[MV & Album Review] Soyu � 'Re: Fresh'

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SOYU � 'RE: FRESH'

Track List:

Former SISTAR singer Soyu has just released her 2nd solo EP, 'Re: Fresh.' It's a follow-up to last year's 'Re: Born' EP. It has six tracks, including the title track featuring Sik-K. She tapped some excellent talent like DAVII and Groovyroom to help her out. And they cranked out six tracks for your listening pleasure. �

"All Night" is a cute, low key dance track. It's got some jazz and R&B influence�and features Sik-K on the raps. The raps are actually pretty good, in a cadence I haven't heard often, and it seems to fit with the song. And it has Soyu's lovely vocals to boot. She goes slower with "Decrescendo," but it picks up during the chorus. Suffused with production, more prominent instrumentation and a pounding beat. It's still slow R&B, but she handles it really well. Soyu seems to like R&B, as "When I'm�With You" is another slow, jazzy song. Smooth and silky, just like her voice, the song is a seductive slow jam that will leave you asking for more. She has this whispery vocal tone that fits this tune like a glove.

"Funny" is the club-banger on here. She starts out breathless and urgent. The main verses set it up, as the rapid-fire beats come easily and the chorus is where she brings it. She has a range�but doesn't get to explore it much until now. The last two songs on here are ballads, and they couldn't be different. "Shadows" is slow, like a ballad should be. The nice thing is it does 'stay away' from the traditional structure, and why not? Her voice is enough to carry the tune. "Little Moments" is very tenderly sung, very stripped down. There are more breaks in this tune, and she steps precariously close to having the singer scream over the music, but she doesn't. It leaves just her raw vocals in play and it works well, I like it.�

As the second vocal in SISTAR, I don't feel she was allowed to shine much. This collection doesn't do much to allay that feeling, even though she's a solo artist. She does have a certain charm that shines through the songs, and as I said "Funny" is her song to do that in, and her vocals send the chorus into orbit. Overall, it's a sweet package, sensuous and vibrant, and should please any Soyu fan.

MV REVIEW

In "All Night," she appears to be a saloon girl.

The rest of the MV doesn't really serve to tell you anything different. When she's not flirting with the guy, then she's dancing in the street, laying on the piano seductively, or dancing on-stage. Yes, she lacks the petticoats of the Old West, but the function appears to be largely the same.

(Now some wise guy's going to pipe up with "not all saloon girls were prostitutes." No, they weren't, but then why does she shed her clothes in the end?)

The dancing is okay, but very much made to accentuate the female form. There are some neat things she does with gestures, but overall it's a little less challenging than it could be. Still, the flow fits the music.

The song is better than the MV, though. We have some interesting shots, like the guy following a cat out the door and into alleyways, and when Soyu walks her shadow is that of the fabled furry feline. I do like some of the scene transitions, where the male lead has her pressed against a bed of flowers that turns into a hard, concrete wall.

Incidentally, the guy in the MV is not Sik-K (in case you couldn't guess). He's a model on Instagram, @artistboy_. You're welcome.

It's a mediocre MV that has occasional flashes of genius. Did I like some of the lighting effects? Yes. I think they did a bang-up job. Were the artistic shots good? Yup. So I think I can at least give it one a�thumbs up.

Score

MV Relevance...........8
MV Production..........8
MV Concept..............8
MV SCORE: 8.0

Album Production.....9
Album Concept.........8
Tracklisting...............8
ALBUM SCORE: 8.3