KYUHYUN -- WAITING, STILL
Track List:
1. Blah Blah
2. Last Good-bye
3. Still
4. Fall in You
5. Love in Time
6. When with Me
7. And We
Kyuhyun's follow-up to last year's smash hit 'Fall Once Again' sees the Super Junior singer 'Waiting, Still.' His third mini-album, timed appropriately for autumn, boasts seven new songs, including twin title tracks -- the first by Yoon Jong Shin and the other by ballad prince Sung Si Kyung.
"Blah Blah" starts the EP off. The music rises, and Kyuhyun takes you on a journey down memory lane, recounting how he was nervous the first time he talked to her. The vocals here are top-notch if lacking vibrato. He has this wonderful way of belting the chorus and then bringing his voice quietly and softly back to earth, acquiring that breathy quality that endears him to his fans. This song is no exception.
Kyuhyun gets cozy in "Still." The vocals are even more pensive than "Blah Blah," as he remembers the good times he had with the girl and wraps himself in these memories. He gives you the chills earlier in this one and hits those power notes like he was born to do. This is the kind of song he's well suited for, and he wrings every bit of pain out of his voice for it. He transitions the high notes to falsetto well on this tune. His voice is under masterful control here, and it's mixed well enough where his vocals aren't drowned out at the end.
"Fall In You" is the sole mid-tempo offering, giving us a glimpse of what Kyuhyun can do at a faster pace. His voice bounces along with the tune, and you can almost hear him smiling as he's doing this. It's definitely an upbeat, happier song, and it's nice to him singing about joyful times rather than access memories of pain. He trots out the falsetto again as well, giving us some emotional depth rather than simple happiness. These are the vocals of a man in love.
You can't even tell Kyuhyun's had vocal work done. While he does shake up things by slightly altering the timber of his voice on a couple numbers, he still gives you the same feels, the same ups and downs he delivered before. His vocals rise nicely to meet the classy production on "Blah Blah," and it sounds as beautiful as ever, with the slightly nasal quality that separates him from other ballad singers. Personally, this is an immaculate collection of songs -- but Kyuhyun's been doing this for a while and has the ballad format nailed. 'Waiting, Still' deserves all the love it will get from his fans.
Kyuhyun attempts to wring tears from us again, just like in 2015's "A Million Pieces."
Here, Kyuhyun's getting his hair cut, presumably on his way to date this fantastically beautiful woman. He imagines her as the barber strips away his hair and shaves him. She's apparently part of an orchestra if his visions are any indication. He goes to a haberdashery and dresses to kill. And then, tragically, dies in a car crash on the way.
There are some stylistic flourishes here that help this out a lot, like the dreamlike soft light filters when Kyuhyun thinks of her and the symbolic touches like the drip of the shower. Is it as heartbreaking as "Million Pieces?" Nope. I think the problem is that we don't get to know him as well. Yeah, you may have followed him in Super Junior and know everything about him from his blood type to his shoe size, but for me there was some distance to it, like someone who had died years ago and you're just reading about it now.
That doesn't make it bad by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually fairly well packaged, and I'm not sure it was meant to evoke the same feels. It's still a highly enjoyable little mini-melodrama. Judging by the last MVs I've seen, he excels at this.
Note: Kyuhyun's MVs appear to be linked. I'm listing them in order here, as I'm not sure, but it's possible "Still" is supposed to be the 2nd part.
''
In "Still," the SuJu singer is in a cafe, as we are shown memories bit by bit, memories that align well with the events "Blah Blah" -- same clothes, same campfire, a few additional scenes. It's not entirely clear if some of these belong to his companion or him, as her eyes reflect pain, too. Poignantly, most of the present day scenes are him sitting alone at a cafe table while she's on a date the next table over.
I think some of the cute moments are the most enjoyable parts of the MV, where they're in front of the fire, drinking and he burns his lips, and the snow starts coming down, flakes glowing in the firelight. It's a beautiful, idyllic scene, and the colors really jump out at you. While the cafe scenes are alright, the memories are where this MV shines.
