Do you read this blog ?

I have a question to ask you readers..... Do you really read this blog? If so why do you? What do you like about it? comment away......

WTH!! -STELLAR "Rocket Girl"

 

I'm sure you can tell by the title I was most definitely dissapointed by this song and MV. Seeing that Eric was involved with the creation and promotion of this group I was a bit intrigued. He after all was involved in the creation of TEEN TOP and was in the "Supa love" MV  so this should be pretty good, right?! Not really..... while I love the bright colors and futuristic feel of the MV, I really don't understand story and all the "shooting" and "whacking" people with their guns was unnecessary. Then its the vocals... the autotune is really strong so strong it sounded like a digital voice except in the chorus which had a 90s euro pop sound to it (which seems to be a trend in kpop girl groups lately).

Its songs like this that make me miss the older days of the late 80's and 90's when autotune was novelty not a commonality.

Teen Top new Mini Album on itunes!

I believe in supporting artists by purchasing their music. I wanted to buy a few songs off of Teen Top's new mini album Roman. Sadly when I went online to itunes (a week ago) there was no new mini album available  for legal download. So contacted Teen Top's record company through their website asking them to please make Roman accessible for online purchase for international fans. A few days later the new mini album is on itunes!! So if you haven't yet (or haven't already bought the CD) buy the tracks on itunes!!

K-pop artists crossing into J-rock really working or not?

There seems to be a big boom in Kpop artists once again trying to cross over into the world of J-pop. Music and image wise it would smart to assume it is much easier for a K-pop artist to transfer over to another type of pop. Despite this there is a few artist who despite being pop artists in their homeland decide to take on a totally different image and genre when entering Japan's music scene. Sometimes changing a genre works sometimes it doesn't. The two artists recently entering the Jrock sphere are actor/singer Jang Geun Suk and and Duo M&D. Below are their PVs ( promotional videos,what music videos are called in Japan) and my reviews of the music and the video.

Jang Geun Suk- Let me Cry

When I first heard that Jang Geun Suk would be entering the Japanese music market as a rock artist I was happily shocked. Then I began to wonder how would this sound really? Would it sound like rock or pop with some guitars added into the background? Would the video fit the mold of this genre? I finally received the answer to my first question when I heard the audio of Let me cry, the harpsichord in the very beginning threw me off but my doubts were quickly quieted once the guitar riff started.

   No it was not pop music with a few guitars added in. The music was mostly devoid of synth which is really good in my book and I'm sure in the books of jrock fans. While it may not be "hard core" (which it surely isn't) I believe this a great attempt at breaking into the Jrock sphere. Jang Geun Suk's  slightly deep voice blended very well with guitars without being drowned out.In a small way he reminds me of Japanese rock artist Hyde ( check him out on youtube).
The music video was done very well  its grungy disjointed feel gave off the feeling of the young man (or woman?) in the song.

 M&D (Heecul and Jangmo)- Shut ur mouth

When I first heard about the duo M&D composed of Heechul from Super Junior and The Traxx Jungmo I was not as enthused as I was about Jang Geun Suk. I first raised my eyebrow at Heechul singing rock music. Second like with Jang Geun Suk I was concerned about the music, would it really be rock? Then I remembered it was a duo and Heechul's partner would be Jungmo from The Trax!! He has Xmas (his name from the trax) on his side!! Maybe this will be a real rock song! Sadly my hopes were dashed when I heard the audio for their song Shut ur mouth. In the first seconds I knew what I was in for.. the first thing you here is very loud synth accompanied by a guitar strike to reassure you that its a "Rock" song. However nothing can reassure me that this a rock song. Even though the melody of the song is  very catchy, Heechul's voice is extremely auto tuned in the chorus a major bad in my book for a rock song. Sadly with the exception of Jungmo's guitar break. This turned out to be a synth filled pop song with some guitars added in.
   Despite being let down by the song its self I hoped the video maybe would give them more of a rock image. Maybe they would wear some edgy clothes and Jungmo would wear his awesome Xmas eyeliner again (not really ) and rock out on his guitar . Only to be let down again the video is in a way acting out what is going on in the song a guy pretty much telling his girl to get lost. Heechul gets up picks up a camera and tries to leave his girl behind and while trolling the hallways bumps into different musical celebs. While not high budget I must admit it was kinda funny but I don't think it does the song justice. In my opinion its not a  real rock song to enter the jrock world they should call it a  techno pop song.

