JAEJOONG - 'NO.X'

Track List:
1. Good Morning Night
2. Drawer
3. Love You More *Title
4. Love You To Death
5. Good Luck
6. Blame         
7. Welcome To My Wild World
8. Breathing
9. All That Glitters
10. Meeting Again, We Will Meet Again, But�
11. Run Away
12. You Know What?



Jaejoong salutes his fans with his second full-length album, 'NO.X.' He's currently serving in the military, but he still takes the time to serve up 12 tracks for your listening pleasure. Jaejoong collaborates on his title track "Love You More" with composer Tae Wan, who worked on JYJ's "Back Seat" and Junsu's "Flower."

The album kicks off with "Good Morning Night," a rocker starting off with a jangly beat, but soon ends up with Jaejoong's vocals over a crunchy guitar. It's a great contrast, a hard rock guitar softened by Jaejoong's tenor. It's quite a way to start an LP! It's got playful lyrics too, Jaejoong saying good morning to the evening, and telling you to enjoy the night.



He slows it way down for "Drawer," with piano and guitar again, but very tender. His voice is wistful and pleading, and rises when the music does. The whole arrangement is quite soothing, and the nice thing is even though there's some production thrown at it, he's not screaming to be heard over it all. On this track, he likens his heart to nearly-empty drawer.

"Love You More," the title track, is a smooth, hard rock gem, polished to near-perfection by veteran producer Tae Wan. Jaejoong croons over an electrifying guitar. The JYJ member is in fine form here as he goes from smooth to scratchy, giving the vocals some serious punch. The song is about how he's overflowing with love, and he wants to love her more.



The ominously titled "Love You To Death" is characterized by needy vocals and the mood is somber. It's a mid-tempo piece with pounding drums which add to the overall effect. It's a piece to get lost in, as Jaejoong gives his voice a rougher quality. There's very dark language here -- it's obvious he's in pain over a breakup.

"Good Luck" is another rocker, starting out with a bluesy hard-rock beat and guitars to match. The bass in here makes it obvious that it's playful, and it nearly has a danceable beat. It's a nice switch from "Love You To Death." There's a frenetic energy to it, and the chorus has pretty much the same melody as the verses, so there's no build, just a bridge. I love how his tenor hits some high notes and also gives us some sweet vocal snaps. On this track, he's tired of her insistence that she's right.



"Blame" takes us on a trip to the '70s with a Santana-like soft rocker with organs and electric guitars. It's noticeably slower, and showcases Jaejoong's vocals nicely, with wistful croons and some explosive moments. The message is pretty simple, despite some nice imagery: he blames himself for a breakup.

"Welcome To My Wild World" opens to blazing guitars and an easily chanted hook. The English is awkward --the chorus is an approximation of the title -- but it still doesn't stop it from being a great pop-punk tune. There's a time change about 2:19 that's awesome and likely gives you the reason for this pandemonium. The song is playful and accessible, and here he sings about a wild time, probably being drunk and belligerent.



The next tune, "Breathing," is a slower soft rock number. It starts out acoustic, but gets some flowing electric guitars in there to guide the tune. It's sweet and smooth, with Jaejoong's vocals ebb and flow gently but urgently. It's a song about the ecstatic feeling he gets just by being with his girl.

"All That Glitters" is a little faster than "Breathing," but not by much. It's a mature tune; already epic-sounding, Jaejoong's voice propels this song to ethereal heights, switching from slightly hoarse to high tenor, with some snaps in the bridge. This tune screams regret, as Jaejoong beats himself up mentally, and can't stop dwelling on his pain.



We move on to "Meeting Again, We Will Meet Again, But�" Despite the awkward-sounding title, it's not a mistake. It's a heartfelt ballad, with piano and faux-orchestra. At the end they dial it back to just a piano and Jaejoong's angsty vocals. Breaking up, he knows he'll see her again, and here's the "but": he's sad because he knows how painful it will be.

"Run Away" is another ballad, but it's different than the others. He doesn't do much with his voice here, his even tenor beckoning and lulling us as it echoes around the tune, and it sounds a bit lonely. He's asking why, whenever he tries to love her, she runs away.



"You Know What?" is a mid-tempo, folksy tune, done to an acoustic guitar. Commanding drum beats help tell the tale. Jaejoong handles the vocal duties well. The melody is not bad, and certainly listenable, just not amazing. The lyrics, however, are clever and playful, explaining how he's blamed for everything while she gets off scot-free -- until his humorous reveal at the end.

This is a lively, cross-genre work of art. There are elements here of Britpop, blues, ballads, grunge, hard rock, and pop punk. There are definite callouts to earlier genres and eras, but without being obvious or slavish. One thing's for certain: Jaejoong puts together a very slick package, and is far from being boring or predictable, re-inventing himself with every comeback. I'm giving this an enthusiastic thumbs up.

MV REVIEW


Dancer, martial artist, painter, composer, each of these have their dreams, and each of them chase their dreams, moving in time to the music. The MV is interspersed with scenes of these characters pursuing their craft, along with performances from Jaejoong.

Jaejoong does his best. He's not really a dancer as much as a performer, and here he grabs the mike and sings his heart out. Other scenes are largely fan service and don't do much for me (being a straight male).



The wardrobe is okay. There's not much call for crazy costuming here, so the whole thing is more realistic. The apparel is appropriate for the vignettes in the MV. Jaejoong himself is in knee-high boots and various button-downs. I like the shirts they put him in, I might as well keep this for style suggestions.

It could all be a big mess, but it works. Each vignette has its own lighting and sets are realistic, if a bit spare. The camera work has that cinema verite feel to it, without being cheap or amateurish. All of it skillfully contributes to the message "follow your dreams." It's good without being grandiose, outstanding without being overwrought. Thumbs up.

SEE ALSO: Kim Jaejoong marks 20th debut anniversary with album releases and concerts