Album Review - Lee Hyori - Vol. 3 It's Hyorish

Lee Hyori – Vol. 3 It’s Hyorish

01 Unrivaled Lee Hyori
02 Lesson
03 U-Go-Girl (With Natsun)
04 Photo Album
05 A Barbershop’s Daughter
06 Don’t Cry
07 Do You Think It’ll Be Ok? (With Bigtone)
08 Sexy Boy (With Wheesung)
09 Red Car (With Kim Gun Mo)
10 Hey Mr. Big
11 P.P.P (Punky Punky Punky) (With Natsun)
12 My Life (Foreign Song)
13 Unusual (With Suh Jung Hwan)

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Korea’s icon Lee Hyori has returned. Absent from the music scene for about a year and a half, fans had been awaiting for the release of her third album. Prior to the album release, teaser clips that used the title track U-Go-Girl as the background music were posted online, making fans all the more excited. This summer, Hyori has finally released her third studio album, “It’s Hyorish”, amidst taking part in various variety shows. In addition, the diva has come back to the k-pop world with a newly coined word, “Hyorish”, to define the cute and sexy charms only she could bring. Famous producers Park Geun Tae, known for producing various hit songs such as Ivy’s Sonata of Temptation, and Kim Do Hyun, who produced Hyori’s past hit, Toc Toc Toc, have helped take part in creating one of the most anticipated albums of 2008. This thirteen-track album is filled with songs of various genres ranging from hip-hop to reggae, as well as featurings from top singers. Fans can also enjoy the various songs for which Lee Hyori penned the lyrics.

This album actually has two title tracks: U-Go-Girl, featuring Natsun, and Hey Mr. Big. The first track, which is the one currently being promoted, is a hip-hop dance track composed by rookie writer E-TRIBE. Like her previous single, Toc Toc Toc, this song has a catchy melody with a rap featuring. Personally, I didn’t enjoy this song at first listen, but it definitely grew on me, especially after watching the music video. The song, as the title suggests, tells girls to not be shy, leaving a positive message for them. The second title track is Hey Mr. Big, which has euro dance rhythms and electronica sounds. Composed by Park Geun Tae and penned by Wheesung, this song leaves a message, this time for the fellows, telling them to have courage. Once again, this song did not stand out for me as it seemed a bit mediocre.

There were a handful of songs, however, that did catch my attention at first listen. Going in order by the track list, the first song would be A Barbershop’s Daughter, which Hyori wrote the lyrics for. This song is a medium-tempo number that starts off with Hyori asking youngsters what they want to be in the future. The song definitely defines Hyori’s vocals much more than the title tracks and has a more Americanized feel to it. The second track I want to mention is Do You Think It’ll Be Ok? featuring Bigtone. The song was composed by Kim Do Hyun and the lyrics were once again written by Hyori. It is another medium-tempo song, but unlike A Barbershop’s Daugther, this song begins with catchy beats. It is a typical female vocal-male rap track, but I think the smooth rhythms and synthesized sounds will capture listeners’ attention nonetheless.

Moving onto the upbeat songs, I found P.P.P (Punky Punky Punky) appealing. The first song is very fast-paced and the instrumentals and the melody made the song sound like it was going faster than it already was. One part of the song I really enjoyed was towards the middle, when the song had a medium-tempo turn which soon after returned to its fast speed. Throughout the song, I felt rushed as if I was being chased. However, the song is definitely worth listening.

My favorite track of the album would probably be My Life, which is an R&B track. The beats and instrumentals captured my attention, and Hyori’s vocals were showcased well, which made this song an automatic favorite. The only problem I had with the song was that it sounded too much like Paula DeAnda’s Walk Away, but this may be due to the fact that this song was composed by a foreigner.

Other songs worth mentioning are Sexy Boy, which features Wheesung, and Red Car, which features veteran singer Kim Gun Mo. At first listen, I was appalled by Wheesung’s vocals in the song which contrasted with Hyori’s soft vocals. However, the song grew on me, and I actually like Wheesung’s parts over Hyori’s. Red Car, on the other hand, is of the reggae genre, which I think is a first for Hyori. I personally thought Hyori pulled it off well and she was able to harmonize with Kim Gun Mo.

Personally, this was one the albums I greatly anticipated. Though the songs were a bit different from what I was expecting from teaser pictures, they were actually good in a different way. There were quite a few tracks I enjoyed (though they weren’t the title tracks, unfortunately) and the different styles that were incorporated into the album were a definite plus. Though I can’t say I liked all the tracks, I recommend listeners to give this album, or at least the songs I recommended, a try.

4/5

5/5 – Even if you’re not a fan of this artist/group this album is a must buy.
4/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you must buy this album.
3/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you might want to add this one to your collection.
2/5 – I don’t think a fan would even buy this.
1/5 – You might as well just flush your money down the toilet