Shuffle And Repeat

Mini-Album Review
SHINee – ROMEO

ROMEO is SHINee’s 2nd mini-album. It was released on May 25, 2009, and reached #1 on the Hanteo weekly and daily charts, and #3 on the monthly charts. It has so far sold a total of 25,217 copies in Korea. The track, “Juliette” was the song used to promote this mini-album.

tracklist:
1. Talk To You
2. Juliette
3. Hit Me
4. Señorita
5. Please, Don’t Go
6. Romeo+Juliette

When we hear people say the group name “SHINee”, they probably will remember songs like “Nunan Nomu Yeppu“, or “Stand By Me“, since those songs are probably what made the group as popular as hell. But to be honest, I’m getting kinda tired of listening to their old, catchy pop songs. I’m starting to crave for something, you know, different. That’s why I got so excited for their comeback, because the group once said in the interview that they were coming back with a new, cool, and more mature sound and look.

The “mature” part was definitely visible on the opening track, Talk To You. It is very new to what the group used to do, since their previous releases were all about the upbeat tracks and such. But one thing I’ve noticed that is quite different with the guys is that their voices evidently got so much better because they sound more smooth, and in-control, especially when they’re singing the English lines like “Not gonna hurt you”, or “Talk To My Body”. There were solos that could’ve been better, like Minho’s rap, but for the most part, I am liking this song, especially the new style and sound in their music.

As the promo track for this release, I had very high expectations to what Juliette would sound like. Would it be as catchy as Replay, or as cool-sounding as Love like Oxygen. Sadly, It isn’t even like one of the 2 songs. Straight up to the point, Juliette was a total disappointment. Why?

1. It was a friggin’ cover of the Corbin Bleu song, Deal With It, which I was not a big fan of, to start with.
2. It sounds a lot repetitive, and I don’t like that.
3. The quality wasn’t good enough to be called a single, in my opinion.

So as I have said, I dislike this song. I think it sounds quite catchy, but it still isn’t enough for me to love it as much as their other singles. this song might grow on me, but the chances of me liking it is 25-75. With 75 on the side of me not liking it.

My favorite track off this release is Hit Me, another R&B-oriented song that takes almost the same direction Talk To You takes, except this one is slower. Many people think this song is just Boring, and it makes them drool to sleep, but to me, It’s an awesome song.

I know for a fact that I’m being biased, since I love songs like these best. But actually, even if I’m not into songs that go the same road as this one, I’d still like this it because everything is pitched in nicely, and it definitely makes the guys’ strong vocals sound even greater than it already is.

During my first 5 listens to Senorita, I gotta say I hated it. Mainly because the intro where they speak spanish made me go “WTF?!?!!”, and the repetitive spanish guitars make things sound like nothing could happen on the arrangement. But I gotta tell you, I was quite wrong. This song is a lot better than what I had first thought it was, and I believe that it would sound a lot better if Minho’s rap, and the spanish-speaking SHINee intro was thrown to the trashcan. Don’t even bother asking me why.

Now I know where the previews for this album went — They were backing tracks for Please, Don’t Go.

Wow is all I had to say after hearing this track. At first, it sounds so calm with only the piano as the background, but as the song reached the first chorus, things were getting a lot exciting. The arrangement was so damn beautiful, and the strings+piano+guitar combination was freakin’ epic. What’s even better is that the guys sing this song rather amazingly. Their vocals were more than just voices singing a certain melody. That is how good their singing was in this song. Now I have a new favorite SHINee ballad. ^^

You can’t, you can’t, don’t leave like this
Please just one more time, one more time, hold me in your arms again
The next time I close my eyes to meet you,Hold me as I stay still in that spot

The final track is yet another mid-tempo song. Although it’s not the best track in the whole release, Romeo+Juliette gets the job done closing this album to an end.