So I think you can see which songs I am going to say would work (Let me cry) and which one wouldn't (shut ur mouth).  In the grand scheme of things it doesnt matter as long as the fans love the songs.

Just for fun here's what Xmas used to look like in the Trax (too bad you can't really see his eyeliner)



wasn't he cool!











What do you think the concept is?

The group photo of the new Super Junior concept was released today.



Its very colorful and a bit unusual compared to the rest of the pop world. Like I stated in the post about Leetuk I hope the music is just as unusual as the concept photos. My question to you is what do you think the concept is?

TEEN TOP's comeback Roman bringing old skool back?

Nice!!

     It's no surprise that I like TEEN TOP to a degree. I featured them in the first segment of my ongoing series of K-pop that could make it in the U.S. for their song "Super Luv" it's also no secret that I'm a huge fan of old school K-pop. So I was happily surprised when I saw the teaser for their new single "Don't spray perfume" . The video that caught my ear was the R&B version of the song below

from the start I was taken back to the 90's with the tinny guitar chords with the smooth melody and old school drum beat (man the 90s were good times). This  song would be a welcome break from the extremely autotuned "electro" and "techno"  type of music that seems to be all the rage these last couple of years ( and still raging on).

     I had been secretly wishing that someone would bring out a old school type song ( * cough*Jang Woo Hyuk* cough) to no avail. Maybe the fact that Eric ( from old school band Shinhwa) who had a hand in forming TEEN TOP had an influence of this song's direction?

 Even the cover eludes back to the old school days when groups(both female and male) often wore the same outfit sometimes in different colors. Bold colors were also very prominent in the 90's (something the younger generation makes fun of).

    The next day they released another version  of the same song this  "cool" version  sounds very much like the electronic pop of today and I'm pretty sure (  and dissapointed) that this will be the version they will make their comeback with. I can only hope that they will perform the R&B version and bring old skool back!!!

what's this?! something different ? (for a change) - a rant

Leeteuk from Super Junior

What's wrong with this picture? How long have fans been complaining that there has been a lack of creativity in Idol's images and music, tired of the same old same old? So why are fans complaining? Wouldn't a unusual style like this make your beloved idol standout among the clones?
Or is it a double standard? Its ok for female Idols to dress in strange colors and costumes but wrong if a male attempts the same? What do you think? (no really what do you think?)
I personally like the photo it sure did attract my eye (which I'm pretty sure is it's purpose). I can only hope the album this photo is promoting is just as interesting.

p.s. oh yeah and here's Eunhyuk

he kinda reminds me of  like Ash Crimson

Tony An -Top Star

   I was admittedly excited when Tony An mentioned he would release a new mini album, his first since his return from the Army. So I ordered it as soon as I could and got the one that came with a poster.
  After I went and picked up my package from the post office (-_-) and opened the package I was pleased with the quality of the packaging. Despite being a mini album the cd wasn't housed in a regular cd case but a small book like case with a little photo booklet of high quality photos of Tony An glued in (so it cant be lost I assume) even the cd had a nice design on it.
  I know that I am more than likely in the minority on the theme of this mini album. As an occasional ten gallon hat wearer myself, I appreciate when others take the style and  use it as a theme for a non country based music single. Also in the world of k-pop where everything is fashion based Tony An's theme stood out like a green dot on a red sheet of paper which is probably what he wanted.
   As  for the tracks this mini album is a big departure from his previous works like Believe (1st album) and  Yutzpracachia's Love (2nd album) where his commercial hits had a more sad/smooth sound with the exception of "Melody" (which was pop rock).  The title track "Top Star" is incredibly upbeat with its simple melody and almost completely synthesized music is most definitely meant to be a pop dance song.  I do like the fact that they try to make it more interesting adding layers of digitized drum loops and background vocals and I detected a disco beat in the bridge before Tony's rap section. Sadly like usual I didn't really enjoy the title track I guess I was expecting a more deeper or thoughtful song but it came out just in time to be a fun spring/summer song. Also I must admit is great to see him perform it with the dances  it seems to brighten the audiences mood.
   After Top Star is Truble Maker  that's right Truble not trouble.  Tony changes it up again going in the pop rock direction  like "Melody". The chorus of the song is were I think Tony shines greatly (except the I'm so trouble maker part ). Lastly Thank You feat. Simon D is an interesting song music wise. I like how it starts off with marching drums and a piano medley and the the background drums speed up which is usual (to have a fast beat with a slow piano medley) on the chorus Tony's vocal tone reminded me of his older works which is a plus for me. The following track is not a new song but a remix of his single I am going to see you right now that he released after leaving the army.  The original version of this song  gives you a feel of some of Tony's older works if you haven't heard any. The remix however tried to "update" it adding in the high pitched synthesizers  taking away the surprising smoothness the original had. I would recommend you give the original a listen. The last track is the instrumental version of Top Star which I didn't think would be interesting at all but was slightly surprised. In the instrumental it is easier to hear the layers of synth and  digital drums and the work that was put into the song.
    The mini album as a whole is a definite departure from his old style its too early to see if he will stay completely with this new style of music but hopefully he'll release a song or two in his previous styles that gained him so many fans.

