(req) Lee Hyori – It’s Hyorish

As if Lee Hyori wasn’t enough of a superstar, she gets her own freakin’ adjective: Hyorish? Not to be confused with “Whorish” of course. Anyway, let’s see how this sexbomb did with her third album.

1. 천하무적 이효리 *Unrivaled Lee Hyori* – I’m totally diggin’ the intro beat. Koreans sure have a thing for synth beats, don’t they? Her English during the chorus isn’t dreadful, thank you God. I really can’t help but love this background music. I consider it a lot more alluring than her voice (which isn’t bad at all, but my interests are obviously elsewhere). There’s just something about it that has this old school gangster musical feel to it. I know that’s a terrible explanation so please forgive me. Right before the chorus hook during the bridge, she finally caught my attention. The title definitely fits the song. She sounds incredibly confident. I can see her struttin’ her stuff, owning every girl that would be stupid enough to challenge her. It’s got that sort of feel to it.
2. Lesson – The intro rap sort of thing is reminiscent to something Daft Punk for me. Even the background sounds like something a Korean Daft Punk would make. If Kpop got married with Daft Punk, this is what they’d make. I’m feelin’ this track a lot. It’s very funky, get off your ass, and boogy sort of beat. Her English escapes me sometimes, but I can comprehend the random tidbits for the most part. The “Oh” and “Yeah” bridge break is rather cute, yet sexy, as only someone like Hyori can accomplish.
3. U Go Girl feat. Natsun – I’m sure you’ve ALL heard this track by now. If you haven’t, you obviously live under a rock. I’m willing to forgive of course. The English is beyond annoying. Hey Grr grr, ya you go Grr? They’re growling at me. Hyori’s voice starts off cute with her verses, then moves onto her sexy, “HEY BITCH WHY AREN’T YOU LISTENING TO ME?” voice. I’m loving it. You can’t help but have this song grow on you. It’s ridiculously catchy. The first time I heard it, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Anyway, I finally found a subbed version of the video. I was like “This is a terrible message to be sending to the insecure masses of Korean females.” Does one seriously need surgery to get laid? Apparently so. I could care less about the message of the video, but meh, you know how stupid some people can be.
4. 사진첩 *Photo Album* – The intro guitar riff is very jazz/blues-ish. Now that’s my kind of beat. Her voice can get nasally near the end of her verses. Again with the English, not that I mind. Wow, her English rap break is…I can’t decide if I want to laugh or something else. She’s been hanging with Eric Mun too much, hasn’t she? Just kidding Shinhwa fans. It fit the song’s feel, though, so props to her for that much. I could hear this song playing at some club. A really sexy club, with a really sexy singer, with a really sexy group of people playing the music in the background. It has a very sexy lounge sort of feel to it.
5. 이발소 집 딸 *A Barbershop’s Daughter* – The random kid’s voice at the introduction threw me way off. I love not being able to understand Korean. It’s fabulous. Right off the bat, I love the string arrangement in the background. The melody her voice carries is very suitable for the background beats and melody. It’s a match made in heaven for you music nerds out there. The bridge brings back those kids. I’m sure it has something to do with the song that I can’t understand, so I just won’t comment on the ordeal negatively. The kids carry notes better than half the singers I know, so good job kiddies.
6. Don’t Cry – Just listening to the intro, I can already tell that I won’t like this song. She’s got another English chorus here. “Just wanna don’t cry”? Seriously? After the insanely Major-keyed melodies of the prior song, this insanely Minor-keyed song isn’t what I want to be listening to. It’s the extremes of opposites, and I’m totally not digging it. The background beat sticks with you and that random sax you hear in the back totally makes you think Casablanca, doesn’t it?
