SG Wanna Be 7 Part 2

SG Wanna Be, a Korean male group specializing in ballads is named after Simon and Garfunkel, a famous American duo who were the guys behind the hit song Bridge Over Troubled Water.

The trio are Kim Yong Jun, Kim Jin Ho and Lee Seok Hoon, who are extremely popular in Korea although they do not have as many promotions and appearances compared to other idol groups.

I only recently started listening to their songs, and I must say that the threesome are truly gifted with amazing voices that harmonize perfectly with each other.

Their latest album SG Wanna Be 7 Part 2 has a lot of great songs to offer, and proves to be as good as their previous works.

The first track, loosely translated as Song Of My Confession To You, has a great opening, thanks to a strings orchestra. Basically a feel-good and uplifting song, it conveys the feeling of a person confessing his love for his lover.

If I Can Love Again, the second track, is a song that gives you the feeling of someone who is reflecting on his past, and looks towards his future of loving someone again.

My favourite track of the album, Just, which also happens to be the title track, is a song that you must give a listen to. The song is about the pain of losing one's love. The emotion-filled song will definitely keep you hitting the replay button over and over again like I did. The feeling of pain and the loss of a lover flows through every part of this song, and even the English translation of the song is beautiful. Here's a link to the music video of Just.

Even If Love Leaves is another emotional song that makes you feel the pain of losing a loved one just by listening to it.

The fifth track, I'll Send You, is a song that gives the feeling of someone that is reluctant to leave a lover, but had no choice but to let her go.

Road of Passion is another uplifting song, and the harmony of the trio's voices on this track is simply amazing.

I am really in awe that SG Wanna Be could convey their emotions so well through their songs, even for someone like me who doesn't understand Korean, yet I can roughly decipher the message that they are trying to say through their song. I really hope that they'll continue to make wonderful ballads for many more years to come, and somehow I can't wait for their next album already!

PS: For the English translation of Just, click on the title of the song above in bold. Credits go to iheartmuzik2.wordpress.com and theblackcat1236.wordpress.com

The author absolutely loves SG Wanna Be's Sunflower and would like to recommend everyone to give it a listen!

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Tangled: A Twisted Hairy Tale

Tangled may be Disney’s latest take on one of the many well-known fairy tales, but it turns out to be a really wicked and twisted tale that got many laughs out from me. Based on the story of Rapunzel, the long-haired beauty that was kept locked in a tower, many elements have been added to spice up the storyline which would have otherwise been too predictable and boring.

To start it off, the old lady that stole Rapunzel from her parents, locked her in a tower, did it for the sake of keeping her youth. Just by singing to a magical flower that grows near a waterfall, she used to be able to maintain her youth. All was lost when soldiers sought and brought the magical flower to cure the queen who was sick and heavily pregnant.

She discovers that the magical power of the flower was preserved in the hair of the newborn princess, and she kidnapped the child to fulfil her selfish greed. Bringing up the child as her own, she never lets Rapunzel out of the tower, and she herself is the only contact Rapunzel has with the outside world. She teaches Rapunzel to sing the song and while brushing her long golden hair, the old lady becomes young again (how we wish that we could all do that).

But Rapunzel has a dream, a dream to be able to go out and see the millions of lanterns that was released every year on her birthday. Unbeknownst to her, the lanterns were released by her parents, the king and queen, as well as their subjects, in the hope that their lost princess would someday come back to the kingdom. Her so-called ‘mother’ objects her wish, and Rapunzel accepts her decision meekly.

Well, here fun starts as Rapunzel is cooped up in the tower, accompanied by her super-intelligent chameleon (that makes me want to go out and get one for myself), doodling on the super-high walls and doing house chores, reading, and combing and combing, and combing more of her super-long golden hair till it practically glows.

Meanwhile, Flynn Rider is a thief that goes around with two sidekicks, and they break into the castle to steal the lost princess’ crown. Posters with their faces mushroomed all over the town, putting them on the most wanted list. Many hilarious moments involving the posters left me laughing away.

While escaping the royal guards and one of the extremely aggressive guard horses, Maximus, Flynn came to Rapunzel’s tower and climbs up. Rapunzel was more than ready, hitting him with none other than a frying pan! She knocks him out and makes a deal with him that if he takes her to see the lanterns, she would return the crown that was in his satchel.

Left with no choice, Flynn agrees and chaos ensues as Rapunzel never ever steps out from the tower in her entire life. She easily get overwhelmed by anything she sees, and Flynn gets frustrated.