Kpop that could make it in the U.S. - 4MEN I feel so Nice

Recently the group 4MEN made their comeback to positive fanfare and its no surprise why when you hear the vocals on the tracks. Their intro track to their new album The Artist should have been a song (a full length one) with its high quality vocals and soulful but low key music. If this was a full length song I do believe that they could have a success with this song on U.S. Radio.

Why it may succeed in the U.S

The entire song (all 54 seconds) is in English which is an aspect that alot of international fans consider important  for being a success in the U.S. Not only is the song in English their English is without an accent so radio listeners wouldn't guess that they were listening to an non American artist ( sadly some listeners are prejudice this way) so that's a barrier they wouldn't have to worry about radio wise.

Secondly the song sounds like an old school American R&B song, a ound some urban and R&B  artists are trying to get back to, hence making it more than likely a song a trend following listen would actually listen to. If not 90s R&B lovers would definitely give this track a listen.

Who it may succeed with

As stated above old school R&B lovers I believe would be the target audience as the song has all the elements of 90s R&B; strong non auto-tuned vocals and non- electronic music . Someone had heard me play this song and became interested asking "who was the group?" and when I told them who they were and showed them a photo they were very surprised but still liked the song. I would assume the same could happen if  this song was to be played on the radio.

Radio or Video

With the music and great English vocals this song would fit right in along with all the other R&B songs and on a opposite end it would most definately stand out amongst the American pop songs with their extremly autotuned and electronic backgrounds 4MEN's organic sound maybe what one weary listen is looking for!!

Take a listen to the track!! Do you think if the song were longer that it could make a impact on U.S. radio stations? What do you think?

Kandy pop news : facebook, mailing lists, contests

Hello Readers!
I have created another (and hopefully better) facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Kandy-Pop-Blog/108951145861751 so please go check it and out and "like" it while your there. I also will be putting up some questions and polls there too so if you can answer those as well ^^.
    I see that people are reading my reviews and that makes me glad but no one is leaving any responses! As a writer/reviewer I like to know what others think about the music/ topics as well, don't be afraid to leave a decent comment.
    I know that everyone who reads my blog is not a member on blogspot but I have a mailing list all you have to do is send a email to me at kpoldskool@gmail.com  saying you would like to be on the mailing list and you will recieve a message from me letting you know about upcoming reviews, articles and contests on the site sound good? Its easy so send me an email!!
   Don't forget about the player in the corner!! Its not just there to play cool music!! Sometime soon I will be doing another contest like the G.D. & T.O.P one in which a reader won a T.O.P. phone strap! So be on the lookout for another contest soon!

Jang Woo Hyuk new video teaser!! Yay!

As a fan of old school kpop and H.O.T. I'm excited to see yet another member making a comeback!! (read Tony An review <=). I really like the retro robot/ space explorer theme pretty unique in the world of kpop. I love the use of the green lights and his glowing eyes those effects were well done. Music wise it has more of light rock sound very different than his last too harder hip hip albums. So hopefully this music change will be a good one? However from this well done teaser I am looking forward to it!!

