My goodness, you guys are much more fierce than I had expected! As I read through the comments of my previous review, I felt like answering all of your questions and replying to every evaluation of MY evaluation, but since that would take forever there’s a little somethin’-somethin’ in response to a few of the main points I picked out at the end of this post.
Alright, back to the main course. If any one group is the beacon of light in Korean pop music today, it’s definitely the R&B / hip hop-inspired trio, One Way. When Chance, Young Sky and Peter officially debuted in March of last year with their breakout single “Magic“, it was clear that these guys knew who they were musically. One way possess a style that sets them apart in the fronts of Korean pop and their music is what some of us consider ‘a breath of fresh air’.
It really goes without saying: These guys are in a league of their own.
Here’s the track list of their latest album “Rainy Days“. I should mention that I didn’t run through every song this time, so the songs in bold are mentioned in this review.
01.The Forecast (Feat. One Sound Choir)
02.Rainy Days(Feat. 김준수 of 2PM)
03.New Drag
04.빠져 / Out
05.Forever
06.Flight 101 (Feat. As One)
07.Can’t Stop
08.Coffee (Feat. J.ae)
09.Rainy Days (Unplugged English Ver.)
10.A Thousand Words
11.Coffee (Trumpet Ver.) (Bonus Track)
12.Forever (Harmonica Ver.) (Bonus Track)
13.A Thousand Words (Harmonica Ver.) (Bonus Track)
14.Rainy Days (Radio Edited Ver.) (Bonus Track)
“I strike down upon thee by making it official, chopping, cooking, organics — f**k the artificial / And I know it’s been a long wait thanks for being patient, One Way’s back, front page issue (The Forecast feat. One Sound Choir)“
One Way’s latest album, titled “Rainy Days”, opens with brutality and strength via “The Forecast“. It’s a grand rap track featuring clever lines – “drop a thunder, go Zeus on you haters” – with an epic (and I mean EPIC!) use of a string section. It’s the hardest thing on the entire album. The rest of the songs have a lighter atmosphere in comparison, but the way they structured this first song not only makes for an eye-opening first impression, it also eases in nicely with the interesting change from rap to a melodic finish.
I absolutely loved the transition from “The Forecast” to the title single, “Rainy Days“. It was kind of like listening to an actual storm unfold. Song one had the thunder, while song two delivered the downpour. You’d think effects like these would make the album sound gimmicky, but it came together nicely. If you place the right songs in the right order, it makes all the difference.
“Rainy Days” grasps hold of a much yearning mood and features Junsu a.k.a. Jun. K of 2PM. Although, I have to admit when I listened to this song for the first time, I couldn’t pick out where Junsu was singing. I had to watch the music video to know exactly where to dig for his voice. (Sorry?)
The song is pleasant on the ears and has those nice ‘Ne-Yo meets Usher’ vibes that I love hearing in a One Way number. The production – dare I say – is elegant, it really is. I like the sound of ‘rain’ tucked into the choruses and the guys sound amazing. Even Junsu!
Here’s the pretty MV for reference. Angsty men and everything:
One Way’s sound is very reminiscent of Musiq Soulchild. They’ve mentioned the American neo-soul musician before, as well as Michael Jackson and Ne-Yo as people who inspire their music. Just knowing the tiniest information of what excites them as artists piques my interest to look out for those styles in their material.
Another aspect of this album that is worth noting is the sexy-factor. It’s something other boy bands achieve (or attempt to) with grunts and breathy singing and I think more than that to achieve that particular response. Some songs on this album, such as “Forever“, aren’t risque, but still manage to capture that sensuality that melts girls on the spot. Wait, you don’t believe me? Listen to “Forever” and get back to me when you’ve coagulating off of the floor.
I guess this is a good time to squeeze in what I look for in my albums.
One of the main things for me is cohesion. Albums, for the most part, should at least be well-rounded, and for the lack of a better description, make sense. This album is a great example because from one song to the next, I don’t find myself questioning the flow of the songs or the style. This sounds authentic and as far as the actual content goes, it’s beautifully crafted. There’s substance!
Okay, back to the review. “Flight 101 (Feat. As One)” is one of my favorites off the album. It’s the perfect example of a dance song that hasn’t lost itself in the idea of being a ‘pop track’ – killer beats, synths, auto-tune – but uses that style to embellish their talent AND As One’s, the featurettes on the song. I mean, could gorgeous female voices sound any more gorgeous? I don’t know, but they sound absolutely beautiful on this song.
The last song I’ll mention is “Coffee“. What I found most appealing about this song is the fact that it consists of several elements that were blended together perfectly. The song begins by creating a mellow atmosphere with the sound of pages turning and the backdrop of a murmuring crowd. Then J.ae’s voice slips in and out of eerie processing, with a nice guitar line complementing her melodies, and the boys pretty much take off from there. The whole thing is graceful and I wouldn’t mind sipping on some tea (or coffee?) while listening to this. Pinky out, of course.
Listening back to One Way’s first EP, they’ve really come a long way as artists. Their singing has definitely improved and they have poured way more emotion into their music than ever before. As I (re)play their “Rainy Days” from beginning to end, their hard work seems to bleed right through the album. They have remained true to who they are and I appreciate the steps they have taken to bring a different flavor to Kpop.
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