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Kmusic Review: Hyuna’s Second Solo Album “Melting”

November 28, 2012

The news of Hyuna’s second album had a great amount of fans screaming for joy! As sexy as ever and hotter than fire, Hyuna brings us five new tracks that are sure to melt your mind, body, and soul!!!! At least that’s what most people think. However, I beg to differ. Although I’m not a huge fan of Hyuna, I’m definitely not an anti either. I just think that there are a few things she should tweak because something is definitely missing. I really don’t see this great and extravagant artist that everyone else seems to see. Is it just me or are there others who agree?

Let’s start with the title song “Ice Cream” that features Maboos. Whether I like her or not, I have to admit that she is iconic and that’s the only reason why this song is a hit. So then why and how is she iconic? Well I’ll just honestly state it; she’s a sex symbol and sex sells. That could be a good or bad thing but I’m not here to argue that, I’m just simply stating that this is what made “Ice Cream” a success. I actually like the fact that she’s ballsy for being so open with her womanhood; yeah, it is hot. But other than the provocative dancing and the suggestive lyrics, or at least the way she sings it, there’s nothing special about the song. The directors randomly threw Psy in the music video just to raise views. The beat is mediocre and plenty of American artists like Britney Spears, Fergie, and even Shakira have already done something like it. The one thing that saved this song was its catchiness because the repeated phrase “Ice cream, cream, cream, cream, cream” is able to stick in minds of listeners all day. However, this doesn’t mean “Ice Cream” should win “Song of the Year”. If there was a new twist of any kind in its composition, “Ice Cream” would have been so much better.

This next song is the sole reason as to why I don’t find Hyuna tasteful at all. “Don’t Fall Apart” depicts her feelings on releasing a new song where she tells herself to keep it together and not fall apart, which is a great message. However, the arrangement of her verses is not pleasant on the ears. Her rapping is just not up to par and this song is just full of her fast talking. I really don’t understand why people praise her about being such a great rapper. No doubt, every MC has a different style of rapping but Hyuna is not a rapper let alone an MC. What she really is is a performer so therefore the argument of “style” is irrelevant. I mean if she’s a rapper then I’m the best MC there is.

“Unripe Apple” features label mate Ilhoon of BTOB and opens with a heavily Pop influenced tune. Although it isn’t the best, this track has a lovelier music arrangement, making it a cute and fun song. This song is about puppy love and all of the wonderful emotion one feels when they experience it. I really like this side of Hyuna because when she sings with this voice, it sounds so much more natural. She’s being herself instead of trying so hard to please the audience by using her “sexy” or “aegyo” voice. The backup vocals in the background that echo Hyuna’s lines are whimsical and also add to the appeal of the song.

The fourth song is called “To My Boyfriend”. This track opens with a sleepy piano melody that sounds like something from an RPG game but quickly changes as guitar and bass intermingle, turning the song into an R&B piece. During the break, there’s also a short electric guitar solo but it was muffled so I was a bit puzzled as to why it sounded that way. This is probably my favorite song in the album because it isn’t as forceful when it comes to the image that is implied through the music piece. By this I mean, listeners are probably able to freely wander through their thoughts as they listen to the song whereas ‘Ice Cream” is a bit disruptive. Although Hyuna’s vocals aren’t the best, I wouldn’t mind listening to this song twice because there is more dept to this song compared to the others. “To My Boyfriend” depicts a girl who is heartbroken and regretful. So she sends a message to her boyfriend, hoping to rekindle their love.

Hyuna participated in writing and composing the closing song for this second mini album. “Very Hot” is purely a Hip Hop track and I actually like this beat a whole lot better than the composition in “Don’t Fall Apart”. Again her fast talking is pretty annoying but since the beat is good, it’s tolerable. The second verse surprised me a little, making me think “WOAH, Hyuna is rapping?” but then I realized it was Sohyun, fellow member and maknae of 4minute and so I was left disappointed. There’s a distinct attitude in the rap that Sohyun delivered, making it stand out and charming whereas Hyuna gave me nothing. She definitely has attitude when it comes to expressing it physically but that spunk that she possesses isn’t being translated through her voice. If she wants to continue to rap, I hope she practices more. I’m sure she is capable of doing it but right now she just isn’t there yet when it comes to charisma, delivery, and flow.

If you love Hyuna then help support her by purchasing “Melting” but for those of you who don’t particularly fancy her, don’t expect anything different from what you’ve already heard and seen. Call me a hater, I guess I am. Let’s hope she proves me wrong with her next comeback.

This is the music video for “Ice Cream”.