Moon Hee Jun 1st solo album - Alone

   Here is the now belated review of Moon Hee Jun's first solo Album. It was to be posted in March because his birthday is in March but alas....
     Alone caused quite a bit of controversy when released due to MHJ's drastic change from pop idol to "rock" artist. It seemed that despite the fact the MHJ was no longer in H.O.T. (as H.O.T. was no more) the music public expected him to do the same type of music. Hearing the criticisms of MHJ's rock music may lead others believe that the album would be "not up to standards" musically. Well below is my review of the album and I suggest you hear it for yourself.
The first thing I always look at is the packaging, its the first thing that you see and gets you ready for the album.
    The packaging of Alone very  detail orientated. On first look you see a picture of MHJ holding a young boy with the title Alone written faintly through the photo in cursive. Upon sliding the outer cover off I realize the photo is on the cover and the word alone is written on the cd case itself.

       The cd case by itself  if I may say is luxurious in its simplicity. The world alone is written in gold foil on a rich black paper ,very classy. However the CD was not so pretty  kinda plain but alas….. there was also a photo of MHJ with the young boy he was hold on a cardboard piece I think was meant to act a buffer between the cd booklet and cd.

    The booklet was very nice and dark but poses a problem as fingerprints show up easily on it!!! I’m not really sure about the theme of the photos in the booklet. The booklet features  a few potrait shots of MHJ  there are also a few photos of MHJ holding a young boy or watching him sleep on the floor. Not sure what this has to do with “Alone” but the photos are of good quality.

     Now on the the album...... Electric H.I.T. World  the introduction  to the album is a even mix of electronic (not dance) music with bits of rock. Music you would hear in a dystopian movie.  The song fades outs in the end beginning you on the journey to the album.

   Muse Over the Sunset picks off as H.I.T world fades off it gradually builds up into a soft and ethereal  melody. MHJ’s soft voice fits perfectly with this type of music. As soon as you think "wow this is a nice soft song” the bridge gets a little “harder” and MHJ uses his "rock voice”.  I appreciate how the guitars are used it this song as a “soft” element as certain points.  The pace of the song picks up near the end and despite opening on such a soft note it ends quite harshly.

Our Story opens with an orchestral interlude setting a romantic tone very fitting for the only duet on the album. The female vocals surprisingly par well with MHJ’s soft voice.

   The title track Alone begins with a robotic voice followed by a morphed  a sample from NWA which is weird but prepares us for the mixture of genres that make this title track stand out the rest of the album. Alone makes great uses of electric guitars and drums, orchestral music and a slight hip hop drum loop. This song also has a “ballad break” a section in the song when the music changes and he sings ballad style a pattern which he will repeat in the future. I appreciate how the song doesn't end simply after the dramatic note like a lot of songs but has a minute long orchestrated prelude to end the song giving the song a more dramatic feel (like a movie soundtrack).

    Following is another more mainstream pop oriented song The Loss of sadness. The soft chimes and melody at the start of this song make it stand out along with Alone. The music is very 90’s R&B , This song would be the type of music I supposed his anti’s expected him to come out with in his whole album. 

 After the slow and slightly calming loss of sadness TNT flips the script,  its high energy tempo very reminiscent of 90s Euro beat dance music. It was quite interesting with MHJ’s light voice and slightly mournful voice layered over such a throbbing beat (euro beat songs usually have power singers over such tracks).

  Jumping genres again we land on Red & White, which opens with a twangy guitar tune  with MHJ’s   staticy (morphed of course) voice  soon this little stanza ends and we are introduced to “rock” MHJ. A welcome contrast to MHJ “rock MHJ’s" voice is very strong and gravelly when needed and works very well. I have heard many artists (even some rock artist) try to sound more "rock" by adding rasp and gravel to their voice and it doesn't work to say the least. Love the end of this song as well.

  Aria of the Will starts off as an instrumental that may remind someone of an action movie. The second rock song on the album MHJ adds more of the orchestral instrumentation as well as choral vocals which amps up the dramatic effect of the song. Once again his “rock” voice is spot on. But this time he also uses his “singing voice” at the end of the song.