There isn’t anything that’s bad about this song, but I probably prefer the group singing this song without the autotune on their voices because, well, they sound all better with their natural voices. Other than that, everything sounded really good. Especially the group’s combined vocals. ^^

Although ROMEO wasn’t as consistent as the group’s 1st MA, I gotta say that I like this one better, because I liked the way it had more than just upbeat tracks on this release. Despite the fact that I was disappointed by one song, This one felt like a real album more than their first mini-album because of how bonded things sound together. The mid-paced songs, and touching ballads in this mini-album were nice for a change, and it was nice that we get to see more of the slow side of the group. Because of the great songs here, another A+ for SHINee!

Favorite Track:
Hit Me, Please, Don’t Go, and Talk To You

shuffle rating!
A+

Mini-Album Review
SHINee – THE FIRST MINI ALBUM

THE FIRST MINI ALBUM Nunan Nomu Yeppu (Replay) is SHINee’s first mini-album, and is their debut release under SM entertainment. It was released on May 23, 2008 and has so far sold a total of 17,957 copies. The title track was used to promote this release.

tracklist:
1. Nunan Nomu Yeppu (Replay)
2. In My Room
3. Real
4. Love Should Go On
5. Nunan Nomu Yeppu (Replay-Boom Track)

The mini-album opens with Nunan Nomu Yeppu (Replay), a very catchy track. Actually, this group was first reccommended to me by Ethan @ Radiant Dawn. Based on my tastes, He thinks that I might like them and then he said that I should give them a try. Well, I did. I gave them a try by watching the Music Video for this song over at YouTube, and all I had to say was… “Ethan! LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE!!!” So, after watching, I got addicted to this song, downloaded the mini-album, and became my favorite song for 3 weeks! As some of you know, I ordered their mini-album last summer… do you guys want to know the reason why?… It’s because the songs were really good, especially Nunan Nomu Yeppu. I mean, I could just put the songs on my mp3 player instead but, I feel that these guys needed support especially because they’re just new in the music industry, also, as a reward to their talent. Anyway, The reason why I like this song, is because of the free feeling it has. It’s basically a fast-paced sorta love song but, the amazing thing about it is that the song remained catchy and free despite it’s lyrics that’s about approaching a girl. Sometimes it may sound corny but, once you get used to it, the corny lines become the best thing about the song.

The next song, In My Room, Is the only ballad from the album. Despite it being the only slow song on the mini-album, it’s one of the best ballads I have ever heard. You can feel the emotion that the boys are trying to express and you can really get into liking it after just one listen, like what happened to me. To tell you guys honestly, I’m not a big fan of ballads but, with this song, I forgot all about hating them. Actually, In My Room is my 2nd favorite song from this release because it really has that strong acoustic feel to it, twisted with an RnB vibe that goes well with the boys’ voices. Another good thing about it is that it’s pretty catchy despite it being a slow-paced song. In conclusion, In My Room is a well-done track that shows more of SHINee’s talent.

The next two tracks are different but are the same in one factor.

First, Real, the third track, is definitely a great song too. It ’s up-tempo and contains an energetic piano sound, with strings, synth and beats that forms a groovy feel to it that makes you just want to join the group in singing and to just stand up and dance with them.

The next track, Love Should Go On, as I have said is similar to Real in terms of sound. It sounds like Real, only slower, and with different lyrics. It uses the same instruments as track three but it’s surely another great offering from the group. A wierd thing about it is that from 01:23-01:26, It reminded me of the bass guitar on the song, “Maria Maria”, by the famous band, Santana. Anyway, It’s definitely a great track too and is reccommended, just like the other tracks in this release.

The Replay-Boom Track version of Nunan Nomu Yeppu was a great addition to the mini-album. The release ends with this track so, It’s just right that it’s an uptempo song to end it on a happy note. Anyway, this version features more synth, urban-ized elements, and a great arrangement, just like the original version. It’s a great mix but, I prefer the original version more than this because it has a mocr “alive” feeling. Neverthless, It’s a great closing track and is definitely a two thumbs up.

Favorite Track:
In My Room and Nunan Nomu Yeppu (Replay)

shuffle rating!
A+