EXO's D.O. dropped his soulful R&B track "Tell Me (What Is Love)" on February 19, which marks his first official release as a solo artist.

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Actually, the song is more of a collaboration between D.O. and Yoo Young Jin, who was the writer and composer of this silky smooth jam. Yoo Young Jin was the mastermind behind of SM's hits, having gifted his songs to artists like H.O.T, Shinhwa, S.E.S, TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee, BoA, Girls' Generation, and many more.�

Yoo Young Jin seems to possess a precise knack for exactly what color suits each artist he writes songs for, and this time was no exception. Knowing that D.O. has shown an inclination toward R&B, and also knowing that D.O.'s got the voice which was basically made for belting out the rhythm and blues, Yoo Young Jin busily got to work to create a tune that will best complement D.O.'s unique vocal color.�

Upon initial listen, you hear all the elements that make up this track: the haunting, resounding synthesizer, the acoustic guitar melody that coils itself subtly throughout until the very end, the bass that seems to drum away at your heart's very core, and, of course, the sweet, sweet mixture of Yoo Young Jin and D.O.'s vocals. At times, the two's voices sounded so similar that it was hard to discern who was singing which part; however, with enough listens, you can hear that the slightly huskier, deeper voice belongs to D.O. whereas the thin, higher-pitched voice belongs to Yoo Young Jin. What is for certain is that the two's voices couldn't work together in better harmony.

With layers upon layers of harmonized vocal layers, the song will get you under a hypnotic spell as you appreciate D.O. and Yoo Young Jin's voices working as one perfectly joined element. The sweeping melody really launches you into the highest stratosphere of pure aural bliss.�

If there is one complaint that I'd have to make, it's that although the song is easy on the ears, and entirely within D.O.'s "property," it's not a release that is absolutely impressive nor all that novel. I hate to say this, but it's almost a generic R&B track. Yes, it deviates from SM's usual dance pop tunes and EXO's energetic, head-swinging title tracks, but it's still not a song that will leave you head-over-heels in love. It's nice to listen to, but that's it. You appreciate D.O. and Yoo Young Jin's vocals of course, but I'll admit, I wasn't totally blown away by it.�

Now, don't get me wrong; I was super psyched that D.O. finally got to dip deeper into his own color and get the golden opportunity to test his vocal limits. And I was digging the track the minute I heard the "Whooooooooo~~~~~yeaaahhh yeahhuhhhh," but I realized that after a couple listens, I grew weary of the heavy layered harmonizations and the overbearing, incessant synths which seemed to fight against each other, rather than work together, to be heard. This clashing of these two elements was especially true in the chorus and the parts building up to the chorus, where the harmonizations, the synths, and the bass become a confusing amalgam that make it difficult to fully appreciate what truly matters: the vocals. Bottom line, I adore D.O., and I adore this kind of music, but the song is not one I would put on my playlist.

MV REVIEW

I rambled on and on about the song, so now it's time to talk about the MV....except that there isn't much to talk about. There isn't even a solid concept to go into detail on.�

It's a simple video and one in which we don't get to see D.O.--or Yoo Young Jin for that matter--in the flesh. Instead, we see them in black & white picture form as a woman lays candid stills of them working and singing in the studio on the ground. I'd hate to think that SM didn't care a fig enough to give D.O. a decent MV...but it really looks like D.O.'s MV got the short end of the stick and a job haphazardly and hastily done in this 'STATION' series.�

You know an MV is not that impressive when the only impression you get from it is that it seems to have been put together the very last minute. I don't know about you but I think D.O. deserves better, especially since this is one of few chances he gets to let himself really shine. Unless, of course, D.O. didn't want too much of the spotlight, which may be a possibility.�

In conclusion, I'm glad that D.O. was one of the artists SM chose to release a single because he needs more opportunities to sing his heart out every once in a while. But I'm disappointed that the track failed to resonate and hit harder home, and about the shoddy quality of the MV. For D.O.'s future releases, I sincerely hope that SM will be benevolent enough to give him a more thoroughly planned, impactive song and MV.