Track list:
- Hello
- Girls
Girls Girls
- I
Like you
- Follow
Me
- Like
Oh
- Playground
Got7 dropped
their mini album titled 'Got It?' on the 20th of last month; the music
video to the group's single 'Girls Girls Girls' came out a couple days before on the 16th. In case you didn't know because you don't avidly follow K-Pop or
because you have been trapped under a rock or because you have been
super busy (for me, all three apply), no need to fret, my dear K-Popper! I am
here to enlighten you.
Got7 (pronounced 'got seven'…and here I was thinking the name was pronounced 'goat-chil' - Korean style) is a fresh-faced seven member hip-hop/dance boy band who recently debuted under JYP Entertainment. You know, one of the "big three" and the entertainment company with acts you've probably heard of before such as 2PM and miss A. I did my homework this time around and discovered that the boy band was on a survival / reality show called 'WIN: Who Is Next' where the members had competed with YG Entertainment trainees. Though the group didn't take the winning cake, they earned the privilege of debuting under the strong tutelage system provided by JYP Entertainment. Oh, before I forget—and before you all bash me for forgetting—I should also mention that two of the members, specifically JB and Jr. also make up JJ Project.
Now
that we have gained a little insight into who is Got7, let us move onto the
meat of this writing piece, which would be the music. I will be completely
blunt and direct here—no beating aimlessly around the bush—I really did not
think this title track, 'Girls Girls Girls' was strong enough. The
song wasn't compelling as a title track nor did it wield that attention-grabbing
power which a solid debut track should encompass. You may curse me to eternal damnation for being so brutally honest but remember that this is my job. My job as a reviewer is
to critique music and our opinions may very well clash (I can haz opinionz too?!??).
There is nothing wrong with a little head-butting as long as we are civilized
towards one another. Enough with my discursive, irrelevant philosophizing…as I was saying,
'Girls Girls Girls' was, to me, a disappointment. The song itself is
undeniably catchy and head-bop worthy as a quasi-hip hop/dance track. But somehow
I just can't shake off that lingering feeling that JYP was a bit too hasty with
the composition (...and the whole debut process). My expectations of 'The Asian Soul' may have been
unrealistically high this time around—especially because Got7 was promised to
be the next 2PM.
The
boys have so much potential, but there's a saying: "potential is nothing, execution is everything." Still, the talent is clearly there evidenced by their vocal and rap skills in the
rest of the tracks on the album. Unfortunately, those skills weren't fully
demonstrated on the title track. I believe the first song, 'Hello,' would have served better as the debut track. It contains more 'hip hop'
elements including rumbling, 'phat' beats, and sharply-polished rapping. The
rapping on 'Hello' is further seamlessly intertwined with the hook, sung by
your darling members of Got7 (ehh, the members' singing needs a bit of work, in my
humble opinion). 'Girls Girls Girls' on the other hand held less rap parts
which I thought was pretty odd, considering Got7 is mainly a 'hip-hop' group.
Aside from 'Hello,' another stand-out track on the mini album was 'Follow Me.' It is the perfect anthem for all the crooked kids of the world, the kind of
song I imagine as the BGM in a movie about rebels without a cause.
To sum up my long spiel, do I recommend you give the group a chance? Yes. But do I expect you to be blown away? Probably not. If the group trains harder (is that even possible?), is handed better-packaged songs that are composed with a tad more effort, and marketed just right, (I realize the same could be said for any K-Pop group) Got7 could easily be the next 2PM, or even better. Currently however, I do not think they are anywhere near that venerable title. I will be waiting for your next comeback, Got7. You better impress me then, else be ready yet again to be inveighed with criticism.
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