BAEKHYUN – 'DELIGHT'

Track List:

1. Candy *Title*

2. R U Ridin’?

3. Bungee

4. Underwater

5. Poppin’

6. Ghost

7. Love Again

Baekhyun has just dropped his newest mini-album 'Delight.' It has 7 tracks overall, including the title track "Candy" and it's the EXO member's second EP.

"Candy" is the title track. If you're familiar with the guy's work at all, you know how this is going to sound. It's got the basic structure of most pop tunes. It's interesting how his vocals are kind of whispery and seductive during the main verses, and more full-bodied when he hits the chorus. "R U Ridin’?'' is a little softer and smoother than the first track, despite the fact that there is more percussion. Like the first one, it's a low-key dance track. It has a kind of steel drum sound to it that I dig. Nice job using different sounds for the songs. Sporting tons of falsetto, the next song is "Bungee." It's got some soft R&B vibes here. I wasn't super impressed, but then I'm not a fan of falsetto. It's okay for what it is, but it's not my scene.

"Underwater" is your obligatory ballad. I like this because the instrumentation is stripped back. At least in the beginning. It gets more interesting sounds as the song progresses. I like how emotional he is here. While there is some falsetto, it doesn't dominate the song. He gets a little more energetic on "Poppin’." I was kind of hoping for that because we've got a lot of slower songs. I think this song was intended as a club banger. It's not bad, it's catchy and danceable. There's a particular sequence that makes me think of Crowded House's hit "Don't Dream It's Over."

On "Ghost," we go back to quiet R&B. That's not a bad thing though, especially this time. He manages to cram a few extra syllables into a line, and it's a little livelier than some of the other tracks on here. I like how the suspense builds here. And we are rewarded with a fairly strong chorus. They end with a soft pop tune on "Love Again." There are no surprises where this one goes. It has the acoustic guitar, in the beginning, the soft passionate vocals, and it ends the same way as it began.

Like his band EXO, Baekhyun puts together some nicely packaged pop as a solo artist. He seems to favor slower songs, almost as if he wants to be less flashy. Which is sometimes understandable if you need moments of quiet reflection. One of the things that I enjoy about this particular release is the songs don't sound the same. And there are different vibes you get from each song. While he defaults to R&B, "R U Ridin’?'' and "Poppin’" are standout tracks. Nice job.

MV REVIEW

Baekhyun offers up some sweet moves in his video for "Candy."

One of the things you notice about this MV is that it is quite colorful. They appeared to spare no expense when it came to color for clothing and multi-hued backgrounds. Although one of the things I can say in its favor is the backgrounds are quite convincing. And the clothing is standard street clothes.

As he trips from place to place, you'll see graffiti. In some cases, it's practically the star of the video, and it seems to be everywhere. I'm not sure if this is someplace they found, or if they dressed up the set like that. It adds kind of a down-to-earth element to this video.

And the video itself is largely plotless. It's also rather unpretentious. All it has to offer is Baekhyun and his background dancers. But that's enough. Because the tune and the dancing are infectious. It makes you want to groove right along.

And the dancing itself is quite good. While nothing spectacular, it looks like good fun.

And really that's what could be said about the whole video. It doesn't leave you bored. Plus, it's happy and upbeat. There are certain sequences that leave you smiling. And that's not a bad thing at all.

Score

MV Relevance............9

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

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

MV SCORE: 8.7

Album Production.....9

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

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

ALBUM SCORE: 8.7

OVERALL.................8.7