Hyosung, lead vocalist for the group SECRET, has released her highly anticipated solo single album, 'TOP SECRET.' Formed in 2008, SECRET's sound is usually retro-inspired and some of their more successful hits, such as "Love Is Move," typically have an urgent tone to them. However, this solo album is very different.

The album leads with "Don't Know Women," featuring J'Kyun, whom is said to be the "hip hop prince." It seems an unwritten rule that every female solo album has to have at least one collaboration on it, typically with a male rapper. It's a playful mid-tempo song, with J'Kyun's part as the male response to the the rather accusatory lyrics. The rap line comes in after a saxophone solo, easing the transition somewhat. His contribution is so short, I'm not sure the song wouldn't have been better served without it.

The best track on the disc, "Good-night Kiss," is a musically busy song. Up and down pitched vocals, snares, finger snaps, and dance breaks combine to make an addictive and ear-wormy tune. Hyosung has a great voice, able to go high-pitched and soft during the main verses, but harder-edged while chanting a line ripped straight from a playground song: "K-I-S-S-I-N-G." It's not hard to see why this was chosen as the title track; whatever else can be said about it, it's never boring and certainly high-energy.

Last up is "I Hate Nighttime," a.k.a "I Hate The Night." My first thought was why does she hate the night?  I love the night. An examination of the lyrics told me why: she hates being alone at night.  The track itself reminds me of "Love is Move," only more restrained. There are retro elements, but they're dialed back rather than placed center stage.  It's still a good ultra-modern example of what the hit makers of K-Pop are capable of cranking out; it makes you want to turn it up and dance.

I really love Hyosung's voice here; on this album, her voice ranges from soft and silky to powerful and punchy. At times it practically washes over you. Too often in SECRET's catalog her voice is very high-pitched, lending a childlike nature to the songs that left me cold. Here, we have a more mature set of tunes. Instead of urgent, the tracks are more inviting, cheerful and flirtatious. If I had one complaint it's that the album is too short, one of the pitfalls of the mini-album format.   

This album falls neatly into the category of "summer album." I've always associated sunny days and beaches with fluffy pop music, and in that area, the album does not disappoint.

MV REVIEW

At first, this MV reminded me of T-ARA's "No. 9," particularly the dance sequences. Girls dancing deliciously in barely-there outfits. Just something that the recently over sexualized K-Pop industry thinks everyone wants to see. But then I took a closer look.

The environments Hyosung and her dancers move around in are actually fairly interesting. The initial dance floor is a room that's flooded with light; the patterns on the walls look as if they were woven by an amped-up spider.  There's another place that looks for all the world like a church or some gothic structure with a checkerboard floor. We see some strange light box window that she lays on in a darkened room, and the MV has a throne she lounges on. In yet another sequence, she's in some temple, caressing animal statuary. Finally, in another room, she stands next to a wall with a tangle of thorny barbed wire rendered on it that wraps up a glowing heart (complete with ventricles). There's a further twist when she reaches toward the wall and grabs a rose, suddenly made tangible, from it. There's no shortage of things to look at.

There's even a ghost of a plot here. There are flashes of Hyosung and another man exchanging glances at a party, apparently a wedding. He's decked out in a white tux -- most likely the groom.  They inch closer, flashing by each other, turning their heads -- suddenly his clothing is black. They move like panthers; a cat and mouse game she doesn't seem to object to. From her attire, I can gather she's not his betrothed. At the end, she kisses him, with some gem in her mouth, and as she walks away our mysterious man contemplates the gem that he takes out of his pocket.

There's no rhyme or reason to the video, but it's not confusing, per se. I won't lie: Hyosung is nice to look at and the dance moves are designed to entice. I like the visual variety of this MV, which is rather compelling as long as you don't think too hard about what you're seeing.

The song, as I've noted above, is excellent. I haven't gotten tired of "Good-night Kiss" yet, and the MV complements the song perfectly.   

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