NIEL (Teen Top) - 'ONIELY' MINI-ALBUM REVIEW

Tracklist:

Niel goes face-to-face with a "Lovekiller" on his new album, 'oNEILy.' The first Teen Top member to go solo, he's already appeared on several music shows to promote his debut. Three tracks are by producer Black Eyed Victory, who has worked with Teen Top in the past. "Affogato" is written and composed entirely by Niel. The crooner's time with the boy band has already won him many fans, and this is his first foray into the solo realm.

Lacking an intro song, the album launches into "Only You." The track opens quietly and meditatively; however, the lyrics are anything but. Like a modern-day Prince, he elaborates on a tryst with a prospective partner, alternately describing ("I feel the heat of your body") and entreating ("Just give yourself to me like that"). While it adds effects as it goes along, it doesn't really stray from the low-tempo R&B groove it starts with. What is noticeable is Niel's voice, which soars all over the tune and is given an epic feel with echo effects in the chorus.



On the awesomely named "Lovekiller," he sings along to a steady acoustic guitar riff. A minute and a half in, it deftly switches to full-on disco. The disco transition and faster beat could be awkward, but it keeps the same time throughout. "But why do I keep getting pulled to you?" Niel croons, lamenting this girl's hold over him and his own weakness. Dok2 has a super short part in here written by the rapper himself. The sad thing is, it's not needed. It doesn't feel tacked on or out of place, but it's just meh.  Thankfully, it's unobtrusive enough to not bother me. I like Dok2, but the song's good enough without him.

"Affogato" is a mid-tempo funk number that is as smooth as what it's named for -- ice cream with espresso topping. The title is only mentioned twice, once by him and the other in the emotional rap by C.A.P.  He emphasizes the bitterness of the breakup, equating it to the espresso topping of the traditional Italian dessert. Niel's vocals are interesting here. He strays into falsetto (which, admittedly, I'm not a fan of), but his voice is high enough, so it doesn't seem unusual and just adds to the already sweet funkiness of the piece. Nicely penned and performed. My only problem is the insistent "cafe" sounds like "coffee" and made me want some. :)



"Lady" is where things pick up. Throbbing bass, bleeping synths, galloping beat, a refreshing change from the slippers and bathrobe feel of the first handful of tracks. If there was a song on this disc that reminded me of Michael Jackson, "Lady" would be it. In fact, I couldn't escape it. His voice reaches the raw emotion found in certain tracks on "Thriller," the album that catapulted the late Oprah-dubbed "King of Pop" to superstardom. Niel's vocals hit the high parts and sound earnest, raw and full of pent-up emotion unleashed. It's alternately epic and distracting -- epic because the sound is good and the tune danceable, but distracting because it is almost a copy. I like the song enough to give it a pass as an homage and move on.   

Niel slows it down again for "Call Me," assuring the girl that if she picks up the phone and calls him, if her current boyfriend hurts her, he'll come running. At once sensual, slick, and airy, "Call Me" expertly dials up the warmth found on this album without missing a beat.



"Epilogue" straddles the midway point between ballad and mid-tempo. It continues the sound found on the rest of the EP and is about saying goodbye and ending a relationship. The title "Epilogue" is a misnomer as the term describes how things turn out. "And they lived happily ever after" is an epilogue. "Let's say goodbye now" is not. This has to be one of the more interesting English fails I've come across. It's passable as a song, but didn't make that much of an impression on me.

On the ballad "Song of an Angel," Niel likens himself to one of those divine beings: "I'll spread out my silver wings / To shade you from the bright moonlight." The tune is sung to piano, but the instrumentation is muffled, and the drums for the piece are more brushed than beaten. It's an interesting effect and lends the piece an almost music-box quality that is almost disturbing -- "almost" because it is still very soothing. It's a fitting end to the album.



This one of those mini-albums that doesn't really fit on a workout mix, unless you count "Lady." It's straight-ahead mid-tempo funk, and while it's not the first album that I've heard like this, it follows the formula without being slavish (okay...maybe "Lady" fits that label). But Niel slays in every single song. Not far into 2015 we're already hearing several albums outside of the K-Pop mold. I like it because it helps expand the label into more mature areas. I'm big on the idea that K-pop encompasses a number of different styles, and this is one more installment that proves it. 'oNIELy' is one of those pour-some-coffee-relax-in-a-chair albums and brings a needed bit of warmth to a rather cold winter (at least where I'm at).

Recommended Tracks: "Lady," "Affogato," "Lovekiller"

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