January 11,2007
by Andrew Martinez (AudioAsia)
Lee Jung Hyun, Korea’s former queen of dance, who has recently been concentrating on expanding her artistic talents not only through music but also through film, has come back to her familiar dance beats in 2006. Although she has returned to her roots in the club scene, LJH’s music has taken a decidedly more hip-hop turn with the release of Fantastic Girl, her sixth original studio album.
The new album comes on the heels of many other projects, including a multitude of TV dramas, a push into the Japanese market with the release of the singles Heaven and Passion ~Jonetsu~/Heavy World, the mini-album Wa, and the album This Is Hyony, and LJH’s 2004 Passion, itself an interesting offering with its salsa and mariachi rhythms.
After taking the time to explore these different avenues in her music career, LJH reassures her fans that she can still produce the music that they came to expect from such a dance diva. The rhythms are once again memorable and the beats driving, and with the addition of rap verses from featured artists like Double K, LJH’s music has managed to become more dynamic than it has in the past.
01 Fun Fun
The album starts off very strong with Fun Fun, getting right into the new hip-hop style and bringing Double K to the forefront of the track before LJH even makes her first appearance. The majority of the track is clearly club hip-hop, with an accompaniment of a clear, flowing woodwind prominent and flourishes of acoustic guitar. These touches are characteristic of LJH’s style for combining traditional instruments and melodies with her modern rhythms. Double K’s rapping provides most of the bridge and manages not to really interfere with LJH’s singing, rather melding with a bit of humming which LJH provides. The track will definitely get you moving, but the slow breaks keep the rhythm changing.
02 Na Man Bwa
This track will remind the LJH fans a bit of her Peace album, with its touches of Arabic instrumentals and melodies. Unlike Fun Fun, all the lyrics on this song are provided by LJH herself, and her singing style is more reminiscent of her previous work. Often times, the song almost sounds like it’s an updated version of Mi Chyo from the album Magic To Go To My Star. The chorus for this one will stick with you, as it is simple and very catchy. It is interesting on this track to hear the different “layers” of LJH’s voice as she voices over throughout the chorus in three different tones.
03 Teul
Teul is a very bass-heavy track, with the melody provided almost completely my LJH’s vocals. Her only accompanying instrument is really a bit of electric guitar with a few synth chords thrown in for the chorus. The previous two tracks had plenty of breaks and switches in tempo, but Teul is pretty much a straight-through run of the same beat. It makes it less interesting to listen to overall, but if you really like the beat, then the song certainly delivers.
04 Cheolsuya Saranghae
This is one of the most interesting tracks on the album. Instead of heading straight into bass-heavy beats, the song opens with synth, very reminiscent of 80s revival. In a sense, it is similar to what can be found on Escape from her Passion album. The synth rhythm continues through to the chorus, where it suddenly becomes much higher. In addition, LJH moves from a slow, halting pace in the verse to a very flowing rhythm for the chorus. Overall, it’s a very fun song with just the right amount of special little touches to make it unique.
05 Welcome To My Style
Welcome To My Style is a welcome reprieve a this point from all the fast-paced rhythms of the previous four songs. Double K returns on this track, which has a few elements that are more R-n-B than hip-hop. This time, Double K and LJH also interact through the lyrics, most of the time in English, though the majority of LJH’s vocals are still in Korean. There’s a definite sense that this song borrows from LJH’s previous hits like Brighter Than Sunshine and Bird, but the style has been reworked to fit more with the overall aim of this album.
06 Dallyeo
Again, the album provides a very bass-heavy track. The opening is almost in the same vain as Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl, with its marching drum beat. The marching beat quickly subsides, however, and the song transitions into a sound very similar to Ari Ari and Tara Tara of I Love Natural, without the traditional bassline. Besides this, the track, though still enjoyable, isn’t particularly notable.
07 Namja Neun Yeoja Reul Gwichanhge Hwe
Like Cheolsuya Saranghae, LJH moves back into the dance rhythms of her previous albums for this song, leaving behind some of the hip-hop elements of the other tracks. The song ends up having a playful mood, as well, with some of the sound effects utilized and its keyboard rhythm.
08 Eoddeoghe
Although not really a slow song, this one is still one of the mellower tracks on the album. Although this one has a lot of the elements of a pop ballad, LJH has paired those vocal elements with the hip-hop style to keep the album from having too much discordance between tracks. The track itself isn’t particularly dance-worthy, but the rhythm is smooth and very easy to listen to and follow.
09 Ddo Saranghal Su Isseulkka
This track is the true slow jam on the album, and leaves behind all the hip-hop and all the dance for just a straight-up R-n-B beat that is very calming and very soothing. LJH experiments with her voice a bit on this track, throwing in a few vocal tricks every now and then to try to make the listening experience a bit smoother and relaxing. This song is a great listening experience and helps to flesh out the album’s diversity.
10 Yeonga
Although the track isn’t really a Latin song, the style of this one places it well among the songs of LJH’s previous album, Passion. The vocals are smooth and somewhat whispery through the chorus, and the bass beat has a bit of a cha-cha to it. Being the third in a set of slower-tempo songs, the track suffers a bit from its placement in the album’s tracklist, and would probably be more memorable if it had been used between quicker songs.
11 All In
This song is a definite return to JLH’s techno-dance that made her famous. Of all the songs on this album, this is the most like the songs from her first three albums. In a way, it is an updated version of the style used on these albums, much like the tracks on I Love Natural were, but here the update is a hip-hop drum beat. Hearing the techno combined with this beat makes for a very dynamic and memorable song.
12 Ni Namja Reul Jwo
LJH closes off her album with one last track that borrows from her techno roots. The overall style and mood of this song is very similar to All In, though the chorus is a bit more upbeat and poppy. Although it plays a less important role, the techno elements of this track are more varied than on All In, making it a slightly more interesting listen. Double K’s addition to this track also makes it a much more interesting track and a great way to close the album.