Rapunzel learns about the evils of the outside world on her first trip out of her tower and she matures into a beautiful woman. Well, I better keep the ending up in wraps as to not spoil the storyline for those out there who have yet to see the movie. All I have to say is it's a definitely must-see movie!

The author has always been a fan of Disney movies since a young child. The old VCR player broke down it was too overworked playing the tapes everyday!

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Avril Lavigne's Latest Album: Goodbye Lullaby

The princess of punk-pop is now all grown up and is a wife and doting mother to her young son. Putting all her angst-filled melodies behind her, she has now come up with a more matured sound.

Her latest album, Goodbye Lullaby, sounds like a dedication to her son, whom would be past the lullabies stage by now. Avril Lavigne still retains guitar strumming sounds throughout her songs on her latest release, which used to be synonymous with her music.

Her first released single off the album is What The Hell, and is currently receiving heavy rotation on Malaysian radio airwaves as well as doing pretty well on the charts. The song is reminiscent of her last album's hit song, Best Damn Thing as the beat and feel are somewhat similar.

There is a good mix of fast, mid-tempo and slow tracks in this album consisting 13 songs. The faster tracks are Push, Smile, and Stop Standing Here, while Wish You Were Here, I Love You, Everybody Hurts, Not Enough, 4 Real, Darlin, and Remember When are the mid-tempo tracks.

The slower and mellower tracks are Black Star and Goodbye. The former is a minute and a half song, but the piano accompaniment in the background complements her voice, and is definitely my favourite track off the album.

Altogether Avril Lavigne's latest album comes across as similar to her previous work, but there are still some standout pieces in there. I hope to see more from her in the future, probably experimenting with a mellower sound as her voice comes through better then.

The author was a huge fan of Avril Lavigne when the first album Let Go captivated her attention with its lyrically-meaningful songs.

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IU's REAL+ Mini Album

Taking off from where she left off from her previous album REAL, IU has released an extended version, a mini album titled REAL+ with three tracks. And as expected, she never fails to deliver a great piece of work.

The first track off the album, titled The Story Only I Didn't Know, is a slow number and has a melancholic feel towards it. It's subtle start sounds like a musical box and IU's soft voice sets the mood for the entire song.

The music video for the track had created a buzz over the net as there are conflicting opinions over the meaning behind the video. Nevertheless, she did a great job over the song as well as music video. Do check it out the music video for IU's The Story Only I Didn't Know.

Cruel Fairy Tale, the second track from the album, starts off like a song for a movie soundtrack, complete with an orchestra background. Come to think of it, the title is really befitting of the song. This song has a very dark feeling surrounding it, but the thumping beat in the background somehow blends in with IU's sweet voice.

I can't fathom the reason why there were electronic static sounds towards the second half of the song, and somehow I really love the part where she sings "Nothing lasts forever / Nothing really matters". This song gives me the feel of Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream somehow, and is my favourite song off the album.

The third track is The Story Only I Didn't Know featuring pianist Kim Gwang Min. As the song is accompanied by the sounds of the piano, her great voice shines more on this track.

There are parts where I couldn't help but listen in awe as she has a great control over her voice and yet she's only eighteen! I am looking forward to her next album already!

The author was fascinated to know that there were five hidden fairy tales in the lyrics of Cruel Fairy Tale. Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella and Little Mermaid have been identified by fans. Can you figure out the fifth one?

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Dream High: An Idol Feast For Your K-Drama Addiction

Usually I would prefer watching historical or family-based Korean dramas, but this time round I was anticipating the premiere of Dream High, a drama based on an art school for student who are groomed to be idols.

Since the hype surrounding the idol cast for the drama made it to the headlines of many K-pop related websites way before the drama was slated to air on Korea's KBS network, I like many other K-drama fans have been following the progress of the drama all the way through since filming started.

Dream High had proved that it was a drama not to be missed, albeit a slow start in the first episode. The main characters in this drama are portrayed by Miss A's Suzy, T-ara's Eunjung, 2PM's Taecyeon and Wooyung, and IU, with many other cameos by idols such as SS501's Hyunjoong, 2PM's Nichkhun and JYP's JOO. Well, that pretty much spelled idol-overload already. Not forgetting Bae Yong Joon and Park Jin Young acting as headmaster and English teacher respectively!

