Dal Shabet - 'Naturalness'

After releasing their full album 'Joker is Alive' 8 months ago, Dal Shabet is back stronger than ever with their mini album 'Naturalness.' After announcing the departure of members Gaeun and Ji Yul, Dal shabet definitely started the new year differently as a 4 member group. However, I appreciate when a group is able to still function despite the loss of members and form a unity as if they are still whole. If someone was new to Dal Shabet they wouldn't even notice they had more numbers in the past since they had a flawless transition into a 4-member group. 

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The song is finally steering Dal Shabet down the right path that they seemed to sway away from after "B.B.B." The song "Joker" was a joke (pun intended). #ShotsFired "Joker" was the kind of song you'd expect a rookie group to come back or even debut with, not start off their 4th year in the K-Pop industry. Either way, they got with the program and left that foolish style behind and paired with Brave Brothers for the creation of "Someone Like U"! Together they dropped a promotional track that has another chance at scoring the ladies high on the charts. 1st place? Maybe if there are no other veteran groups performing, I can see it.

"Someone Like U" builds up with a low beat similar to SHINee's "Married To The Music" then drops a bomb of funky beats to bring in the hook, which is a clever way to get people addicted to a chorus quickly! The song is easy to like as it has the elements many trending songs have nowadays. A nice blend of synthesizing sounds, a bold drum beat (think Wonder Girl's "I Feel You"), and lots of subtle guitar riffs in the instrumental. 

When it comes to vocals, Dal Shabet  are still singing in a fragile way as they often do, but it seems like a song that can be sung happily and well on stage. Serri is also given the duty of rapping this time, which is new to see. Her voice fits it well but we will see how well she masters it in future performances. The blends of member Subin and Woohee's voices during the chorus make it fun to hear! I like the switch between English and Korean for the chorus as well because it makes it easy for many fans to sing along to. Alongside the lyrics, "Someone Like U" has a great message of telling a bad guy to meet someone just as bad as him so he gets a taste of his own medicine. What I appreciate most is that the overall theme isn't vengeful but playful! I like telling someone off in a fun way! That 80's sound is something dabbled with here and there by groups lately, but I feel it is something to be explored even more and Dal Shabet are digging into the gold mine!

MV Review

The MV is another likable aspect. Although plain in some respects, the MV revolves around the members each realizing she fell hard for the same playboy. They come up with a plan to gun him down...with confetti guns of course! I like how MVs in which Dal Shabet utilized guns. Such as in "Hit U," tame the violence in feminine ways with pink blood and confetti in this case. It really signifies how when you get caught, everything seems to just blow up in your face. 

The MV boasts those favorable pastel colors and the ladies also bring back their model like figures with outfits similar to their "B.B.B" promotions. I like the dancing, mainly the shimmies, but I feel they could've done something to make their concept's genre stand out more through dancing. It is aesthetically pleasing with the tasteful way of highlighting each individual member's look for this concept. Those green contact lenses were so well done, it almost looked natural on them! The added jackets embellish that 80's flair and I dig the whole floating box scenes, too. Everytime I see MVs like these I can't help but think they just need to be on more makeup and beauty magazine covers! Although it may seem like they pulled an EXID by doing somewhat of a remake of "B.B.B," it works well for them!

Back to the album, the opening track for the album "Gently" lives up to its name as it is a gentle track. I enjoy the pianos warm opening with a bit of added hustle! The song builds up an expectation of a more different sound but it meets the standards of any other light hearted ballad. It is not to say it isn't good, but I feel it might be missing one small element to make it spark. The finish is really touching with the vocal mash up backed by instrumental fusions of electric guitars, drums, and pianos, which lead into "Someone Like U."

I loved that the album had the concept of giving each member a solo track! It sparks interest and is a great way to know each artist's personal style. Subin's "From Head To Toe" is quite the ear candy. I love her delicate ab-libs in between the pre-chorus! The beat is strong as it also clings to synth sounds and a nice clap session. It has a lot of sounds you can move your body to and her bits of English thrown into the song aren't cringe worthy, thank goodness.

Serri's "Nice Guy" ft. Sims is cool, but nothing to go crazy for. I like that she added a rapper to her song since she is someone with good vocals. However, her song was underwhelming. The sweet lyrics are nice to embrace as she mentions her beautiful lover as a feeling to last forever but overall it wasn't anything I'd add to my playlist.

Ahyoung's song is a simple ballad, but not one to be easily dismissed. Even though she isn't strongly suited for a solo, "Dreams Come True" is something you can hear when watching a K-Drama couple slow dance during their anticipated kissing scene. I'd pick this song over Serri's in a heartbeat.  It has a lot of English in it that makes it easy for fans to understand her message as well.

Woohee is the next member to, of course, write a ballad. I was craving another fun, uplifting song but I guess Subin was the only one trying to deliver that feeling, but vaguely. Woohee has proven her vocal skills on variety shows such as 'Perfect Singer' and appears to like songs from the past that have a more comfort sound rather than being catchy. If this song had an MV it would be her strolling through the countryside and untouched villages because this song has a rooted, natural sound.

With that statement in mind, it makes listeners realize the songs fulfill the title of the album 'Naturalness.' The album depicts each singer's raw style and established  a down to earth sound. They were smart to comeback with something as catchy as "Someone Like U" but the real beauty is in each of the ballads for this album! Take a listen to the full album and decide for yourself if these songs are taking our four ladies to newer heights in 2016!