IOI - 'Whatta Man'�

Track list:�

1. Whatta Man (Good man)

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IOI's sub-unit is snatching wins and fans' hearts with "Whatta Man (Good man)," which is now over 5 million views and still going strong.�

It's a release that many people anticipated, and for fans especially the song was everything they wanted and more. The girls are taking on a whole new, 'different' approach with a 'sexy' concept - one that isn't necessarily novel in K-Pop but hasn't yet been tried by IOI.�

No doubt the concept and song are sexy because, well, it is pretty much a remake of the incredibly sexy song "Whatta Man" by Salt 'N' Pepa which, in turn, is sampled from Linda Lyndell's "What a Man." The chorus to IOI's "Whatta Man" sounds exactly the same as the choruses of "Whatta Man" and "What a Man" by Salt 'N' Pepa and Linda Lyndell, respectively.�

Because I knew from the get-go that "Whatta Man" is just a rendition of the two older songs, I couldn't help but hear the originals in my head even as I listened to IOI's "Whatta Man." This is not to say that IOI's version is godawful; in fact, IOI puts a fun, dance pop spin on it, slowing down the tempo just a teeny bit and harmonizing to the chorus in a noticeably higher pitch that appeal to the general K-Pop audience. From all the recent wins on music shows, it's clear that the song struck a chord with the mainstream masses, and it also speaks to IOI's current 'trending' status. When putting the two elements together (mass appeal & trending status), you've got the recipe for success.�

For me personally, IOI's version didn't really live up to the originals, especially because the originals are so good. IOI's "Whatta Man" honestly sounds like a cheap copy of Salt N' Pepa and Linda Lyndell's songs, and aside from the catchiness of the chorus, the song wasn't all that memorable or impressive. The only part that stands out is the chorus, which sounds pretty much exactly like the older songs. With such a rushed, unoriginal concept and song, I think it's safe to say that the only thing earning the girls all the recent wins is mostly thanks to their popularity.�

MV Review

I can't fathom what is going on in this MV. The whole premise of the MV revolves around Choi Yoo Jung undergoing a total makeover to get the guy she fancies to finally notice her, and when he does notice her, she just snubs him. ...what? If she was just going to snub him in the end, then what was the point of going through all that trouble? The poor guy is so confused at the end, that I almost felt bad for him. Maybe IOI was trying to go for that female empowerment concept, declaring that they 'don't need no man' which is kind of rendered null by the fact that Yoo Jung spent the whole MV dolling herself up to flip her hair at the end. And the song is titled "Whatta Man (Good man)"--emphasis on the good--but the guy in the video is obviously not a "good man" from the way he emotionally torments Yoo Jung so. So yeah, this MV made no sense, and except for the girls looking hot, there is really not much else going on.�

Score

MV Relevance.........5
MV Production........8
MV Concept.............4�

Album Production...5
Album Concept........7
Tracklisting..............5

OVERALL.............5.7