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!
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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