Staff Recommended Top 20 Songs Of 2010 (Part 2: 1-10)

We continue our countdown and will reveal the 2010 top 10 recommended k-pop songs. Check out numbers 11-20 in this article.

I must emphasize that these songs are my personal choices.  I mention this every year too but still get many responses on why some of the most popular artists are not included in my list.  Again you won’t find many well known artists on this list.  In fact, if you have listened to more than half of these songs before I’d say you are an avid k-pop fans.  The main purpose of this post is to introduce readers many of the good k-pop songs and artists you may have missed out this year.  Some of these songs have appeared on my weekly bonus track before.

10. Lyn – 자기야, 여보야, 사랑아 (Darling, Honey, Love)
Genre: Pop Ballad
  
Album: Lyn Vol. 6 Part 2 Track 2 
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: In 2004, Lyn appeared first time on our list when she was featured on MC Mong’s song “A Letter Written To You”.  Six years later, she finally have her own solo song “Darling Honey Love” and it made the top 10.  It is coming from the second part of her sixth album, Candy Train. Through this album, Lyn hopes to shows another side of her with brighter love songs. This album is for those who are waiting for their love one or have already fallen in one. The title track is “Darling, Honey, Love” composed by hit maker, Hwang Seong Je, who had also produced her previous album. It is a cute, listener friendly medium tempo R&B track with strong hip hop beats, perfect for this spring/early summer season. It also features a cute and colorful MV. The style is totally different from Lyn’s previous songs. Some says it is too cute for Lyn’s image, but I say it works perfectly.

9. Ez-Life (feat. Naomi) – 그 여자를 못 잊더라 (Can’t Forget That Woman)
Genre: Hip-hop Ballad
 
Album: Ez-Life digital single “Can’t Forget That Woman” Track 1 
Watch: MV 
Comment: To be ranked higher than MC Mong’s song this song must be pretty good.  Ez-Life ranked No. 18 in 2006 with their debut song “Not You, But Your Older Sister”.  This time they hit the top 10.  I always feel that they are a very underrated pop hip-hop group.  “Can’t Forget That Woman.” is a medium-tempo rap ballad where the members Lee Sang Baek (vocal) and DK4RG (rapper) sing about love confession. Naomi also takes part in the song, lending her emotional vocals.  It is my favorite rap ballad in 2010.  There are one more hip-hop song ranked higher but it is of different style.

8. 4men (feat. 美) – 못해 (Can’t Do)
Genre: R&B Ballad
  
Album: 4men Special Album “The 3rd Generation” Track 2 
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: 4men is one of the most underrated R&B groups in Korea before 2010 and they  finally have a major breakthrough.  Thanks largely to this breath taking song “Can’t Do” in early 2010.  4men keeps on hitting the chart afterwards.  This is a pure R&B song written by Vibe’s Yoon Min-soo, the rhythm is tension-filled till the end, with heart-breaking lyrics and the sound of Shin Yong-jae’s explosive vocals.

7. YB – 스니커즈 (Sneakers)
Genre: Rock
  
Album: YB Vs RRM mini-album Track 1 
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: Too many ballads?  We turn up the volume on this one.  Most listeners are more familiar with YB’s (Yoon Do Hyun Band) rock ballads which they usually promote.  This one is a true up-tempo rocker.  One of the most exciting collaboration albums in 2010, YB teams up with Risque Rhythm Machine, a talented electronica music group, on this special project mini-album titled, “YB VS RRM”. What’s exciting about this work is that it incorporates both rock and electronica, which is expected to stimulate listeners’ ears. Sneakers” is about the hope that lasts despite how much one can get battered and worn out in life.

6. Kim Ga Hee – 싫증내지마요 (Don’t Get Tired of Doing It) 
Genre: Pop
 
Album: Kim Ga Hee digital single “Don’t Get Tired Of Doing It” Track 1 
Listen To: Full Song 
Comment: This year’s countdown finds several singers with gaps in between hits, but no one’s wait is longer than this singer.  Kim Ga Hee debuted as a teenager known as Kim Hyun Zoo back in 2002 and hit No. 5 on our inaugural version of this year end list with “지금 모습처럼“.  She later joined 2NB and she goes solo again now.  Known for her great vocals, she returns to the year end list after eight years.  “Don’t Get Tired of Doing It.” is a mid-tempo pop song penned the Kim Ga Hee herself and it’s about the hardships she endured in her life. The song was composed by the famous An Chang Hyun who also wrote songs for Zia, DECEMBER, Park Jung Eun, and PanDa. The song has an addictive strong melody along with trendy electronic sounds. Kim Ga Hee’s more mature and strong vocals are quite apparent in this song. 