   The very next song is that's right you guessed it, another rock influenced song Persia Black Hole is actually most fans introduction to “Rock Heejun”. The music itself is very guitar heavy  and is more nu-metal/hip-rock (hip-hop rock hybrid) than rock. MHJ raps through out the song as well as using his “rock voice”. This time there is “headbanging breaks” within the song (moments of heavy guitar solos to which everyone headbangs or whips their hair around together). I know from seeing recordings that this song is great live.

Continuing the pattern Devil of an Angel welcomes us with a “dirty” gutair rift. Again orchestral music is layered with the guitars for dramatic effect. MHJ alternates between shouting and his slightly creepy talk/singing. At one point his “death voice” is very convincing adding to the slight creepiness of the song. I once again like the unexpected ending with  sorrowful violin solo a very different way to end such a rough song.

   Coming out of nowhere is I still believe this is my wth song from this album ( the one song that makes you say why is this here?). The song itsself is not a bad song  its placement is a bit defeating of  the three “heavy” rock songs before it. I still believe is pretty much  a pop song with some staticy vocals and guitars compared to its processors. It probably would have been better to put this song before the “heavy three” to showcase MHJ’s ability to do pop rock to “heavier rock”. On a positive note the slight echo and fade out of the melody was a great way to end the song. 

   Expected Farewell Sung to the tune of Auld Lang Lyne (a favorite of mine that always moves me)  even though his lyrics are different it still fits the theme of the song remembering old friends and people of times past and moving on but never forgetting . On the last stanza his voice sounds so sorrowful i thought he was crying which added to the overall feel to the song.

 One of the best endings of an album I ever heard ...........

But we’re not done yet there is a bonus song!! MHJ comes back with a old school korean pop (trot) “ rock style song”  entitled strangely Button Hole. MHJ’s voice much more deep and husky adds to the slightly dramatic song ( the tune reminds me of Gerudo valley in the legend of Zelda ocarina of time). 
check out these MVs/  from Alone 

 

Is Alone worth buying? I say a definte yes... But since Moon Hee Jun is no longer with SM the CD is hard to come by  as of now there is one still for sale on Ebay or you can purchase it here at
http://www.asiandb.com/custom/affiliate.php?aid=jewelrose&item=4515

 

coming soon!!

A review of an 1st generation Idol's 1st album coming soon, his birthday was this month, can you guess who it is? ^_^

Songs that could make it in the U.S V.I.- Magic

 Big Bang Member Seung -Ri also known as V.I. released his first solo debut mini album entitled V.V.I.P at the beginning of  this year . Though the mini album had a few tracks that really seem geared to the overseas market ( V.I.P., what do you want me to do?) this particular track stood out to me as having potential as a U.S.  radio/ club hit.

Why it may succeed in the U.S

The song starts off with a conversation in English, there a few bits of English sprinkled in the lyrics as well as the background vocals. The most important part the chorus is in English and it’s pretty simple and easy to remember (and yeah, yeah, yeah goes across language barriers). The Music is very reminiscent of electro R&B of the late 90s and 00’s (think Omarion ”Touch” and Justin Timberlake) a sound that seems to be coming back.

 Who it may succeed with

While this group may not be the desired demographic, 23 -30 R&B fans.  The laid back tone of the music, the conversations placed throughout song and the melody are very 90s R&B elements. Though the song is obviously electronic, I can see old school fans giving this song a try just like they did with Omarion and Justin Timberlake. Also older fans also tend to actually buy the music a big plus.

Where should it be played?  Given its laid back feel and electronic sound a lounge would be a good place to get the song out there. Even retail stores that play electro pop music like Sephora would be a good idea.

Radio or Video? Since there was no video made for this song radio would be the answer. The key would be the type of radio station, a lot of times songs like these are sent to hip hop stations not a good idea, probably not even a station that plays R&B, a station that plays a mix of music ranging from pop to rock would be a better bet as it would reach a more diverse crowd.

What do you think? Could it be successful in the U.S. if the song was completely in English?

Keep In touch!!

