RED VELVET – 'THE REVE FESTIVAL DAY 2'

Track List:

1. Umpah Umpah

2. Carpool

3. Love Is The Way

4. Jumpin’

5. Ladies Night

6. Eyes Locked, Hands Locked

Red Velvet has just released Day 2 of their 'The ReVe Festival' series. And they made a splash with this comeback. This is what worldwide domination looks like, folks – No. 1 on iTunes album charts in 36 different countries, not to mention topping physical sales in Synnara Record, Kyobo Bookstore, and Aladin stores as well. "Umpah Umpah" is crushing it on major realtime charts, too.

So now that you know that the fans like it, what does it sound like?

The title track is "Umpah Umpah", and I think this has to be the best title track I've heard from Red Velvet in awhile. They have some real talent in this band and I find it sad when it's wasted on a less than stellar song. This is not one of those songs. It's frankly awesome, having a filled out pre-chorus as well as some awesome main verses. These girls, when they deliver, they really bring it. "Carpool" is very 1980s and has that perfect pop sensibility that I look for in a tune. Anthemic, poppy, and light, this is a fun dance tune. The electronica effects in here are pretty nifty, like some buried backing track magic. Of course, it's the vocals that make all the difference, and they go from bold to soft at the drop of a hat.

"Love Is The Way" is the retro throwback song. This has a lot in common with those doo-wop anthems straight out of the Motown era. And the repetition with the "yeahs" and "nos", the male backup singers, and the horns just reinforce that feeling. I like the dichotomy there, as well as everything else. "Jumpin’" has a little of that 60s feeling, the same as the previous track. However, this has more tilts toward modern pop than that one did. It's fun, stripped down, and the "nanananas" are pure gold. It maintains that tension throughout, and the chorus is very organic, sounding very much like part of the main verses.

I wasn't as much of a fan of "Ladies Night" as I could have been. It sounds very familiar like I've heard this before. And it wears thin about halfway through. It felt like a throwaway track like they tossed it in there to pad out the tracklist. "Eyes Locked, Hands Locked" is the final track, and very solidly R&B. Now, this is one area that Red Velvet truly excels in. Those songs are beautiful slow jams that showcase their range and make you feel warm as the song plays. There's not one thing wrong with this song.

So as a summer album, it's a bit more of a slow burn than other releases, but it's no less magical. With the last strains of the final track, you can feel a warm breeze during a summer night. And I think that's perfectly appropriate for the concept here. This was a wonderful listen, particularly the first three tracks, and well worth the price of admission.

MV REVIEW

In the MV for Red Velvet's "Umpah Umpah", the girls are getting ready for a vacation.

But things go awry when it looks like rain. Nothing ruins a day at the beach more than angry clouds and raindrops. Well, I know some people like that kind of thing, but not these girls. So they stay inside, watch TV, and play a rather interesting game of Monopoly, where some spots on the board include vacation scenes. And when the TV goes out, they play a game of Kai Bai Bo to figure out who goes up on the roof to fix it. And who loses? Watch the MV and find out.

In keeping with the light, fun tone of this MV, the dancing is light and fun. There's nothing too amazing, and there are some aegyo moves (but nothing to make you lose your lunch, IMHO). When they dance, they do so on a beach (or, at least, a sound-stage dressed up to look like a beach). The outfits are a bit conservative for beachwear, but the girls manage to rock them all the same.

Is the MV groundbreaking? Not really, but at least it had some funny scenes that had me chuckling. And it helps that the song is really high-energy and had my heart pumping and head nodding in time to the beat.

I thought this video was fun without relying on too many CGI effects, nor excessive fan service. Nice job.

Score

MV Relevance...........9
MV Production..........8
MV Concept..............9
MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....9
Album Concept.........9
Tracklisting................8
ALBUM SCORE: 8.6

OVERALL................8.6