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Posted by Rowdyruff0 pt Sunday, January 30, 2011

[Review] Davichi's Lee Hae Ri, Park Jung Min, and Teen Top

Up for review this time is a pretty nice batch of K-pop songs.� We've got songstress Lee Hae Ri of Davichi, Park Jung Min of SS501, and rookie group Teen Top. Do keep in mind that if it's a song, and if it was released in one way or another (preferably in 2011), it is totally eligible to be reviewed.� Except Japanese versions of Korean songs, because, well, this is allkpop. Anyway, here's to peace and tranquility (and still having all my limbs intact)! Lee Hae Ri (Davichi) - "??????" Controlled, dynamic, and something only a 'diva' of a singer like Lee Hae Ri can pull off.� Lee Hae Ri has such a nice timbre, it hurts.� There's a certain classic feel to her singing that gives this song a slight throwback to Korean pop circa early 2000s. "??????"� is a big epic ballad and it's nice to hear one (for once) sung and executed exceptionally well.� Instrumentally, it's also amazing, but again, Lee Hae Ri commands the entire song from beginning to end.� In a way, that's how it should be.� If the instrumental is more interesting than the artist singing over it, we've got a problem. Overall, I loved all of the ascending and descending of the song and how effortlessly it transitioned between verse and chorus.� Thumbs up, E-Tribe. Of course, Lee Hae Ri sounds awesome, but that really goes without saying. 4.5/5 Park Jung Min - "Not Alone" When I listen to "Not Alone," the intro strings instantly grab my attention.� You can recognize that they're telling a story by the way they progressively get intense as the song moves along. There are certain parallels between the sharp violins and the swooping orchestration, which I find to be a fascinating way of adding depth to what is going on behind Jung Min's vocals.� And when the snare kicks in, it really starts coming together. It's essentially a march.� The entire piece isn't necessarily over the top with random artillery SFX, but it has that majestic feel you'd associate with a battalion scene. It's quite the take away from the usual Disneyland-esque approach to an orchestration, and I really like it.� It doesn't hurt that Jung Min sounds great either. 4.1/5 Teen Top - "Supa Luv" Last year, Teen Top debuted with their EP, "Come Into The World", and while I wasn't too keen on jumping on their bandwagon (they're ridiculously young, feels weird), they did capture my attention when I first saw them on stage.� Performances are distinct in that they can flip the reception of a song, and if it's done just right, it can breathe a completely different energy into a track. Well that's what Teen Top did with their 2010 single, "Clap."� The recorded version wasn't special by any means, but seeing it live was something else.� Teen Top work surprisingly well together for a rookie group, and for that, I give them props. The six member boy band is now back with "Supa Luv", and they have seemingly grown since the last time we saw them.� Granted, Niel is still singing the majority of the lines, but the song is definitely a step higher than "Clap."� The vocals could have done without the processing, and that little tid-bit of talking at the end throws the structure off a little. All Teen Top need to do is tap into their singing potential; I'm sure Niel isn't the only one with a competency for singing, right?� And if that's not the case, then it's a real shame, because Teen Top could easily knockout big-shot boy bands if they continue to develop. 3.5/5 --- Suggestions for a future review? �Hit the author up on�Twitter (@rothsresidence) or via�e-mail (arnold.arteaga@allkpop.com)! --- Note: This article does not reflect the opinions of allkpop, only of the author.

  1. SS501
  2. LEE HAE RI
  3. PARK JUNG MIN
  4. DAVICHI
  5. E-TRIBE
  6. REVIEW
  7. TEEN TOP
  8. NOT ALONE
  9. SUPA LUV
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