Hello Readers!
Kandy Pop is now on facebook as well as twitter.
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GD &Top Vol.1

   I received the package a lot sooner than the date yesasia gave me so I was pretty happy about that. After removing all the bubble wrap I was glad to see the album was not dented  in any way. As a visual artist  I really appreciate the creativity of the packaging for the cds I get from kpop artists. It gets pretty boring getting a plain cd case no matter how nice the photos in the booklet are.  The case is book like with a faux leather cover with GD & T.O.P’s logo in the middle. I didn’t get gold or sliver (like I deserved lol) but blue. I liked the aspect that the logos came in different colors as it gave me a surprise to look forward to.The photo book is glued onto the front cover , the photos in the book have a retro feel from old school hip hop to funk (in one photo GD  seems to have a morris day influenced style ). With all the details in the case I thought the cd design would be quite plain but I was incorrect the not only does it have a psychedelic floral design the cd finish has a metallic sheen.

     Despite the retro-techno look and feel of the packaging the album contains a diverse collection of music (though mostly in the electronic genre).

The opening track appropriately titled Intro invokes the feel of an old school hip hop song (by old school I mean 80’s and early 90s). I really like GD’s lines of self demeaning but then talking him self up. “My voice may be thin but my zipper won’t stay up” this line is so awesome lol another example “I may be short but my girlfriend is tall”.  The best thing about this song is that it isn’t too long it gets right to the point and ends no useless filler dragging the song on. Following Intro is the huge youtube hit High High.  The song sounds perfect for a commercial hit (which it was) and I tend to not like commercial hits and did not particularly enjoy this track. The most interesting part of the song was the G-H-E-T-T-O

E-L-E-C-T-R-O sing song part.

Next Oh yeah continues with the recent trendy “Electro” sound.  However it is done very well and its simple synthesized melody is catchy. The addition of Bom’s voice in the chorus helps set the song apart from the others on the album especially since its not auto tuned.

Taking a totally different turn is Don’t Go Home Tonight. It’s a very refreshing track to hear right after Oh yeah. It carries on the “old school” theme slightly present in the packaging with its 80’s esque  electro drum beats and bright melody. Its lyrics are slightly sweet (and naughty ) which blends perfectly with the feel of the music. This a song I would choose to promote first. Most definitely on of the better tracks on the album.       
 Keeping the old school feel going is Baby Goodnight. This time instead of channeling the 80’s this song has more of a 90’s R&B groove. As Don’t Go Home is bright and sweet, Baby good night is dark and mellow. T.O.P. particularly shines on this with his deep voice. Deep voices tend to work well on slow groove songs.  This track I would have also promoted first along with Baby don’t go home (the perfect contrasting songs).

            Breaking the old school feel is Knock Out.  Once again I’m not really a fan of the commercial hits (which this was as well) while the rapping flow was good I did not feel that the minimalist beat was a good fit. The music video however was a very good fit!!

     Introducing "rock" music on the album is T.O.P’s solo song Oh Mom.  It’s a huge disconnect when the guitar enters the track but a welcome break from the electronic filled cd. However only the chorus really features the guitar, T.O.P’s singing parts mostly have a slight electro backing melody, with a few quips of synthesizer and a few guitar strums.  T.O.P’s strength is when he sings less auto tuned in the chorus  his deep slightly gravelly voice goes well with  the rock sound.  A very good track off the album but I don’t think it do well as commercial hit (sadly).

            Following behind is G- Dragon’s solo song Obsession. From the beginning the song takes on a creepy tone with its slightly off tune electronic melody (and the guy mumbling in the background) it’s a pretty straight to the point song and a slightly scary one at that. In this case G Dragon’s extremely auto tuned voice added to the eerie feel making him sound almost not human. I appreciated the little extras in the song that gave it its cold, hollow feel, like how when GD is singing you can hear voices in the background breathing (or saying yeah). At the bridge the guitar is brought back, this guitar solo reminds me of an 80’s slasher film (think of the song “maniac”) which is very fitting for the theme of this song. I was very impressed with the ending the guitar note just floating into the air gives of the promotion that there was not a happy ending for either party at the end of the song. The only downfall of the song is when GD goes "uno.. dos.. tres.. quarto… braaaaap!" It really takes away from the mood of the song. Despite that I believe this song should have been promoted (along with a MV) just like She’s gone I think it would have made a good MV.

