01. Mystery
02. Mystery (Inst.)



It's about time! Hyoyeon of Girls' Generation fame has dropped her new single, her first since her debut in 2007. Why it took so long is a definitely a "Mystery." SM has released it as part of digital music project SM STATION, their 42nd single to date.


The first thing that you notice is the tune. It's different, yet familiar. It's got kind of a Latin/Indian fusion to it, the melody undulating like a flute-charmed cobra. I love things like this because nowadays we're deluged by tons of low-key dance tracks, a boatload of R&B, and a few artists trying their hand at trap. Here they've crafted a tune that's different enough to make you take notice, yet somehow recognizable. I have to give kudos to the arrangers and composers.



When she sings, she sings with guts. That's another thing that drew me to this one. Her voice is distinctive and she definitely punches this tune up with it. I also like the different ranges she slips into. There's even a tiny rap part where she injects even more huskiness into her voice.

The pronunciation is almost an English fail -- but not quite. It borders on awkward. While she accents the wrong part of the word (making it sound weird: "miss-TEHR-ree"), she plays with the word as well, chopping it up into different chunks. I'm sure it would drive grammar purists mad, but I rather enjoyed that part of it. It's the hook, the chorus, and everything riding on it. She does this confidently, and that is definitely hot.



The skirling horns and the seductive beat are definitely winners, and Hyoyeon projects a certain fierceness here that's quiet, assured, and never over the top. I like this, but now I want to hear more. Why do I like this? It's no mystery.  

MV REVIEW

Hyoyeon dances her way through this video, but that's not all of it. What they decided to do were include some interesting shots that weren't entirely her. There's some fine artistry that went into this, and the wardrobe is definitely sexy. There were some changes that were just absolutely respectful, highlighting her beauty but revealing little. I thought that was a nice change from what we traditionally see an MV -- one sexy outfit after another. She rocked these styles as well as any idol.   



Hyoyeon is one of the top dancers in the biz, and it shows here. That's another thing I loved about this MV, is that they actually let her dance. Too often they decide to trend toward the sexy (especially in solo releases) for girls, while the guys get to dance, show off their acting chops, etc. The choreo is awesome, and moves look like they could be challenging. There are some subtle movements that in less skilled hands would have looked awkward -- here, she's graceful.

A hot girl dancing. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. But there are some nice touches here that make it more than just that. Artistic shots, outfit changes, camera angles, interesting effects (like a girl falling upright instead of down), not to mention transitions from black and white to color and back again give this MV more than enough eye candy for me. The only thing I could ask for is that they linger longer. A lot of the shots last just a second or two and then flash to another scene. Still, this comes highly recommended.

Score

MV Relevance.......7
MV Production......8
MV Concept..........7
Songwriting..........8
Composition.........9
Impression............8