YOONA – 'A WALK TO REMEMBER'

Track List:

1. Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway) (Feat. 10cm)

2. Summer Night (Feat. 20 Years of Age)

3. When The Wind Blows

4. To You

5. Promise

Concurrent with her birthday, Girls' Generation alum YoonA has released a special album 'A Walk to Remember.' This EP features 5 tracks and has a couple of guest artists including singer-songwriters 10cm and 20 Years of Age. Not only does the album have previously-released tracks "Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway," "When the Wind Blows," and "To You," it sports brand new ones as well, namely "Promise" and "Summer Night." A day after release, 'A Walk to Remember' topped iTunes album charts in over 10 countries. The album has also dominated domestic physical album charts and ranked No. 1 on QQ Music, China’s largest music streaming site.

You already know how the other ones sound, so we'll dive into the new tracks.

"Summer Night" is the title track. It's kind of a folk track, with keyboards a backing guitar and a soothing groove. The vibe is overall relaxing, and they do a good job of that on this one. With lyrics that speak of a dream-like feeling, high on the comfort of a cool breeze, and tons of references to the sun, yeah, they definitely have this track nailed. It's a love song, too, where each of them sing of being cold until they've found each other. I like this one, it's the kind of thing to crank up on a hot summer day, and settle down with a tall cool glass of iced tea.

"Promise" is the B side. How does it sound? Well, a lot like all the other acoustic songs on this very folk-influenced EP. Her voice goes higher on this track than on "Summer Night," and it's an interesting effect. It makes you think of innocence and sweetness -- at least, that's what it does for me. The song itself is about a promise made between two lovers.

Generally, all the tracks mesh together well. Despite being released separately, all of them belong on this album. But for the melodies, you wouldn't know that they hadn't been crafted specifically for this release. And the two that were are relaxing and refreshing. YoonA gave us something special for her birthday, and it's as nice a present as I can think of. Happy 29th, YoonA!

MV REVIEW

YoonA is relaxing in the sun in her new MV "Summer Night."

She wants to show you what she does during a summer night by... showing you what she does during the daytime. If that's as amusing to you as it is to me, dear reader, then read on. I'll show you what I mean.

It starts with her waking up and removing her sleep mask. Not long after, an unknown person with gloved hands offers her a glass of orange juice, which she gratefully accepts. It could be a mimosa, but who knows? I wasn't there. She tries on outfits, and again a mysterious other snaps a pic of her. She's finally ready to start her day.

She meditates, listens to music, reads, and eats. In short, nothing that most people don't do normally. However, sometimes the music is in her headphones, and other times it's a live band. Sometimes she's down at the docks, enjoying the seaside. Eventually, at the end of the day, she pulls her laptop into her lap and laughs, lighting incense too. Very little of this takes place at night. Sometimes, it's the simple things in life that are best.

I do have to say, though, despite that little quibble, it was a fun MV. While she doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, at least it's well shot. And they did get some beautiful shots of the beach at sunset, and just the area in general. Did I enjoy watching it? You bet.

Score

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

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

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

MV SCORE: 8.0

Album Production.....8

Album Concept.........8

Tracklisting...............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................8.0