Hyemi, Suzy's character, is a rich man's daughter who is forced to give up her dreams of joining Juilliard when her family goes bankrupt. She instead finds herself having to audition to enroll in Kirin Art School to pay back her father's debts. She fails her audition but somehow her best friend, Baekhui (Eunjung's character) passes the audition. They left the place on a bad note by ending their friendship.

Hyemi was given a conditional offer to be a student in Kirin and she soon finds herself between two guys (Taecyeon and Kim Soohyun) vying for her heart, as well as being the target of the entire student body's wrath, no doubt initiated by her ex-bestie, now a rival and arch-enemy.

There is also another couple to look out for, IU and Wooyung's characters, Pilsuk and Jason. Their budding romance is a definite laugh inducer as Pilsuk is the chubbiest girl in school while Jason is an exchange student from the United States.

There are many scenes where the idol cast sing their heart out and I couldn't stop watching in awe at their good singing chops as well as their acting skills. They really could sing with all their heart!

The biggest question in Dream High is who will Hyemi choose in the end? And will Pilsuk and Jason end up together? Tune in to KBS World on ASTRO Channel 391 at 9pm every Monday and Tuesday to catch all the drama between the students!

The author would like to recommend the OST of Dream High as it features the idol cast of the drama. Suzy's Winter Child and IU's Someday are her two favourites off the soundtrack.

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JYJ Music Essay: Their Rooms

After a Japanese and English album comes JYJ’s latest album in their native Korean. There are no barriers to their creativity here as they definitely capitalized on their fluency and comfortability with the language.

Hence, the 6 songs on JYJ Music Essay: Their Rooms is something that all fans have been waiting for as they wrote, composed and produced all the tracks on the album. Coming straight from their hearts, this album is definitely worth a listen to.

The first track is Mission, written and composed by Junsu, and it has a grand opening featuring a strings orchestra and sounds like a movie soundtrack. It has a great beat and catchy chorus, as well as Yoochun rapping. If you excuse the not-so-cool English skills of Junsu and the use of an expletive in the rap, then this is probably a track that proves that they still can retain and improve their sound from their Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK) days.

A mellow track written and composed by Jaejoong, Nine was written using basic chords that he learned from Yoochun when he first learned to play the piano. According to Jaejoong, upon the addition of Yoochun, it’s been nine years that the five members of DBSK came together as a group. Therefore, the song also symbolises the five DBSK members in an indirect way.

Pierrot, the third track, starts off slow, picking up a catchy beat just before the first refrain. In this song, Jaejoong describes the experience of working under their previous company, and he doesn’t want to be used as a tool to entertain others in order to generate more money anymore. A pierrot is a pantomime character which is a sad clown, often seen as the fool and the butt of pranks, hence the unique title of the song.

Fallen Leaves is another slow number which showcases the powerful vocals of each member. Written and composed by Junsu, it is a beautiful song with a beautiful melody, as well as beautiful lyrics (although I am just reading the English translations). One thing for sure, this song is definitely one of my favourites off the album.

Next on the list is I.D.S. which stands for Ideal Scenario, yet another track written and composed by Jaejoong. The mid-tempo track has a techno feel towards it, as well as some elements of auto-tune to the voices of the three members. (In this track with Junsu singing in English you have to listen carefully or you might misunderstand the opening lyrics!)

The only song fully written and composed by Yoochun for this album is A Song Without A Name Part 1. The song has a simple yet great melody and features lots of piano sounds, traits that shows the identity of the composer. Most of the time Yoochun raps, while Junsu and Jaejoong joins in to sing at intervals. Of all the tracks, Yoochun’s piece is the most expressional one, as he poured out all his feelings into the lyrics of the song. It captures his ups and downs in the journey of being a member of a popular boy band. All in all, any listener would understand the struggles he had gone through by listening to the song.

A pretty great album indeed from JYJ and my recommendation is to buy JYJ’s Music Essay as it is a unique release. The album also comes together with a diary of the three members’ photos and essays about their daily lives and stories, which are a must-have for every fan!

PS: I have included links for the English translations of each song's lyrics, just click on the bolded song name to read. Credits go to the sites that I have linked to. Enjoy!

The author first listened to JYJ’s The Beginning and came to know of their struggles of performing in their own country due to their lawsuit with their ex-company. The members showcased determination in succeeding without any promotions and advertisement for their albums, and their hard work had paid back well as their album has already topped several charts so far.

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American Idol's Crystal Bowersox: A True Farmer's Daughter

It's no surprise that Crystal Bowersox decided to release a country album with pop influences post-Idol since that was pretty much her style when she was performing onstage, vying for the top spot against Lee Dewyze.

