Kara has certainly come a long way since their debut back in 2007. They are now regarded as one of South Korea’s top female idol groups and have thousands of followers everywhere around the world. With the recent success of their comeback for “Pandora,” the group has also released a special studio album in Japan. “Collection” is a unique album because of the five solo tracks it contains. Each member was able to exhibit their individual color by releasing their own solo song. The album also contains seven more tracks; one being the 2012 version of “Go Go Summer!”, while the rest of the tracks are instrumentals. This album will also be released in four different versions, each edition containing something special for Kamilias to be grateful for.
The first song that opens the album for us is “Wanna Do” from Jiyoung, the maknae of Kara. It was actually written and composed by G-High and Lee Joo Hyung, two well known producers in South Korea. Mai Watarai who is a famous lyricist in Japan wrote the Japanese lyrics for the song. “Wanna Do” stems its influence from pop and soft rock. It opens with an affective guitar percussion and drumming auxiliary that eventually quiets down for the first verse. It later picks up again with a melodious violin tune as the chorus comes into play. The song depicts someone who is determined to try their best at moving on from a broken relationship even though they still find that special someone trapped in their heart. This song is actually my favorite track because of its simplicity and gentleness. Cloudy days would be the best days to listen to this song because although it is filled with gloom and obscurity for the time being, the next day will be all sunshine and blue skies. That’s all we’re really searching for; to find reassurance from the effortless progression of life that surrounds us.
Nicole’s “Lost” follows up with its soulful groove and R&B vibes. 2PM’s Jinwoon is also featured in this song. He has such an extravagant voice and provides vocal assistance towards the last verse and bridge. The one line that he singularly sang was beautifully done. Nicole and Jinwoon’s voices melt together perfectly and complement each other quite well. This song portrays a person who is being reminded of her past love by everything and everyone she happened to encounter as of late. Then she realized that she is lost in life without him. This song is smooth and has a fine rhythm making it easy to listen to.
When I first heard this song, I thought that “Secret Love” was the most Bubble Pop sounding song out of all the solos. However, Hara delivers this cute song in a way that makes it almost powerful and presents it with a stronger presence than most poppy love songs. It’s also interesting to note that Hara participated in writing the lyrics for this song. Just like the title, it’s a song about an undying secret crush that is bursting out in every which way because the person just can’t seem to contain it any longer. “Secret Love” turned out to be better than I thought and it’s actually quite addicting.
“Daydream” is the fourth solo in the album and it is sung by Kara’s leader Gyuri. I find the song to be dramatic and theatrical just like the aura that Gyuri carries; therefore, the song fits her persona extremely well. She also assisted in writing the lyrics for this song alongside Song Soo Yun, a lyricist who worked on three of the solo tracks. The song has obvious influences from Tango with its Latin flare filled 2/4 tempo. It is also operatic to a certain extant with the way Gyuri transports her voice from a soft hum to a high soprano. I guess her vocalization fits the song because it is like a scream for help. The song is about someone who is desperately trying to escape from the grasp of their past love physically but especially mentally. Compared to the other songs, the lyrics for “Daydream” are also more poetic and complex, leaving listeners perplexed from trying to decipher its story.
The last solo track belongs to Seungyeon. It is called “Guilty’ and has its base in rock although the song is sung almost ballad like with the exception of the upbeat and commanding chorus. The band instrumentals complement Seungyeon’s voice very well, intricately interweaving into one another to create this awesome song. We have another lyricist on our hands here for Seungyeon also took part in writing for this song. The lyrics talk of a strong need for separation and succession from the past, specifically the person’s past love. She intends to move on with a proud smile plastered on her face even though it will be a difficult journey. I like this song a lot too and it surprised me that Seungyeon was able to portray this image so well in her music video. I guess heartbreak does make a woman stronger.
“Go Go Summer! 2012” is just as exciting as the first release if not more. It has Kara’s signature Bubblegum Pop sound to it and flawlessly displays the members’ cheerful voices. There are also prevalent electronic influences present in the song as well. There is definitely a summer feeling it. “Go Go Summer! 2012” is a song that one can enjoy listening to especially when at the beach.
Although I am not an avid Kara fanatic, I do acknowledge their success and appreciate their songs. The fact that they chose to each produce a singular solo song instead of going full out as a solo artist also proves their unity. Each song was able to bring their individuality to life and allowed us to understand how their differences are also the key to the balance of Kara as a whole. I think that “Collection” is a great album to have, all four editions of it.
Source: Youtube
Review By: Samantha Her & Alona
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
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