Review: Taemin - Criminal
Over the last few years, way too many people have been proclaimed by fans as 'the best male solo artist in Korea (South) this generation'. I think this has happened due to the lack of a major one for several years. I like to think of a male soloist 'dynasty'. It probably goes something like:
Founder: Cho Yong-Pil
The dude who conquered all neighboring kingdoms and made the dynasty a major player: Seo Taiji
The dude who was assassinated: Kim Sung Jae (RIP)
GENGHIS KHAN: Rain
The guy(s) who sent the economy into the stratosphere: G-Dragon and Taeyang
The dude who is cool at whatever he does: Xia Junsu
Simba the Lion: Taemin
Crown Prince: Baekhyun
(Rappers like Zico and Agust D were excluded [Rival dynasty])
While that was (very) weird, I think it realistic. Note that I still hold that Taemin possesses the crown. Baekhyun has proven unreliable in consistency and I think unless his next album is more diverse, the crown may go to someone else.
Now where were we, oh yes, Taemin holds the crown. Like Stray Kids, I find Taemin's discography inconsistent. 'Flame of Love', 'Danger', 'Press Your Number', 'Sayonara Hitori', 'Move'. They are some of the greatest K-Pop songs in recent memory. But while I love all those (particularly Flame of Love and Danger), I was underwhelmed by 'Want' and 'Famous' which did not utilize him well enough, and '2 Kids' failed to reach it was trying to convey. Needless to say, my hopes for 'Criminal' was high with all fingers crossed. It delivered.
The synths are almost in constant energy, even when the rest of the song slows down (like in verse 2), building towards something massive, holding back whilst doing so.
The chorus does not overwhelm with energy, Taemin bursts into a sort of sly and sinuous falsetto, while the synths build further with constant urgency. This works brilliantly, tying together restraint and bombast. My only major issue with the song itself is probably the police noises before the climax. It distracts the flow and will probably will be skipped in subsequent listens.
This should lead to a score around 8.5,but it gets more for one reason: Taemin. When I was listening to Wonoho's 'Open Mind' a week ago, I appreciated him for trying Taemin's MJ funk style, but I felt his talents would be better realized in a harder song, and that song could use Taemin. After Miyavi's 'Heaven is a place on earth' or 'Bang', this is the most charismatic performance this year. Taemin has not released something like this since the 'Press It' album and I love it.
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