Hurricane Venus

Alright! I got Boa Kwon's latest album "Hurricane Venus" (6th Korean Album) over the weekend and had been listening to it non stop, over and over since. Man, i can "guaran-damn-tee" that it is outrageously contagious. The beats are uber groovy and makes you wanna dance when listening to it! So here are my track by track comprehensive review about this album...

Boa's 6th Korean Album, Hurricane Venus

Track listing:-

1. GAME

2. Hurricane Venus
3. DANGEROUS
4. 옆사람 Yeop Saram (Stand By)
5. M.E.P (My Electronic Piano)
6. LET ME
7. 한별 Han Byeol (Implode)
8. ADRENALINE
9. 하루하루 Haru Haru (Ordinary Day)
10. Don’t Know What To Say
11. Romance

The first 3 tracks, "Game", "Hurricane Venus" and "Dangerous", are the typical dance songs from Boa. The beat is very, very catchy and groovy. One thing that differentiate Korean dance songs from others are Korean's like to keep it simple... hence, very are focused on the kicks and beats. In layman's term, it gives a very dramatic, focused and heart pumping (especially "Dangerous") sensation. In my personal opinion, i think a dance song should be... minimal... cause when u are dancing, it ain't the fills that makes u dance... its the beats. My favourite dance song from this album is "Hurricane Venus". It's really "Electronic-manic-supersonic-bionic energy".

"옆사람 - Yeop Saram (Stand By)" - I'm so in love with Boa Kwon after listening to this song. She really shines when she's singing ballads. She fully utilizes her range of vocals and you can feel her singing so emotionally. She really sings her heart out. That's the reason why her CD's are worth keeping. I believe that this song proofs to the world that she's has grown up and her voice has matured. She din reserve a single breath on the high pitches. It really facinates me upon hearing her vocals hitting those high notes. In a way, she's telling the world "hey... i'm not a kid anymore!"

"M.E.P (My Electronic Piano)" - A contemporary pop song but there's nothing really impressive with this song. Not my liking.

"Let Me" - Another dance song but sadly, it somehow lacks the "oomph" if compared with the other dance songs in this album. Not my liking too... =(

"한별 - Han Byeol (Implode)" - Another wonderful ballad. A really sad and touchy song. Again, she sung it with full of emotional and she does sound as if she is really going to cry. The emotional feeling and element is very well displayed and sung. This song also featured J.W from Nell, a Korean indie rock band. The part when J.W sings "It's so damn hard, for me to let you go" almost made me burst into tears. The feeling at that moment is just so touching! J.W did well in medley-ing with Boa's voice. In fact, i think their voice do match quite well. Gosh... Boa should just come out with pure ballad albums.

"Adrenaline" - A dance song with a lil bit of Britney Spears element. Not bad, as the beat is there to keep the groove going but somehow, i don't feel the energy.

"하루하루 - Haru Haru (Ordinary Day)"- Another contemporary pop but this one is a definite keeper! A very smooth, easy going, happy and uplifting song. I just so love the way Boa pronounces "Haru Haru", it's so cute! Listening to this song really does make you feel happy and destressed in a way.

"Don't Know What To Say", "Romance" - Ever wanted to teleport yourself back to the 70's and listen to a lady singing by the pianist in the local bar or pub? This 2 song will do just that for you. Both are acoustic songs with just the piano and Boa's voice. It'll carry you through an amazing journey of ups and downs with Boa's fantastic vocals. The song "Romance" has a really blues and jazzy element to it. Both very soothing and relaxing to the ears.

Overall, the album is pretty good. A must have for those who love to dance.

Kenneth's Rating:

Music: 9.0/10.0

Lyrics: 8.0/10.0

Pro: A very lively and groovy album with a few fantastic ballads

Cons: Not everyone is into dance music

Comments: I dunno about you all but i'm in LOVE with Boa!

The Social Network

I managed to watch this cool movie "The Social Network" just recently and it's really an eye opener. This movie is about Facebook. Now, most of us are already registered users of Facebook, but do we know how it came about?

This movie will answer the questions of:

Who is the founder of Facebook?

Who are the co-founders?

Where did it originate from?

What drives Facebook to succeed?

and many others...

Though the movie is quite boring (as many technical terms and jargons are used throughout the movie), however, as the story unfolds on how facebook came about and how friends can turn into enemies will keep you glued to your seats. Watch how the founder and his team has to struggle through hardship and lawsuits just to make Facebook a reality.

This movie is based closely on the book The Accidental Billionaires written by Ben Mezrich. For those who ain't much of a movie lover, can always opt for the book. I've read thru it last year way before the movie was made. And yes... it's exactly the same as the movie.

So, go grab yourself a copy now from Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Billionaires-Founding-Facebook-Betrayal/dp/0385529376

Kenneth's Ratings:

Movie: 7.5/10.0

Story line: 8.5/10.0

Pros: Really an eye opener on and about Facebook

Cons: Can get rather boring as it's too technical at certain scenes.

Comments: Worth watching to gain some general knowledge.

Even Greater

With reference to one of my previous post "Hope of All Hearts", I've finally got my hands on Planetshaker's latest album "Even Greater"!

If i were to describe the album in one words... it'll be WOW!

An absolutely fantastic album!

The intro itself is awesome enough to keep your ears glued to the speaker/headphone.

For those who don't know who Planetshakers are, they are certainly one of the coolest christian rock band! Go check out their official web here for more info.

Below are the album's track list.

1. "Intro"
2. "This Love"
3. "Now I'm Free"
4. "Everyone"
5. "Lord Of All"
6. "Interlude"
7. "Even Greater"
8. "God Is Able"
9. "Worship"
10. "God Is Love"
11. "Hope Of All Hearts"
12. "I Believe It"
13. "There's Freedom"
14. "Devoted To You"
15. "With All My Heart"

The first 3 songs (after the short intro) are high praises. Trust me... u'll be jumping around with ur hands lifted up in your own room looking like a crazy fella. But hey... dun close that door! There's nothing to be ashamed of! We should be "undignified" for God! Jump, dance, sing, and shout it out for Jesus unreservedly!

The next song, "Lord of All" has less pump to it... in a way, it's preparing our hearts for an intimate worship coming next after it. Track 6 "Interlude" did a great job in transitioning the listener's heart for the next 2 intimate worship songs.

If you were to skip tracks... "Even Greater" & "God Is Able" is NOT to be missed! The style of this 2 songs are more towards modern contemporary worship with a tad of rock-ish element.

Then comes a short sharing session by Sam Evans... one of the pastors of Planetshaker church... The sharing session is backed by a song with a powerful statement that "God is Love".

Yes! Our God is bigger, our God is stronger, our God is love, our God is ABLE!

AMEN!

The next song is the one that i loved the most in this album, "Hope of All Hearts". The first time i heard this song, tears just rolled down my cheeks... it touched me so much... The lyrics is just so meaningful! I remember posting this song a couple of days back, and i had been listening to it over and over since and yet, it still touches my heart so ever strongly. God you really are "Hope of all hearts! It is You and Your love never fails."

After that, the momentum picks up again with "I Believe" and "There's Freedom". Similiar to the first few tracks of the album, it's fast pace and heart pumping high praise songs.

The album ends with 2 contemporary worship songs, "Devoted to You" and "With All My Heart".

It's definitely worth having and adding this album into your collection of christian music.

Go! Get not 1 but 2... and bless another person with that CD right now!

Kenneth's Ratings:
Music: 8.5/10.0
Lyrics: 9.0/10.0
Pros: Awesome "rock"ish high praises and uber worship songs!
Cons: The music style might not suit everybody.
Comments: Go get it NOW!!