7. 괜찮아질까요? *Do You Think It’ll Be Ok?* – YAY, very RnB-ish track. I heard the guitar riff in the background and I squealed. I didn’t recognize her voice at first. Do I feel this track? Most definitely. Blame that damn guitar riff. I’m a sucker for those. Bigtone raps here. His rap is quite sexy and fits the feel of the song. I had to smack myself a couple of times. This song is *dare I say it* good. It’s so laid back and her voice perfectly compliments the song. Personally, I’m like thank you, producers. This track is a must listen if you’re into the whole RnB scene. Mellow listeners will dig this, too. *OMFG I DIED WITH THE ENDING GUITAR AND PIANO COMBO*
8. Sexyboy (feat. Wheesung) – If you need an ego boost, listen to this track. Right off the bat, they go on telling you how sexy you are. This sounds like a 90s track. I think the background beats are responsible for it. I can’t decide if it’s a bad thing though. I almost forgot about Wheesung for a while. His voice is velvet here. The bridge was my favorite part. Listen to it, you might just agree with me.
9. 빨간자동차 *Red Car* – For some reason, I feel like I’m in Jamaica when I listen to this track. Or at least somewhere tropical near there. There’s an abundance of English here. When they’re singing about love in the chorus, I have this urge to belt out “One love, one life, let’s get together and feel alright.” Actually, the two songs have very similar characteristics. Look out for them, you music nerds. I recommend this track, surprisingly. I think the strings in the background got something to do with it.
10. Hey Mr. Big – The title reminded me of “Sex and the City.” I just pictured Carrie bitching about her romantic connections with the “Mr. Big.” I don’t know how many people out there watch the show, so it might actually be just me. No surprise there. This is a dance track. Very Euro, Benny Benassi-ish. When she starts singing in English, she sounds like she’s saying “Mr. Boy”. I’m not sure if that’s what she’s supposed to say to begin with. I don’t know the lyrics, sorry. Her Konglish is rather frequent, but you get used to it, I suppose. They should make a DDR game with this song. I can already see kids lining up to try it out. Or am I being too generous?
11. P.P.P (Punky Punky Party) feat. Natsun – Triple P? Hot title. That one guy who was in “U Go Girl” is here again. I can’t decide how I feel about this song. I know that I don’t like it, but I really like the guy’s rap part and the strings in the back. Does this song make me wanna have a “Punky Punky Party”? Not at all. It sounds like another DDR track. Ok, track’s over, I don’t like it.
12. My Life – Piano, beats, and synth intro. “Are you feelin’ me?” So far, so good, Hyori. This sounds like one of Mariah Carey’s newest singles. The background melody sounds like “We Belong Together” at times. When she gets to the hook, it starts sounding like “Touch My Body” at some point. Do you hear it to? It’s not a bad thing. I like this track, actually. Yes, Hyori, I’m feelin’ you.
    
13. Unusual feat. Seo Jung Hwan – It’s got a “getting down and dirty in the club” sort of feel to it. Blame the background beats. The rap break was amusing. Something about getting her name and number and a roller coaster. Obviously, in this track, she wasn’t trying to show off her vocals, unless you consider her screaming “Hey!” at you vocally impressive. It’s totally Hyorish of her to sex up this song. Yes, Seo Jung Hwan, she’s so sexuarrr.

Overall: So how did our sexbomb do? Personally, I thought it wasn’t horrendous. I wasn’t feeling some tracks, but hey, that’s normal. They have the potential to grow on you, fan or no, so prepare yourself. Her voice isn’t spectacular, but no one really gives a shit with Hyori’s voice anyway. You know you’re only in for it to see how naked she can get on screen. Don’t lie. Jesus is watching with you. And since Jesus is watching, I won’t lie and say this album wasn’t worth the hype. It was really worth it. I got past the terrible Konglish on most of the tracks, so I’m sure you guys can handle it. If you’ve been a fan of Hyori for some time now, you know you can handle it. Don’t make me bring out Anymotion, I’m begging you. Hyori, good job. Unlike most artists today, you failed at making my ears bleed. I’m very proud of you.