[Album & MV Review] KARA - 'Day & Night'

AKP STAFF

KARA - "DAY AND NIGHT" ALBUM AND MV REVIEW

KARA is back! Following rumors of a breakup after the departure of Nicole and Jiyoung, they rounded out their group to four members with Youngji, the winner of the 'Kara Project' audition show. This is their first album featuring the new lineup.

The mini-album kicks off with "Live," a smooth R&B composition that almost makes me think of Las Vegas show tune music. I can almost see the girls strutting across an elaborate stage set with canes tucked under their arms. And the "lights, camera, action" pre-chorus makes me think this was entirely intentional. An upbeat, cheery song and easy on the ears.

"Mamma Mia," the title track, is bolstered by a frantic synth riff and a repeated catchy chorus typical of the Duble Sidekick team. It works well here: Gyuri, Seungyeon, Hara all kill it, belting their vocals for all they're worth. I would have liked to hear more of Youngji on this track as the other members have more experience and their talent is already well-known to the fans.

The third tune, "So Good," is very retro with sassy horns and a frenetic piano. It's seriously upbeat and frenzied, and for some reason it doesn't grab me as a tune. Maybe it's the timing that bugs me... I can't put my finger on it.

Moving on, "Melancholy (24/7)" is a track that is anything but. �It's playful and peppy with the characteristic backing horns prevalent in so many KARA songs. It had me dancing at my desk when I heard it. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it sounds like a SISTAR tune. And that's not a bad thing at all.

"Red Light" is a smooth song with silky harmonies, more downtempo than what we've heard so far on this EP. It's a solid R&B tune that lacks the horns in the other tunes and relies on the girls' vocal skills to guide the song, and it works. They are telling their man to stop hurting them, using a stoplight as a framing device.

The last track, "Story," is a pretty ballad with lyrics penned by Gyuri, Hara and Seungyeon.� The soft vocals are backed by an acoustic guitar and understated drums with more instrumentation added during the chorus. Gyuri and Seungyeon do a particularly amazing, sincere job on the vocal duties, and the song even features a pleasant rap by Hara and Youngji. Lyrics like "My heart is always a lone island / Disappearing like the scent on my fingertips" portrays longing nicely.

This is a solid EP. There's no filler, no instrumentals, and even the placement of tracks is well done. As you go through the album, "Red Light" slows it down some, which sets you up neatly for "Story." No jarring transitions there. Many of the tunes are catchy. Warning: this album definitely contains earworms. KARA is back, and IMHO as good as they ever were.

Recommended tracks: "Melancholy," "Live," "Story"

MV REVIEW - "Mamma Mia"

This has to be one of the more refreshing MVs I've seen in awhile. It seems to be almost a given now in that in 2014, the sexy concept is here to stay. However, some do it better than others.

KARA has added a touch of class to their sex appeal. In the beginning, the sexy outfits are there, showing plenty of skin, but there's an overall elegance and refinement there that other MVs seem to lack, at least this year. �

It appears easy to do a sexy concept. Put them in barely-there outfits, make the lighting soft, do some slo-mo effects, and emphasize the posterior. Thankfully, KARA eschewed most of this and set some naturally sexy scenes.

The entire MV was filmed in soft lighting, the girls in various outfits ranging from miniskirts and shorts to lacy delicates. The girls are variously reading, posing with a flower, standing by the window, and giving us over-the-shoulder sexy, inviting glances. There's an overall warmth to the colors; even the room during the dance scenes lacks a roof with sort of an sunset cast to the sky. There's some serious finesse given to the scenes. Nothing looks awkward or forced, and while there's no plot, there's no shortage of eye candy. Watching this is four minutes well spent.