[ALbum Review] Younha – Part A: Peace Love & Ice Cream

Tracklist:

1. Peace, Love and Ice cream
2. Black Rain
3. Break Out
4. 123
5. She Is
6. Love (사랑하다)
7. Luv U Luv U Luv U
8. My Song and… (Korean Version)
9. 123 (Instrumental)
10. Love Me (Instrumental)

Younha, best female Korean singer for covering English songs, came back again here with new concept in Korea after about 5 months. Younha released her new album Part A: Peace Love & Ice cream last April 15, one day earlier than the first slated date because her title track 123 spread in the internet.

In this album Korean, Japanese, and Swedish composers lend their hands in the composition of songs. Younha also partisipates in playing the piano and synthesizer.

Her title tracks 123 and Peace Love & Ice cream showed her smooth but powerful vocals in different ways. 123 is not the usual style of Younha because of it’s cutesy and repetitive beats, it also sampled Jackson 5’s ABC 123 in the refrain. Peace Love and Ice cream is a remake or the Korean version of Sandy Dane’s. Though it’s a remake, you can’t be bored after several listening and also she showed her own style in this song.

Other recommended tracks are My Song and… which is the Korean version of her 13th track from her previous album ‘Someday’, and Break Out which is LA-Metal Rock that showcases trademark of singing rock songs and also with a rap part that makes the song better.

The song Love is also a good song with Younha’s mature ballad sensibility but it’s quite boringa fter few listens. And the song retro song Luv U Luv U Luv U which is also good but suffers from inoriginality, it’s more generic if you’re living in America.

There’s 2 instrumentals in the album, 123 and Love Me, but Black Rain and She Is are also instrumentals which are used as somewhat intros for the tracks Break Out and Love. Black Rain starts off with rain droplets then ends with strong rock beats. She Is is accompanied by a piano in a sad ballad tune.

All in all Younha’s 3rd album is great but it suffers from inoriginality but she made it new by putting in her unique style. It became no.1 in some online charts after it’s release and also no.1 in Hanteo after 2 days of release

Track Rating:
1. Peace, Love and Ice cream – 91%
2. Black Rain – 87%
3. Break Out – 89%
4. 123 – 90%
5. She Is – 88%
6. Love (사랑하다) – 88%
7. Luv U Luv U Luv U – 88%
8. My Song and… – 93%
9. 123 (Instrumental) – 90%
10. Love (Instrumental) – 87.5 %

Album Rating: 89.15%

2009: Year of Girl Groups

Since our leader is very busy (because of many tests as a High School senior and a president of a foreign language high school here in S.Korea), me, SuperPriBinShidae will take care here…

As the year of 2009 starts, girl groups once again started the female singers’ dominance in the industry. Last year, the first half is conquered by female singers like Jewelry, Brown-Eyed girls, SNSD, and Davichi.

First off, SNSD, or Girls’ Generation, made their comeback this early January. Together with their song ‘Gee’, they made an ‘unbreakable’ record in both offline and online charts (9 weeks at Music Bank K-chart; 8 weeks at Melon, M.net, Bugs, Dosirak, and Muz; and 6 weeks at Hanteo). It seems that their record at K-Chart can’t be accomplished but they still manage to get the impossible record of 9 weeks and it might couldn’t be broke. However, some are still not convinced because according to them SNSD has been in the top spots because there is no competition. Bur for us editors there’s a competition because Wheesung, Shin Hye Sung, Lena Park, and Wax who are known for being veteran singers and hitmakers, so there is no basis for that.

Next in the limelight, is the 5-member group Kara which started from a dwarf star to one of the sparkling diamonds of the industry as they get their first ever no.1 spots in M! countdown and Inkigayo Take 7. Though being no.1, some are not convinced because they only get those spots because according to them SNSD maxed out their Mutizen awards at Inkigayo and they are banned in M! Countdown and Kara didn’t even became no.1 in on-line and off-line charts. But it can’t stop them to be lined-up among Wonder Girls and SNSD.

Third, Davichi who debuted last year and bagged all the best new girl group award, seemed to be the one who will take over the place emptied by SNSD as it clinched the no.1 spots in almost all of the charts after the day of release. Not only one of the tracks, 8282, climbed to the top spots but two, the track ‘I Made an Accident.’ But after only a couple of weeks they were challenged by the comeback of Super Junior with Sorry Sorry. Davichi is now performing their 3rd single ‘My Man’ and it also climbing to the top spots.

Aside from these 3 groups, there’s also some new girl groups wanting to steal the scene. They are After School who made news for being Pussycat Dolls of Korea, 2NE1 who are coded as Female BigBang and grabbed attention this late March with the CF song Lollipop with their BigBang sunbaenim, another one is CUBE Ent. So-called Hyun-A’s group (Hyun-A is a former member of Wonder Girls), there’s also Rainbow who is said to be a sexy group by their agency -DSP Ent., the 9Muses of Star Empire, quintet classical group of M.net, etc.

And the quintet Wonder Girls may not appear this year because of their US activities.

Final Words:
There’s many girl groups that will debut this year and might choke the listeners so please debut a male group and there 75% that they’ll succeed because we’re losing our appetite in girl groups.