MAMAMOO – 'WHITE WIND'

Track List:

1. Where R U

2. gogobebe *Title

3. Waggy

4. 25 (Whee In solo)

5. Bad bye

6. My star

7. 4season (Outro)

MAMAMOO has dropped the winter-themed EP 'White Wind.' The EP is the final part in their 'Four Seasons, Four Colors' tetralogy, a seasonal themed multi-EP project. With each new release, a different band member gets a chance to shine in a solo track. You can tell by the colors, though this time it's a process of elimination. The soloist is Whee In.

The first track "Where R U" has kind of a tropical house beat. But what it doesn't have in originality it makes up for in just a wonderful R&B tropical mashup. The girls' voices have always been the high point of anything they release, and this track is no exception. "gogobebe" is their title track. And what a title track! It ticks all my boxes for an awesome song. Powerful vocals, time changes, and an awesome beat. All of these plus some instruments you don't usually hear in a pop song. And the vocal fry, which seems almost thrown in there as an afterthought, just makes the tune more badass.

The playful "Waggy" sees them softening their normally sharp vocals and making them more feminine. It's a little strange, which some French tossed in there for good measure. I like the raps, though, and it skews this a little more towards the modern era. It's cute, and not to be taken too seriously. "25" is Whee In's turn on the vocals, and she does a great job here. Of course, her bona fides are well-known, and she always cranks out a quality performance. The instrumentation is interesting at first, having an almost ethereal quality. But about midway through we get a beat, and piano, and a more filled out tune. I like this. She has a fantastic voice for ballads, and more than delivers here.

They keep it mellow on "Bad bye." They unleash a kind of bluesy piano riff on this one, and their powerhouse vocals just cut right through the tune to float on top of it. These girls have incredibly soulful vocals, and here you can practically feel the amount of passion here. "My star" has got to be my favorite song on the album. It has that club-banger excitement and energy going for it -- more so than almost any other track on here, other than "gogobebe." I like the stomping beat and the vocals on here just can't be beaten. The very last song on here, "4season," is another bluesy R&B offering. It's what they're known for, and they seem to have found a way back to their roots, while still keeping relevant. This is a highly enjoyable tune, taking you an emotional ride along with them. Again, top-notch vocals keep your interest throughout.

And that's really it, in a nutshell. Are you looking for bold, powerful vocals? Check. A pretty authentic R&B experience? Check. Beautiful ladies singing their hearts out? Check, check, and check.

MV REVIEW

In this MV, the girls of MAMAMOO are invited to a house party.

Yes, that's it. Each of the members receive an invitation to the aforementioned party, no matter where they are. The bathroom, outside, in an office, doesn't matter. And sometimes those invitations are in the strangest places. I wouldn't be fishing one out of the toilet, as amusing as that was to see.

The entire first half is devoted to this. The second is showing the party actually happening. Now, brace yourselves, this is where it gets weird. The party is actually several different ones, taking place outside, in the office, and, yes, in the bathroom. Well, I guess the one in the bathroom was conveniently located, at any rate. ;)

Now you know the basic plot. But is it any good? Purely from a fun standpoint, yes. Yes, it is. The scenes are well shot, and I didn't quite expect the twists here. I figured they'd end up in the same house, at the same party. But no, they had to go and stomp all over my expectations. But frankly, I'm glad they did.

Score

MV Relevance............8

MV Production...........8

MV Concept...............8

MV SCORE: 8.0

Album Production.....9

Album Concept.........9

Tracklisting................9

ALBUM SCORE: 9.0

OVERALL................8.5