Album Review: Kim Hyun Joong's New Mature Sound Proves It's All About The 'Timing' by Adrienne Stanley from Kpopstarz.com
Kim Hyun Joong is best known by Hallyu fans for his flower boy image, a concept which he has taken great pains to shed as he matures.
“TIMING” is a five track mini album which demonstrates his transition from Peter Pan-like boyhood into the image of a mature male artist. “TIMING” is the fourth mini album from Kim Hyun Joong.
“TIMING” opens with the infectious R&B track “HIS HABIT.” “HIS HABIT” was pre-released on July 3 and incorporates the best aspects of Korean pop music. It is a delightful song that highlights both the vocals of Kim Hyun Joong and Lim Kim.
Lim Kim of Togeworl often presents morose vocals, but she strays from this with a simple and fresh perspective on “HIS HABIT.” The perfection of the track is completed hip hop rhymes by TROY’s Kanto.
The next track on “TIMING” is “Beauty Beauty.” “Beauty Beauty” is a fancy free 1960s surf-rock track which evokes images of beach blanket bingo and the sandy shores of Haeundae. Kim Hyun Joong incorporates vocals which make this a very summery track.
While “HIS HABIT” highlights the overall musicality of the album, “What I Wanted to Say” provides the opportunity for Kim Hyun Joong to explore his full vocal range. “What I Wanted to Say” is a down tempo ballad that would be an excellent acoustic song.
“Nothing on You” is a prototypical boy band song. There is strength in the track, but it is “Nothing on You” continues in the vein of what is typically expected by K-Pop male vocalists.
This does not diminish the track, but the quality of the song is worth noting. The incorporation of hip hop rhymes by Hanhae of Phantom adds to the freshness of the song.
“TIMING” concludes with an instrumental track of “Beauty Beauty,” which will help to yield countless covers of the song.
Credit: Kpopstarz
Link: http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/99209/20140713/album-review-kim-hyun-joong-presents-a-more-mature-sound-with-timing-audio.htm
