YUNHO – 'TRUE COLORS'

Track List:

1. Follow

2. Blue Jeans

3. Swing (Feat. BoA)

4. Hit Me Up (Feat. Giriboy)

5. Why

6. Change The World

Yunho (one-half of the pop duo TVXQ!) has just dropped his very first Korean EP, 'True Colors.' The EP has 6 tracks and includes such guest-artists as Giriboy and BoA. The teaser photos have a dark, cyberpunk feel to them.

He kicks off the EP with the club-banger "Follow." This song eschews some of the more modern trends and reminds me of nothing other than second gen K-pop. It's got a slower tempo and a fierce chorus. The stamping beat makes it even more awesome. "Blue Jeans" is another club-banger, but it's more of a slow burn. It's sort of big beat R&B. It has some time-changes (and even stylistic ones) following the chorus, morphing into a more jazzy tune, before changing again. And the thrumming bass just keeps me coming back for more. On "Swing" he teams up with first-gen idol BoA. This is more of a straightforward dance track. It's not as experimental as the other tracks, even featuring a dance break after the chorus. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty kicking song, and the duo turn this up to awesome.

"Hit Me Up" pulls in Giriboy as a guest-star. This is somewhat more of a low-key dance track, and the both of them display more clean vocals on here, though Giriboy switches to autotuned rap after the second chorus. It's an okay song, but not groundbreaking by any means. The R&B tune "Why" is next, and what more can I say? I like some of the time changes on this one, and like the different hues his voice takes on. He also gives this track kind of a sensual charge, palpable suspense. If a tiger stalking its prey had a theme song, it would be this tune. "Change The World" is the lone ballad on this EP. It starts out tender, but like many ballads, the music rises and he becomes more earnest and pleading instead. This is the most emotional he gets on here. It's actually a pretty good song, and it ends as tender as it began.

I don't know why Yunho decided to do mainly dance-tracks, but I'm glad he did. I'm far more a fan of the hard rather than the soft stuff, and he shows his dance chops here. What's more, most of them are off-beat and awesome for it. As a solo effort, this is pretty solid stuff. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this legend.

MV REVIEW

Yunho's new MV for "Follow" is a feast for the eyes.

For the most part, it lacks a coherent narrative. So instead of giving us something to think about, he's gone for the visual aspect. None of that stops the imagery from being anything less than stunning.

The whole thing has a futuristic feel, from the electricity arcing through cables to the odd lit-up visors on a host of identical extras. You've got skyscrapers coalescing into glowing, CGI versions of themselves; neon fit-bit-style watches; neon constructs that Yunho dances near; and let's not forget the motorcycles that circle around the TVXQ! singer (and occasionally stop in mid-air). That should be more than enough to pique your interest.

Through it all, the man shows off his smooth dance moves. There's something arresting about the different lighting he's in, including silhouette cinematography. He's definitely got those moves down pat, and he flits from one maneuver to the next like the seasoned veteran he is.

It's beautifully shot and realized, and I'm only scratching the surface of all the imagery packed into that under 4-minute time frame. And it probably doesn't hurt that I like the song as well. Kudos to a job well done.

Score

MV Relevance...........8

MV Production..........9

MV Concept..............9

MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....9

Album Concept.........8

Tracklisting...............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.3

OVERALL................8.5