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| #1 Obsession |
The other day I was randomly searching through the Viki app looking at some of the television shows they are offering. I stumbled upon one called Live Session, which is very similar to the old MTV Unplugged series. Korean musicians are invited to come to a small stage and perform with a band. Unlike Unplugged, though, there is no audience and the musician does some Q&A between songs.
I skimmed through a few episodes until I came across the one with Jung Yup. He's well known for being a member of the R&B band Brown Eyed Soul and does a lot of composing on the side for other artists & dramas. If you seen 49 Days, you have heard some of his work.
So, I'm watching this episode and the man obviously has talent. His voice conveys so much emotion and his vocal range is tremendous. Instead of skimming, I watched the full performance. Then, he does this AMAZING cover of Lionel Richie's "Hello." Hello?! He had me at, "I've been alone with you inside my mind...."
It took a bit of research and some internet searches for variations on the spelling of his name but eventually I found one of his albums (Think'in back on me) on iTunes (search: jungyup). I don't know how to speak more than a few words of Korean but the songs are still great and there are a few tracks entirely in English. My favorites are "You are My Lady" and "To Shy to Say." More please!
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| #2 Obsession |
Courtesy
of Infinity Challenge, I was introduced to this band. They caught my
attention when they sat down and had an impromptu jam session with one
of the show’s hosts. It was a really phenomenal display of their
talent from the musicianship to the vocals. Consequently, I sought out their album on iTunes and I am really enjoying
every track. The band is labeled as both pop and folk, which isn’t
surprising as they are largely made up of acoustic guitars and drums. If you
want a taste, check out the tracks “I Like You” , "Bonsugi", and “If You
Spend Too Long Time Single” (not sure on this last title but that is how it is written on the track list). Rose Motel is still pretty new to the spotlight but I expect we'll be seeing more of them in the near future.
Just to be clear, this isn't your typical k-pop boy group. These guys look more like a garage band made up of your brother's best friends. What they may lack in appearance, they make up for with talent, creativity, and originality. If I ever found myself in South Korea, these are guys I'd want to hang with.
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| #3 Obsession |
Brown Eyed Soul
Last, but not least, Brown Eyed Soul is my #3 obsession. After I exhausted my listening options for Jeong Yeop’s solo work (iTunes has a very limited selection and Amazon has none), I decided to check out the band. I wasn’t disappointed at all. The best way to describe this band is chameleon like. They are officially dubbed an R&B group but their sound is eclectic. One track, they are crooning out an 80s styled ballad and the next one is a very modern and funky number. Then, they layer really rich harmonies on it and come out with something that feels both classic and new. The tracks that have caught my attention are “Can’t Stop Loving You”, “Your Song”, and “Love Ballad.”
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