It's a nice continuation of what happens after the events of "Blah Blah," where the girl is trying to move on with her life, and both of them are having difficulty moving on. I think I would too if the ghost of my dead lover were back to back with me in the same cafe! -- but I digress. I still love the way the scenes were cut, although the end is a little sad, at least we do get a resolution.
If you're wondering, yes, a definite thumbs up.
Scores for both MVs are averaged.
MV Relevance..........7
MV Production.........8
MV Concept.............7
Album Production...7
Album Concept........6
Tracklisting..............6
"Fall In You" is the sole mid-tempo offering, giving us a glimpse of what Kyuhyun can do at a faster pace. His voice bounces along with the tune, and you can almost hear him smiling as he's doing this. It's definitely an upbeat, happier song, and it's nice to him singing about joyful times rather than access memories of pain. He trots out the falsetto again as well, giving us some emotional depth rather than simple happiness. These are the vocals of a man in love.
You can't even tell Kyuhyun's had vocal work done. While he does shake up things by slightly altering the timber of his voice on a couple numbers, he still gives you the same feels, the same ups and downs he delivered before. His vocals rise nicely to meet the classy production on "Blah Blah," and it sounds as beautiful as ever, with the slightly nasal quality that separates him from other ballad singers. Personally, this is an immaculate collection of songs -- but Kyuhyun's been doing this for a while and has the ballad format nailed. 'Waiting, Still' deserves all the love it will get from his fans.
MV REVIEW - "BLAH BLAH"
Kyuhyun attempts to wring tears from us again, just like in 2015's "A Million Pieces."
Here, Kyuhyun's getting his hair cut, presumably on his way to date this fantastically beautiful woman. He imagines her as the barber strips away his hair and shaves him. She's apparently part of an orchestra if his visions are any indication. He goes to a haberdashery and dresses to kill. And then, tragically, dies in a car crash on the way.
There are some stylistic flourishes here that help this out a lot, like the dreamlike soft light filters when Kyuhyun thinks of her and the symbolic touches like the drip of the shower. Is it as heartbreaking as "Million Pieces?" Nope. I think the problem is that we don't get to know him as well. Yeah, you may have followed him in Super Junior and know everything about him from his blood type to his shoe size, but for me there was some distance to it, like someone who had died years ago and you're just reading about it now.
That doesn't make it bad by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually fairly well packaged, and I'm not sure it was meant to evoke the same feels. It's still a highly enjoyable little mini-melodrama. Judging by the last MVs I've seen, he excels at this.
Note: Kyuhyun's MVs appear to be linked. I'm listing them in order here, as I'm not sure, but it's possible "Still" is supposed to be the 2nd part.
MV REVIEW - "STILL"
''
In "Still," the SuJu singer is in a cafe, as we are shown memories bit by bit, memories that align well with the events "Blah Blah" -- same clothes, same campfire, a few additional scenes. It's not entirely clear if some of these belong to his companion or him, as her eyes reflect pain, too. Poignantly, most of the present day scenes are him sitting alone at a cafe table while she's on a date the next table over.
I think some of the cute moments are the most enjoyable parts of the MV, where they're in front of the fire, drinking and he burns his lips, and the snow starts coming down, flakes glowing in the firelight. It's a beautiful, idyllic scene, and the colors really jump out at you. While the cafe scenes are alright, the memories are where this MV shines.
It's a nice continuation of what happens after the events of "Blah Blah," where the girl is trying to move on with her life, and both of them are having difficulty moving on. I think I would too if the ghost of my dead lover were back to back with me in the same cafe! -- but I digress. I still love the way the scenes were cut, although the end is a little sad, at least we do get a resolution.
If you're wondering, yes, a definite thumbs up.
Score
MV Relevance..........7
MV Production.........8
MV Concept.............7
Album Production...7
Album Concept........6
Tracklisting..............6
OVERALL..............6.8
SEE ALSO: Kyuhyun sings softly to an empty crowd in 'Nights Without You' track video
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