K-pop chameleon
LOOKING at the solo trajectory of Taeyeon (Girls’ Generation), the keyword would be chameleon. Since the days of the liberating I, the 29-year-old has reinvented herself one release after another.
If Why saw the songstress delving into the waters of tropical EDM, the titular track here is a swing at the neo-soul direction. The title is pretty self-explanatory and sums up the mini album – something, well... new.
Opening with Imogen Heap-like vocal layers, the opening track soon metamorphises into a funky R&B-esque middle. Save for the “na na nas” in the chorus, the song doesn’t immediately hook one in. It’s a satisfyingly artistic gamble that extends Taeyeon’s artistry – but one that probably won’t win her any new fans.
Something New is neither remotely catchy like any of Girls’ Generation’s bubblegum pop fusions nor does it boast any vocal acrobatics along the veins of Fine. And there lies the rather humdrum quality of the track. Taeyeon is best known for vocal prowess, and to see that toned down in the lead single is a missed opportunity. In fact, the rest of Something
New is devoid of any wow moments. Despite being easy on the ears, the collaboration with labelmate Lucas (of NCT fame) on the reggae-tinged All Night Long sounds like dull tropical wannabe no thanks to lacklustre instrumentation and tepid rapping.
Elsewhere, Taeyeon’s vocals shine through on the rather standard ballad One Day. It’s only on Circus – the final noninstrumental track on the record – where Taeyeon finally finds the balance between voice and artistry. – Chester Chin KENNY Chesney isn’t necessarily known for his depth.
The superstar has amassed 39
No. 1 country hits and sold more than 35 million albums by charmingly championing the escapist lifestyle of No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems.
But sometimes reality even intrudes on Chesney’s No Shoes
Nation, as it did when Hurricane Irma crashed into the Caribbean at Category 5 strength last year, seriously damaging Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, including the Virgin Islands that Chesney calls home.
Songs For The Saints is the album born from that disaster, a benefit for Chesney’s Love for Love City Foundation, which provides disaster relief for the United States and British Virgin Islands.
The title track is a love letter to the lifestyle on those islands and a tribute to the resilience of the people who live there. It’s simple, and Chesney at times sounds uncharacteristically shaky, an outgrowth of him writing it while the storm was battering the area.
Love For Love City is more hopeful, a reggae-tinged anthem featuring
Ziggy Marley that reminds Love City, the nickname for St. John in the US Virgin Islands, that it will not be forgotten.
Chesney finds inspiration in songs from other artists, including Sag Harbor’s Jimmy Buffett, who guests on Chesney’s tender version of Buffett’s Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season. He plays up the island undertones of Lord Huron’s dreamy, but defiant Ends Of The
Earth.
And he drafts Nesconset native Mindy Smith to provide gorgeous harmonies on the forward-looking acoustic beauty Better Boat.
Chesney’s artistic stretch may not give him his usual collection of chart-toppers, though the unifying single Get Along seems destined to give him his 40th No. 1 hit and
We’re All Here is built to be a fan favorite at his stadium shows. However, Songs For The Saints is about so much more than that, a way for Chesney to work his way through the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. –