro but I totally went gaga over it. Taecyeon’s voice is husky as always but what makes this track so attractive is the awesome background mix. I noticed that JYP is extremely good at making intro track because all of the intros he produced are full of win and generate a lot of interest from the audience. 5/5
Track 2: Heartbeat (Title)
Title song. One word: Impressive. At first I was a little hesitant about Khun’s rap part, but hell the beat and flow of the song won me over. I like how they incorporated the heartbeat into the beats. Taec started the song with his beastly rapping skills. Chansung followed suit with a transitional rap part. After that is the WIN WIN WIN combination of WooYoung, Junho and Junsu’s voices. Khun comes last with his rap, not too impressive but good enough as a transition. I like the part “Stop trying get her back she ain’t coming” It sounds so… beastly. I can see that the general public finds it hard to digest this song. It has a very unique feeling, with minimal background music and a lot of vocals showing. After a few listen, I got addicted to it. One of those simple but complicated compositions from JYP. 5/5
Track 3: Tired of Waiting
From the composer of their previous hit “I Hate You,” “Tired of Waiting” has a similar feel to their previous style, with lots of autotunes and dramatic change of beats within the song. The melody is very nice, and if you get to listen to the slower ballad version of this song, you will get what I mean. This song I think can also be a title song. 4/5
Track 4: I was crazy about you
Another song FULL OF WIN. With less dramatic beats than Tired of Waiting, this song showcased more vocal ranges of the member. I like the combination of singing and rapping in the chorus, it is very different from songs we often hear. I really admire Wooyoung and Khun’’s voice in this one, very sexy. The rap part at the end is another plus for this song. 5/5
Track 5: Gimme the Light
Junsu and Junho’s vocals shine in this song, especially Junsu. He has been consistenly good in all the songs but this song really showed his powerful and charismatic voice. I think JYP should make more songs like this to showcase the talent of 2PM’s strongest vocal. The melody is really addicting with an American R&B feel, which we rarely see in Kpop. However, the rap part could use some improvement. 4.5/5
Track 6: Back 2 U
OMG, they should become an R&B group. This is yet another WIN song of this album. Showing off a trendy American R&B flow. The only thing I don’t like about this song is the slight overuse of autotunes. I usually don’t mind autotunes but I think this song would be better off with their real vocals. 4.5/5
Track 7: All Night Long
Another R&B song. I like how the group who often sings dance pop can harmonize so well. The lyric is a little bit…not for children but who cares. However, the autotunes in this song, and only in this song, annoyed me. 3/5
Track 8: Heatbeat (Red Light mix)
The heartbeat beat is replaced with the piano melody and normal beat. I guess this is a version that caters to the general public who prefers more background music. However, without the heartbeat, it does not sound as dramatic. 3/5
Track 9: 10 out of 10
Classic. No one does this funky pop song like 2PM does it. 4/5
Track 10: Only You (Acoustic mix)
No matter how they mix this song, I am still in love with it. It emits such genuine feelings. No catchiness needed. 5/5
Track 11: Again and Again
You know I cannot rate this song less than 5. 5/5
Track 12: I Hate You (Lounge Mix)
More autotunes on the already autotune overloaded song. The beat is stronger. I still prefer the original mix. 3/5
Track 13: Don’t know you might come back (Bossa Nova Mix)
Very nice remix. Listening to this version is very relaxing, as opposed to the heavy feeling you get when listening to the original mix. 4/5
Overall
The album is very trendy, yet at the same time very unique. I like how they incorporated the R&B sound and songs with slower beats into the album, while the other idol groups are busy going after catchy melodies and fast strong beats. The remixes are mostly very tastefully done. Out of the 6 new songs, I can see 5 of them good enough to be the title song. That is how good this album is. A real gem in the idol world of Kpop.
Overall score: 4.5/5
I AGREE WITH YOU 100% on everything!
Overall, it would be 5/5 with Jaebum on it. keke