[Album Review] 15& - 'Sugar'

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Track List:
01. Star
02. Sugar
03. Shy Ma Boy
04. Oh My God
05. Rain & Cry
06. Not Today Not Tomorrow
07. Silly Boy
08. Somebody
09. Can't Hide It
10. I Dream

JYP Entertainment's 15& delivers their first full-length album. The teen duo debuted in 2012 with the single "I Dream" and have released two more singles since, "Somebody" in 2013 and most recently "I Can't Hide It" in mid-April. This time, they've released a full album of mostly new material. The full album format is a gutsy move in a field most recently over-saturated with mini-albums, but at least I can stop complaining that the album is too short.

The album starts off pleasantly enough with "Star." They work the duo format well. Yerin begins the piece, then Jimin joins in; at times, the two voices blend together for great harmonies. The mid-tempo track has a nice pace that's pleasant and shows the incredible range of both girls. Yerin's voice reminds me a lot of Christina Aguilera circa 1999 -- her vocal power is bold and brassy.

"Sugar" is a neo-Motown track, retro-inspired with some modern nods. I just found it more annoying and jarring than anything. It seems composed of different half-finished tunes that they then spliced together, and it is a very busy track -- too busy. They sang their little hearts out here. But listen to Motown greats Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye. Sometimes, less is more.

Next up is "Shy Ma Boy." This tune starts off with a muffled beat, snapping, then a piano before picking up the tempo a bit. It's still mid-tempo, like the bulk of this album, but it's well-crafted. The soul horn section adds a lot, and complements the duo's vocals well.

"Oh My God" is a more back-to-basics K-Pop tune. The retro elements are understated here. It starts out with a faster, urgent tune that settles into soft pop. The duo tackle this well and rein in their vocals a bit here, exactly as a song like this demands. It's a very pleasant tune.

"Rain & Cry" is as much a torch song as a ballad, appropriately down-paced and an excellent demonstration of Jimin and Yerin's range. Their vocal power never ceases to impress me, especially given their ages. The song is very evocative with lyrics like, "The song is playing, rain is falling / and on top of a white piece of paper / I draw a fading you with my tears." The girls pull off the standard "I miss you" ballad in first-class fashion.

With that urgent, persistent synth line, the band name callout, and the belted vocals, "Not Today, Not Tomorrow" is easily my favorite track on 'Sugar.' It marches and pops and never breaks tempo. It's bold and direct just like its lyrics, telling a less-than-perfect boyfriend to leave our heroine alone. This is the standout song on the album and the first single I would have released.

After the driving tempo of the 6th track, they slow it down to the familiar mid-tempo groove powering this release. "Silly Boy" is a relaxing, light, fluffy tune that has an R&B groove that keeps it interesting with staccato starts and stops that mix it up.

"Somebody" reminds me very much of a Beyonce track. With its repetitive refrain "I want somebody-body somebody-body somebody to love yeah" it's probably destined to be an earworm tune. It's a very solid soulful groove and it's a great song to vary the cadence in this album.

"Can't Hide It" is another top-notch song, and the single released earlier this year. It's buried as a deep cut in this disc and I personally think it should be up top. With that pelting beat that reinforces the mid-tempo tone, it's still smooth like butter and just an all around feel good tune.

Starting out as a rather stripped-down ballad and gradually building to fill the room, "I Dream" ends up grandiose and sweeping, almost an epic song. This is a challenging tune to sing and the girls apparently are up to the task.

Overall, 'Sugar' is a fantastic first album. I've put this on repeat several times and it hasn't bored me yet. I think the R&B elements really save it from obscurity and blandness, really helping it to be memorable rather than quickly discarded. The songs are remarkably well-crafted and -- with the exception of the title track -- are never jarring. The soulful voices of our duo are excellent and this cannot be stressed enough.

Give it a listen. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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