Super Junior - 'Mamacita'Two years after 'Sexy, Free & Single,' the super boy band Super Junior returns with their long-awaited seventh album, 'Mamacita.'
The album launches into the titular first track. The song starts with a distinctly old-time music intro which lasts about 10 seconds before hitting its stride with a more modern dance groove. I like it. Their voices are a little different from other boy bands, and I think this song really plays to the boys' strengths. The percussive "Yes!" in the bridge is a nice touch while the sibilant "S" in the word doubles as clashing cymbals and helps drive the song. One quibble I have is the English fail in the rap; when Shindong says, "Close your lips, shut your tongue," I nearly squirted coke out my nose.
We transition to "Midnight Blues," a very smooth, mid-tempo tune. A groovy bass, silky voices, and a chugging bridge ("shaking, dancing oh dancing") combine for an excellent song. The track is about trying to forget a lover and has a very midnight/nursing soju feel to it as the lyrics suggest.
If "Midnight Blues" was smooth, "Evanesce" is velvety--an easy-on-the-ears pop tune that has a bit of a techno hint to the main melody. The drums sound close to snaps,and each of the singers here showcase their pipes nicely with high notes and skillfully-executed sustains. The tune is about loss, and the pace and the vocals highlight this well.
The fourth track is "Raining Spell for Love," which is midway between ballad and mid-tempo. The boys sound very soulful in this track, and I like the rap section in the middle; just when you lapse into complacency, it hits you with fierce rapid-fire vocals. I like the beat that eventually turns to bombastic while still maintaining the original tempo, and the rapid raps give it more depth and complexity than the initial melody might hint. Everyone sounds like a small army singing the chorus, which is probably due to so many voices singing at once.
"Shirt" ratchets up the tempo with almost frenetic horns and a chorus to match. It almost has a caribbean/Latin feel to it. Donghae contributed to the lyrics, which are playful and humorous at times, talking about an encounter in a club. It's also undeniably catchy and had me singing, "(She likes my) Shirt Shirt Shirt Shirt."
Super Junior slows it down for "This is Love," in which they confess their feelings for a girl. It doesn't feel as frantic as "Shirt," but still gives a nice feeling when I listen to it. Mid-temp beats, guitar and piano backing, and sleek harmonies characterize the track.
"Let's Dance" has a very old-school R&B groove to it with an electric guitar keeping time and horns during the chorus. At times it sounds sassy and is definitely upbeat with the skilled vocal work we've come to expect from Super Junior. It makes you want to do what the title suggests.
Moving on, "Beautiful Girls" is a poppy track that reminds me a bit of One Direction's "Beautiful," for better or for worse. Not that this is a bad thing, necessarily, regardless of your feelings about the British band. It's catchy and starts out simple and near devoid of instrumentation. It has a light and fluffy, sunny day feel to it. While it's not particularly deep, it doesn't need to be if it's fun. It's got some humor to it as the chorus says, "too many beautiful girls."
"Mid-Season" is another poppy track. Definitely a soda-in-the-ice-chest-at-the-beach tune with a synth melody and lyrics that are a bit depressing, paradoxically. It's upbeat with quick raps and a pleasant melody, but lyrics like
"I'm sick after we broke up, with no strength
I'm laying down
My once warm heart has cooled down
My heart is coughing, pain is built up like old dust."
The final song on the album, "Islands," is a down-tempo, pensive ballad. Donghae penned some of the heartfelt lyrics about the group's loyalty and friendship. A nice closing track with some of the choral parts almost giving a movie-like feel to it.
This is a solid album. Standing defiant against the too-prevalent mini-album format, this album has neither filler nor instrumentals. Composers who have made a name for themselves in this industry like Don Spike, Teddy Riley, Team One Sound and Hitchhiker crafted a pretty masterful piece of work here. I think the vocal work is particularly glossy and adept and really helps make the album pop. Not sure about where the Wild West concept came from, but that's a minor beef (Get it? Cowboys? Beef? Tough crowd). Any E.L.F. should embrace this album and give it a lot of love.
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