5. Hot Potato – 고백 (Confession)
Genre: Rock Ballad
  
Album: Hot Potato “Seesaw OST” Track 3 
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: Most listeners are familiar with Hot Potato’s Kim C, who is also a famous narrator.  The group has a surprising big hit “Confession” in 2010.  This song has a great combination of upbeat shuffle rhythm and string instructions. The lyrics are about feeling happy and nervous before making a confession of love. Completely different from Hot Potato’s usual progressive music, listeners will find ‘Confession’ quite lovely.

4. Supreme Team & Young Joon (BES) – 그땐 그땐 그땐 (Then Then Then) 
Genre: R&B/Hip-hop
  
Album: Supreme Team & Young Joon (Brown Eyed Soul) mini-album “Ames Room” 
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: The highest ranked hip-hop song this year is coming from a collaboration project between Supreme Team and Brown Eyed Soul member Young Joon.  “Then Then Then” is the title track of Supreme Team & Young-jun’s first mini album, ‘Ames Room.’ In this soulful hip hop number, the powerful rap by Supreme Team and strong vocals by Young-jun from Brown Eyed Soul come together to create a unique harmony. It is about pain after separation, but the fast beats that contrast with the sad lyrics make the song surprisingly vibrant.

3. Kim Yoon Ah – Going Home
Genre: Pop Ballad
 
Album: Kim Yoon Ah Vol. 3 Track 4 
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: Easily the best album in 2010 in my opinion.  When I listened to this album I cried, appreciating that there are still artists who are willing to put up such high quality music in every song.  Jaurim’s lead singer Kim Yoon Ah releases her third album 315360, six years after her last solo album. With marriage and the birth of a child, Kim Yoon Ah took this album to express her life as a woman. As an established singer songwriter she has took herself to another level. Through this album you will able to meet a Kim Yoon Ah you’ve never met before. Unlike Jaurim’s rock music, Kim Yoon Ah’s solo work is focusing on jazz style easy listening ballads. The title song “Going Home” has a very beautiful melody accompanied by Kim Yoon Ah’s smooth vocals. The song discovers the importance of family.

2. Wheesung –  결혼까지 생각했어  (Even Thought Of Marriage)  
Genre: R&B/Dance
  
Album: Wheesung mini-album “Realslow Is Back” Track 1  
Watch: MV Live Performance
Comment: If not because of an outstanding song at the top, Wheesung would have repeated as champion again this year.  Already ranked No. 1 at year end twice on this countdown (Incurable Disease in 2004 and Rain Falling last year), Wheesung adds to his hit collection here with “Even Thought Of Marriage” this year.  This is the title track of Whee Sung’s single album, ‘RealSlow is Back.’ This is a song where Whee Sung shows off his appeals to the fullest. It is a powerful R&B dance song with intense sounds, his explosive vocals, addictive melody and his signature straightforward yet sentimental lyrics. It is about a man who’s heartbroken after the woman he intended to marry leaves him.

1. Fluxus Voices – 우리의 밤은 당신의 낮보다 아름답다 (Our Night Is More Beautiful Than Your Day)
Genre: Pop Ballad
 
Album: Fluxus Voices digital single “Fluxus Voices Vol. 3” Track 1 
Watch: MV
Comment: I am hesitant to rank this song high at first since it is a remake.  The original song was by Kona 14 years ago.  Fluxus Music, who arguably owns the most talented artists in Korea, have an all-star lineup to revitalize this song.  The singers who participates in this song include Alex and Horan of Clazziquai, Lee Seung Yeol, Park Ki Young, Whale (W&Whale), Hye Won of Winterplay, Namu of Bye Bye Sea, and Urban Zakapa. The acoustic soothing style is so comfortable to listen to.  It has a beautiful melody along with equally beautiful lyrics and arrangements.  What a masterpiece!

That concludes the staff recommended top 20 songs of 2010.  I hope you like my selection and have broaden your collection.  I’ll see you again in the segement next year.