The American Idol runner-up's debut album, titled Farmer's Daughter, pretty much sums up who is she as a person, as well as the tracks on the album.

Her awesome voice shines on every track and she retains her own musical accompaniment throughout the whole album on her trusty guitar.

Farmer's Daughter, the title track, is a mellow track which ironically has her stating that she doesn't wants to be a farmer's daughter anymore.

My favourites off the album are For What It's Worth, a mid-tempo song with a great beat, which keeps you tapping your toes. Holy Toledo and Arlene are also slower songs which showcases Bowersox's great vocals.

Other songs off the album include fast-paced tracks such as Ridin With The Radio, Lonely Won't Come Around, On The Run, Kiss Ya, as well as slower ones like Hold On, Speak Now, Mine All Mine and Mason.

Great effort for another Idol alumni who is also another great addition to country pop.

The author first listened to Crystal Bowersox's awesome voice on American Idol, and was torn between supporting her or Lee Dewyze to win the coveted crown.

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Natasha Bedingfield's Strip Me Album

Who can forget Daniel Bedingfield's equally amazing sister, Natasha Bedingfield, who made her debut in the industry with her song Unwritten?

The vocally gifted Natasha Bedingfield has made her return to music with her latest album Strip Me, released late last year.

Strip Me is filled with tracks that has a lot of piano and guitar sounds in the background, as well as with a hint of techno to them.

The first track, Little Too Much, starts off with guitar sounds, providing a good start to the whole album. The second track, All I Need, is a techno-filled track with a good beat, plus it features Kevin Rudolf and samples his hit song Let It Rock.

Strip Me, the title track, has a bassy feel, and it really strips down and allows Bedingfield's voice to shine through while Weightless has the same tone with her previous hit, Unwritten.

My favourite track off the album is Neon Lights, a happy and uplifting track filled with drums in the background.

The other songs on the 13-track album includes Can't Fall Down, Try, Touch, Run-Run-Run, Break Thru, No Mozart, Recover and a (Less is More Version) of Weightless.

A great effort from this great singer, and I look forward to her next project!

The author has always loved Natasha Bedingfield's songs which are written from the heart.

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JOO's Mini Album: Heartmade

Lately I have been listening to a few female Korean singers and I have found them to be really good and their vocals have some kind of soothing effect on me. The current one on my list is Heartmade, JOO’s latest mini-album which was released on January 4, 2011.

Bad Guy, the opening track is a great ballad that starts off softly on a melancholic note, and JOO’s stunning vocals were fully showcased as it reaches the chorus. The song tells a story of heartbreak and JOO truly expresses the emotion of heartbreak through the tones of her voice, especially when she sings “Ah~ Ah e ya / I’m so sorry”.

The second track which is my personal favourite, Can't Even Take A Glass Of Water, is another ballad. The best part of this song is the chorus where she sings “Saranghae neol neol neol neomaneul nan nan nan ireoke tto tto tto” with her great voice.

Not Even In The Movies, the third track, features 2PM's Chansung rapping and is a faster and more upbeat number. Other songs include After Looking At You, which has a catchy beat and Unbelievable, another slow number.

JOO's voice is strong and angelic and fits the ballad genre well, plus the song arrangement is suitable for her voice. A great listen for those looking for an avenue to release their pent-up feelings after a heartbreak or for those simply wanting a relaxing time.

The author is always on the lookout for upcoming Korean singers' albums although she has yet to master the language fully.

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Westlife's New Album: Gravity

The boys of Westlife are back again, this time with another album titled Gravity. I must say that for a group of four, they still have the capability of rolling out albums at a consistent rate (one per year).

Their latest album doesn't indicate much changes in their style, which has lots of piano sounds as their background, but they do have a more matured and mellow sound as compared to way back then when they were younger and huge boy band stars.

My favourite tracks off the album are Beautiful Tonight, Safe and I Will Reach You. All three songs have a very Westlife 'feel' towards it, which I think suits their new matured sound.

Others include Chances, Closer, Tell Me It's Love, I Get Weak, Before It's Too Late, No Ones Gonna Sleep Tonight, Difference In Me, Too Hard To Say Goodbye, and bonus track Please Stay.

Another good track is the cover of Hoobastank's The Reason, and I think the boys did a pretty decent job of covering the song, although there wasn't much variation from the original.

Give this album a spin on nights when you need a good relaxation time.

The author used to be a huge boy band fan during her teenage days, and still continues to be.

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