Lee celebrates past, tries anew with 12th album

One of singer Lee Seung-chul’s greatest strengths is his ability to amplify emotion without straining his voice, and make a melody dynamic without using conspicuous technique.

Those strengths are out in full force in his 12th album “Time Flies Like an Arrow,” timed to match the 30th anniversary of his debut.

The album opens with “Ordeal,” a song about overcoming the hardships of life and growing stronger. The melody has a contemporary Christian music-style majesty to it, with a swelling instrumental arrangement that supports Lee’s gentle voice.

“I changed the length of the song and the lyrics to fit my style,” Lee said at an album preview for press on May 21 at Design & Audio in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. “I thought that the track was perfect for me, at this is an important point in my life. I’ve gone through a lot in the past 30 years, but I’m using all of that to grow stronger.”

“Ordeal” serves as a way into the pre-released track “Mother,” another emotional song that depicts how Lee feels about not only his own mother, but all mothers and the sacrifices they made, with the lyrics sympathizing that mothers “forget that you were once a precious daughter, too.”

“What got to me most was, mothers lose their own names when they get married, and live under the name of ‘Mother,’” said Lee, who lost his own mother last year.

The third track is the title track, “Time Flies Like an Arrow,” appropriate for an album commemorating a landmark anniversary. Created together with hitmaker Shinsadong Tiger, the pop ballad is free of pretense as Lee sings about the quiet wonder of times gone by.

The rest of the album is a bit more lighthearted than the first three tracks, with notable attempts at new styles. Lee tries out a Cuban pop rhythm in “I Do Love You,” which also has an acoustic version on the album, gives fans a classic ballad in “Rainy Street,” and brings together classical and rock music in the theatrical “Goodbye Once More.” Lee’s voice is always easy on the ears, but his dynamic arrangements keep the songs edgy and stylish.

“I arranged all the songs on this album,” Lee explained. “When other people arrange songs for me, they might be looking for the style that will be most popular. I wanted my 30-year-anniversary album to have more character.”

Lee mentioned that fans could find his voice a bit different on this album.

“When I was recording, I had the guide track in my left ear, and listened to my own voice with my right,” he said. “The reason new composers don’t write songs for established singers is that the singers change the songs to their own style. It’s a bad thing.”

“For this album, I thought a lot about the vocal style and mood that the composer wanted by listening to the guide track, and tried to match it at 90 percent,” Lee went on. “I didn’t want it to sound completely like my past work. I wanted it to be fresh.”

Lee Seung-chul’s 12th album “Time Flies Like an Arrow” was released Tuesday. He will be giving a free live outdoor showcase performance at the Olympic Park Peace Square in Seoul on Tuesday night.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)