Thursday, November 27, 2014

[MUSIC ALBUM REVIEW] A Pink - Pink LUV (2014)


A Pink is back for the second time this year! After filling up our spring with Pink Blossom album (check out my review here), the girls are back in autumn with Pink LUV. This album is released on November 24, 2014 with LUV as their title track. Through this album, A Pink promises to showcase more mature image and sound.

Then, how is their mature transformation? Check out my review below…


What I love the most from LUV, the title track, is how it able to take your attention since the first listens. The song is really catchy, especially the chorus part and its melody. The mature transformation can also clearly seen on this song. A Pink signature 90s old school sound is still there, but it packaged differently this time. The synthesizer sound played on lower note; which gives more elegant vibe to the song. This accompanied by piano sound to make it more serious and dramatic. The girls’ vocal manages to adjust well with the song. They know how to give out more emotions to this sad song. I give major props for Namjoo who keep improving in terms of vocal.

However, there are several issues on this song such as the bridge part, which lacks of punch. The bridge part starts well with Chorong and Hayoung sing in a soft voice followed by Eunji powerful voice to give the song climax. However, Eunji finishes her part too early and flat. She should have just belts out high notes and ad-libs to give more dramatic effect to the song.

Another issue is how the chorus melody and beat sounds similar to No No No. Even the chorus’ part distribution is similar; both of the songs have Chorong to sing the last chorus. I think this happens because the composer for both songs is the same, which is Shinsadong Tiger, so there must be some kind of influence between each song. But other than that, I think it is a solid title track for A Pink.

As for the music video, it does not add anything special to the song. The music video actually suits the song lyrics, which is about reminiscing past lovers. Most of their scenes are about the girls wander around remembering their relationship. But there are too many close ups of the girls’ sad expression The problem is some of their acting does not convincing enough, so it feels awkward to watch. Also, the combination of autumn colors like gold, yellow, cream, and brown does not really match with the bright effect and the limited setting makes the music video becomes boring to watch.

The saving grace for this music video is the girls themselves. All of them look gorgeous and mature in this music video although it is actually not their best styling. It is quite a disappointment watching it because it is a step down from the visually appealing Mr. Chu music video.

  
With Wanna Be, the girls played out with R&B genre with fingertip and piano sound. It is a fresh sound for A Pink because the girls rarely explore R&B genre. But still, the signature 90s old school pop sound can be found in this song. I like the combination between these two genres. It sounds playful, but sophisticated at the same time.

I also love the girls’ vocal in this song. There is balance between the strong vocalists like Eunji to the soft vocalists like Chorong. They complement each other well and make the song more dynamic.

Speaking of Chorong, she really shines in this song. Her soft voice suits perfectly with this type of sweet song. I think the fact that she composes the song lyrics, which is about dreaming of a boy, contributes on how well she conveys the song emotions.

Wanna Be is the right direction for A Pink to expand their music. It gives both youthful and mature side of the girls. Definitely my most favorite track!


 While Wanna Be still has the youthful side, Secret totally throws that away. This song is the only ballad song in this album. It shows strong R&B vibe through its beat and piano sound. I enjoy listen to this song on repeat since it has nice flow. But, I hope there is the bridge part before the last chorus to add more variety to the song and avoid the repetition.

The song tells the story about how the girls keep their secret feeling the boys that they love. Since it is a sad ballad song, the main point would be the vocal. And yes, A Pink does not disappoint. All of them able convey the song emotions well. Eunji slays as usual, but the other girls’ vocal improves greatly in here, especially Namjoo. I also really love the girls’ harmonization during the chorus. It is really beautiful.


The next track, Not An Angel, brings up our mood again with its upbeat tempo. This song opens with the strings sound just like a fairytale theme. This followed by the electric guitar sound, which adds more dynamic and modern sound to the song. I like the combination between these two sounds that dominate the whole song. It gives off both modern and classical feeling to the song.

Not An Angel is pleasant to ear with its smooth flow, addictive phrase (“dudududu”), energetic chorus, and cheerful vocal. All of these actually opposite the lyrics, which is about how the girls tired of being a nice girl like an angel. I like the contradiction between the frustrated lyrics and the fairytale like music. It’s like showing how the girls are frustrated, but still trap in their nice image hahaha. I think it is a refreshing change since A Pink usually known with their pure, innocent, and sweet image. Girls, it’s okay to be bad for a while ;)

  
Love Like Fairytale is a great song to close this album. It is a medium tempo song with another fairytale-like music just like its title. I really love the flute sound that dominated the whole song. It is beautiful, yet unique because not many K-Pop songs used this type of sound. Another unique sound in this song is the music box sound during the bridge. This song is effective in emphasizing the fairytale-theme. Beside that, the fairytale-theme can be seen on the lyrics too. I like the usage of metaphor on the fairytale such as “I want a love that will find me my missing glass slipper”. But, I have to admit that the lyrics are actually too good to be true and too cheesy.

There is a big surprise in this song, which is the girls’ vocal on the verses. I already expect them to sing in the usual high note, but it turns out that they sing it in a much lower note. I like this change; it is kind of refreshing. Beside, lower note itself gives more mature sound. Among all of the girls, I think Bomi nails this song, especially on the chorus part.


Pink LUV shows how A Pink slowly transforms into more mature image and sound without losing their own identity. I love all the songs and love how there is much diversity on the sound; something that Pink Blossom lack of.

In terms of vocal, the girls improve fast, especially Namjoo. She even surpasses Bomi now, but it is still a long way for her to be on Eunji’s level (heck, I even think it is impossible to be on Eunji’s level). But the good thing is that the gap between her vocal and Eunji’s keep decreasing now. Moreover, I like the continuation of members’ contribution in this album, which I think is also a major improvement from the girls.


Overall, A Pink does a good job with this album. They definitely step into right direction while still have rooms to improve. The best album from A Pink so far!



Favorite Songs:                                      All of them
Rating:                                                     4.8/5

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