[Album Review] 2PM - 'No. 5'

AKP STAFF

2PM - NO. 5

Track List:

1. My House
2. Nobody Else
3. Hallucination
4. Your Man
5. You're Hotter Than Summer
6. I'm Going Crazy
7. RED
8. Wanna Love You Again
9. Know Your Mind
10. Magic
11. Jump
12. Good Man

Joining the slew of summer releases, 2PM has dropped their new album, the prosaically-titled 'No.5.' I was waiting for this as MBLAQ and Big Bang have already rolled out their comebacks, and now it's 2PM's turn to dominate.

2PM rolls out the welcome mat on the title track "My House." Composed by Jun.K, the band assures the girl "it's alright, let's go to my house." I'll be honest, the song didn't really grab me until halfway through with the up-pitched vocal echoes and Taec's raps. I have a feeling they should have started the track this way.

"Nobody Else" starts out unobtrusively with up-pitched synth beeps that sound almost like vocals. Definitely smooth, but up-tempo enough to keep you moving; there's some interesting cinema references here from Cannes to the Oscars and "skin flicks." I'm still not sure what these have to do with wanting nobody else, but they help round out a sweet piece of funk.

Sounding very un-pyschedelic, the gem "Hallucination" just reminds me of a gentleman striding through a room in full tux. Don't ask me why, but it's just that kind of silky song, and it seems very polite until the chorus. Taecyeon enters with a noona-killer rap that is sick and enticing all at once.

The smooth, exuberant "Your Man" is a study in contrasts. It starts out with smooth synth gales, then it hits the commanding, direct chorus. Taec's raps help make the track an awesome jam. This is the song I would have led with.

"Hotter Than Summer" takes the smooth and turns it to 11.� Junho's tenor here soars all over the track and puts a glossy sheen over the whole thing. This is a fine piece of velvety funk. The lyrics are fairly tame despite the title, being pretty standard and not crossing any lines.

They not only take the advice of their last album ('Go Crazy!'), but take it a step further with "I'm Going Crazy." There's a rather insistent and chaotic synth riff here. With some of the lyrics provided by Taecyeon, we get a story here of a singer going nuts trying to forget his woman.

"RED" resembles a more traditional pop song at times, at other times it's very R&B-inspired. Reminds me of electro-funk, and there's a fusion of more pop offerings in the chorus. There are raps, too, polishing this pop-funk gem.

"Wanna Love You Again" is a lush ballad and it sounds more off-the-cuff than most other ballads I've heard thus far, completely different. While it's certainly heartfelt, and you have the buttery-smooth backing vocals, there are also vocals that nicely defy the metronome and give it a very soulful feel.

"Know Your Mind" is very pop-funk, with snaps and a soulful guitar. The unfortunate thing about this track is that it loses its way a bit, and degenerates into bland sameness until the end. It started out promising, but got monotonous quickly. �
The distinctively uptempo "Magic" starts with insistent horns and has an urgent tone to it. It never loses its body-moving groove throughout, and there's some hints of guitars in here as well. It's a powerful, catchy tune and is just what the doctor ordered to shake things up some.

"Jump" is 'No. 5's' club-banger, unapologetically laced with raps and a flurry of synth beats, as well as a belted chorus and repeated "jump jump jump's" and "dance dance dance's" that give the thing easy and earwormy hooks. I might suggest that they could have led with this one, but it would be misleading as it doesn't fit with the rest of the tracks. Not that it's a bad thing -- it's a natural evolution from "Magic."� �

If "Wanna Love You Again" is fulfilling, "Good Man" is less so. Almost belonging in the big band genre, it's got easy, torch-style vocals. I think the most distinctive part is the sax solo, which is there to give it some punch, but overall, this lackluster track fails to impress.�

This is a pretty slick assortment of funk, soul, and pop. Everything from bouncy and funky, playful to ultra tight. There are a couple duds, but they don't detract from the overall vibe. They're pretty rooted in the same genre here, except with "Jump," but if it's out of place, it doesn't feel like it. Dripping with R&B influences, 'No.5' should definitely make your summer sizzle. What time is it? It's 2PM!