ZELO – 'DISTANCE'

Track List:

1. Celebrity

2. Questions

3. IDC

4. Flash, Party!

5. Distance

6. Be Better

Former B.A.P member Zelo has just dropped his solo release. 'Distance' has six songs, including the title track. This is his very first mini-album ever, so fans should be excited.

Zelo's raw voice provides the emotional punch on "Celebrity." It's a soft song, and I like how he dials it back sometimes to show off his range. He has a somewhat deeper voice, but not as deep as Bang Yong Guk. The net effect is a refreshing and pleasant tune. Despite the title, Zelo doesn't ask many "Questions" of the girl that he's with. Pretty basic queries like "do you want me?" and "how do you make me feel like this?" round out the tune. It's okay but very by-the-numbers and far from my favorite song on this EP. Next up is "IDC," short for "I Don't Care," a fact which will be made immediately obvious to you at the beginning of the song. And whether you like it or not, he doesn't care what you think about him. It's a clear message to the haters, and a message every bit as valid as "Shake It Off." It's a pretty standard pop tune overall and not a bad one at that.

"Flash, Party!" doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is. It's a party rock tune, big, loud, and dumb. It's also just my speed with repetitive lyrics, big beats, and a devil-may-care attitude. You probably guessed it by now but this is my favorite track on the album. He gets more reflective on the soft tune. And Zelo goes the "Distance" on this awesome new track. Alongside both echo and techno effects, he puts his tenor to work, both singing and rapping on this track. I love how this tune sounds, like he put a lot of energy into it, just so you could hear this song. He's got a smooth voice on "Be Better" and it works quite well. The message of the song is pretty simple though: He could be better with her. While the chorus is repetitive, the tune is laid back, and easy on the ears.

I was hoping for more rapping. That was what he did with B.A.P, so I guess that is what I was looking for here. However, it was more straight-ahead pop than anything else. That's not a bad thing, as much of it was quite listenable. His vocals straddle the line between rough and smooth, and with both of them on the same track that makes it even better. Looking forward to more solo efforts from this guy.

MV REVIEW

Zelo dances his way through the new video for "Questions."

And that's largely what happens. There are a few more things that happen, like the one on one with a girl, which is what the song is about in the first place. And some strange scenes where things are traveling upwards. Not to mention the dancing around with guys which seems like a party. I also like the brief scene where he's floating in space. But it's mostly dancing, and we see a lot of it.

And as I said, it seems like he's at a party. At first, he's sitting down, then he stands up and mingles, and pretty soon he's dancing. I have to say I like his moves though, and there are a few different sections where the choreo changes. That's pretty fun, and I like to watch dancing that's more involved.

It's not that he's a bad dancer, far from it. It's just that I've seen so much better videos that this one pales in comparison. There was very little to it and the backgrounds looked cheap. The bar has been raised, and this one didn't quite meet it. It's fun to watch, I suppose, particularly if he is your bias. But he's not mine, so didn't even have that going for it IMHO. YMMV.

Score

MV Relevance...........7

MV Production..........7

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

MV SCORE: 7.6

Album Production.....8

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

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

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................7.6