KANG DANIEL – 'CYAN'

Track List:

1. Adulthood

2. 2U *Title

3. Jealous

4. Interview

5. TOUCHIN’

Kang Daniel just dropped his newest EP 'CYAN.' it has five tracks, including the twin title tracks, "Touchin" and "2U." It's his second mini-album to date. Fans are eager to hear his music, as he's killing it on iTunes charts around the world.

"Adulthood" is a song that treads perilously close to the ubiquitous tropical house beat. It ends up being more of an island beat with some R&B thrown in, but that tropical house beat is always there in the background. I do like the breaks, where it's just his voice echoing. Flourishes like that are what make this song pop. A song that's more my speed is "2U." It's a little more laid back in some ways than "Adulthood." The whispery vocals and even tempo remind me of nothing so much as 1970s boat rock. It's relaxing and soothing. The persistent pulsing synth gives this song some oomph.

"Jealous" is a chimera. It changes form and tempo at various points in the song. At first, it's just Daniel, and then he gains some piano accompaniment, and then some staccato vocals, and finally nifty electronic effects in the chorus. I have to give it kudos for making my head spin a few times before the chorus. We come back to smooth R&B on "Interview." And smooth it is, taking advantage of Daniel's tenor. There are some jazzy piano flourishes here that I like a lot, not to mention the rapping. Nothing groundbreaking, but it is definitely a bop.

"TOUCHIN" is a seductive tune. And really, why would you expect any less from a tune titled that? I like the bell-like sounds of the cords combined with smooth whispery harmony that we've heard elsewhere on this album. I like how it transitions to disco about 2 minutes in.

The former Wanna One singer didn't write any of the songs, that doesn't mean he wasn't part of the process. Not content to just sit idle, he selected the tracks for the EP (including the title track), was active in the recording, arrangements and even mastering. It's an album he put his personal stamp on, even on an album that crosses genres as effortlessly as this one. Just cue it up, sit back, and let the man's vocals take you away.

MV REVIEW

Kang Daniel and his entourage sneak into a movie theater in "2U."

And that is literally what happens. They sneak past the not-so-observant night watchman, evading the beams from his flashlight. The MV flips between scenes of them trying to avoid detection, and scenes of them dancing.

And the dancing is quite good. Daniel knows how to move, and his backup dancers do too. And some of it looks choreographed, while other parts look like they're just having fun. I'm sure it's all choreographed, but the fact that it looks natural is awesome.

And the MV is mostly played for laughs. And they provide a chuckle here and there. It's fun to see them dodging the night watchman. Just wait and see what happens in the end.

They could have flubbed this. But they didn't. It looks fairly convincing throughout, and the visuals are top-notch. It's difficult to tell who the real star was -- Daniel or the theater. Regardless, it's a fun watch.

Score

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

MV Production..........9

MV Concept..............9

MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....8

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

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

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................8.3