Brown Eyed Girls 5th album is solid

Brown Eyed Girls
“Black Box”
(LOEN Entertainment)

As veterans in the K-pop arena, Brown Eyed Girls has come back with a solid nine-track album.

Unlike “Sixth Sense,” their last album from 2011, “Black Box” is a rather safe album with no standouts and sticks to a rather basic pop sound, making for a good summer listen.

Although the music video is stunning in terms of style, inspired by the movie “Kill Bill,” the title track itself is your average, catchy pop tune with a basic beat. “I Want to Fly” and “Lie” feature an old-school jazzy sound that is especially fitting for Ga-in and JeA’s soulful voices.

“After Club” has a retro ‘70s disco vibe and is one of the album’s strong tracks, enhanced with a funky bass-line and guitar riffs. “Mystery Survivor” has a distinct electronica feel with heavy bass hits and loud transitions. “Good Fellas” is a soul-filled ballad number that showcases the group’s vocals. Throughout the album, Miryo’s rap fillers that feature her strong tone and style really complete the tracks, especially notable in “Satisfaction” and funk number “Lie.”

Although the album does not do much in terms of fully representing the extent of the group’s skills, “Black Box” is a solid album and an easy listen. Let’s hope that the Brown Eyed Girls’ next album will be one that truly differentiates their sound from other all-girl K-pop groups in Korea‘s music industry.

By Cha Yo-rim (yorimcha@heraldcorp.com)


Glen Campbell re-imagines some of his hits

Glen Campbell
“See You There”
(Surfdog)

At 77 and stricken with Alzheimer’s disease, Glen Campbell looks back at a lifetime of work on “See You There.” He revisits classics such as “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston” with a contemplative, late-night feel, stripping down to small-combo arrangements based on brushed rhythms, gently sustained organ notes and twangy, single-note, electric guitar.

The vocals mostly were recorded a few years ago, around the time Campbell recorded “Ghost on the Canvas,” released in 2011. His voice is pure, strong and as soulful as ever, with only sporadic moments where his tone wavers. “Gentle on My Mind,” for example, finds Campbell’s voice sounding damp and slurred in places.

Overall, though, this is a testament that Campbell has remained a potent interpreter of good songs. Proof comes not only in how he hits the notes of a classic like “Hey Little One,” but in the emotional layers he brings to songs written in recent years. In “What I Wouldn‘t Give” and “There’s No Me ... Without You” he acknowledges the melancholy of aging while assuring loved ones there is something better beyond this life for all of them.

(AP)


Guy Clark returns with powerful album

Guy Clark
“My Favorite Picture of You”
(Dualtone)

On the cover of the album “My Favorite Picture of You,” veteran singer-songwriter Guy Clark holds an old Polaroid snapshot of his wife, Susanna, who died in 2012.

The photo captures a fierce look on Susanna Clark’s face, her arms crossed. As the title song explains, she was upset and considering leaving because of her husband’s behavior. The song is a tribute, in Clark’s concisely poetic fashion, as he notes lovingly in his sweetly gruff voice that his wife was “a stand-up angel who won’t back down.”

That blunt autobiography, and the masculine sentimentality it contains, encapsulates Clark’s distinctive gifts. A legend among fans of acoustic music steeped in country, folk and blues, the 71-year-old Clark hasn’t been the most prolific recording artist over a nearly 40-year recording career. But he is among the most consistent, setting the bar for raw-boned, open-hearted, slow-rolling narratives.

Working with old friends and a small collection of younger musicians and co-writers, Clark continues that streak on “My Favorite Picture of You.” Past the touching title song, he writes with moving detail about emotionally scarred soldiers in “Heroes,” tragic border crossings in “El Coyote” and stoking the muse through dangerous habits in “The High Price of Inspiration.”

All told, Clark‘s talents remain in crisp focus on “My Favorite Picture of You.”

(AP)