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Ryeowook “The Little Prince” (KT Music) |
Vocalist Ryeowook is the latest boy band Super Junior member to release a solo album, and his years of training and performing onstage shine through on his solo debut EP “The Little Prince.”
Ryeowook has already showcased his pure, sweet style of singing through Super Junior, the vocal unit group Super Junior-K.R.Y, drama soundtracks, and musicals, and the six tracks on “The Little Prince” are custom-made for his voice.
The record kicks off with “Like a Star,” a quiet and romantic song accompanied by strings and piano that is dedicated to Ryeowook’s fans all over the world. The sweet, but largely uneventful song leads to “Like a Prince,” a track with much more impact which has a beautiful arrangement that gradually builds up with strings as the song progresses. Not too quiet or slow, “The Little Prince” allows Ryeowook to maximize his appeal as a ballad singer with a touch of drama and interesting lyrics that take their motif from Saint-Exupery’s classic story.
The next track “Hello” is also excellently arranged, blending brass sounds to create a slightly more up-tempo ballad, and the beat reaches its highest speed in the record with “Foxy Girl,” a trendy urban R&B song featuring rapper DinDin. The album wraps up with the pop ballad “Poom,” which has lyrics written by Ryeowook about his warm and tender feelings toward his mother.
There isn’t anything surprising about “The Little Prince,” but it is a solid album combining trendiness and musicality -- to be expected of a singer who has been in the global spotlight for over a decade.
By Won Ho-jung(
hjwon@heraldcorp.com)