            T.O.P. greets us again with some more “singing” with Of All Days .  The auto tune is a bit much as its very noticeable when he switches from singing to rapping. Once again he sounds great in the chorus. Also the chorus is a bit unique (in the album) with the call and response segment.

            Up next is the albums “what the?” song. Almost all albums have one a song that is so drastically different from every song on the cd you say what the? What do you want me to do? Is that song. What makes it so different is its genre, which is old school Rock and Roll (think Little Richard, Bo Diddley) which is not a genre many pop or hip hop artist tread into. However since I’m a big fan of old school rock and roll I was positively surprised. The way GD chose the music and his nasal vocals made me recall another Asian artist  Miyavi. That said while not the best song it was a good attempt at a great but under appreciated genre.

             Closing out the album is the already released commercial hit by T.O.P. the song  was decent  as T.O.P’s rapping was good and the beat was ok but not spectacular. As with Knock Out this song seems much better with the MV.

             That concludes this (very long) review the best tracks in my opinion is Don’t go home, Baby Goodnight, Obsession, Oh Yyeah and Of all days.  That said for a first album Vol.1 gives listeners a variety (which is good) of tunes to choose from which is a high mark in my book.



                       



Metallic finish on cd





inside booklet with member card









1st contest winner!!

Congrats! To the winner of Kandy pop's first contest! Karen  guessed the correct song which was by the way GD &TOP'S "Don't go home".
She won a sparkly T.O.P. phone charm!!!
Stay tuned for more contests coming soon!

Kpop that could make it in the U.S.

It seems that 2010 and this year K-pop music is starting to sound more "Americanized" well some of it always has (not a bad thing) but lately with the easier accessibility to it through online stores (yesasia, dvdheaven) websites, youtube etc, it is more noticeable.
I've heard a few songs lately that made me say hey! That could make it over here! (if it were in English) maybe...
The first one Teen Top's Supa Love



Upon the  first listen I was like "Oh man another electronic song", but when the lead vocalist began the song in English I was very surprised.The basic melody of the song was simple and catchy as well as the chorus (which has to be or the song usually fails).
  Why it may succeed in the U.S. : Going just by this song the members' English sounds very good and not heavily accented. Why is this important? For some reason nowadays the fact that a song is not in English is a reason alot of Americans state they do not like international songs. Though songs that were completely not in english have had success in the U.S. for example  Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto which was completely in Japanese and made it to the No.1 spot U.S. billboard charts in 1963 but that is a different topic and story.
Who it may succeed with: This song could be popular among the younger crowd (14-20) as
they tend to like the Electro music with simple melodies and choruses that is out right now.
Where would be a good place to play it? Radio stations that play international songs of course, but radio stations that play a mix of musical genres (channels that play a mix of pop, r&b , soft rock), and channels targeted towards teens. radio stations that play urban and hip hop music is not a good idea.
Radio or Video? After seeing the video and from sharing videos with others it seems that people may write of a group before even listening to the music if they don't like (or understand)  their look. So If they hear the music and like it they may not be as apprehensive about the artist.
Well that's my thoughts on this song (I may do a review of the video later) What do you think about the song?

Contest!!

       In celebration of the beginning of this blog and its first review post, there will be a contest! All you have to do is listen to the song under the click me!! and email me at kandypoptasteshot@gmail.com with the song title, your name (or what you go by) and country for a chance to win a T.O.P. phone strap/charm!!Contest ends Jan 31st


 The Prize!!!

Welcome!!

Hello soon to be Readers!!
Welcome to the blog here you can except reviews on kpop albums, music videos and the like mostly from boybands and R&B music (and some rock). I like old school stuff so be prepared to read reviews on older albums and see older MVs.
The first review you will see/read will be of GD& TOP's new album. To celebrate the beginning of this blog there is a contest!! If you can tell me what song is playing  (under the click me!) by GD and TOP you get a chance to win a prize!! To enter just email me @ kandypoptasteshot@gmail.com  the name of the song and artist along with your first name (or whatever name you go by)  and contact email. I will randomly draw a name out of the correct answer and they will win a prize!!