I wanted this to be a short-ish review. None of the purple dramatics I tend to engage in when talking about music that really impacts me. But Samuel Seo’s latest release deserves the time to dissect. The second in his UNITY series, UNITY II sees Seo crafting and molding a genre he’s connected with into something viable in the landscape of South Korean music. He has quite literally “created” the neo-soul genre in South Korea
“More than ever” by Man1ac Forces Us to Make a Choice
All quarantine ain’t created equal. For those trapped in an abusive situation, this self-isolation is hell. What’s more, so few people are actually talking about it that when someone mentions it everyone takes a collective gasp. That almost goes double for women living in South Korea. Keeping quiet because that’s what’s expected. Any attempt to speak up can be met with a societal fist to the face more biting than that of their tormentor. “More than ever,” Man1ac’s collaboration with Ann One and Basick, is both timely and shocking because of just how rare it is.
Syn Plays on Childhood Nostalgia with “mmm”
If you’ll remember from my first exploration of R&B newcomer Syn, I made the observation that she wears her influences on her sleeve. With her latest double single release, “mmm”, she’s shown that even within the space of paying homage she’s a vocalist with some incredible maturity.
“USED TO” Reveals Woo Wonjae’s Truth (and Possibly More)
Rapper Wonjae Woo, now known as simply Woo, has a reputation as one of Korea’s most unapologetic rappers. He speaks his truth regardless of what people think. His music always has a sort of eerie slant to it. His latest single “USED TO” is no exception. In it he reveals the truth about his past and flings it back in the faces of his detractors. Naysayers and gossipers who don’t care about how he got where he is now.
After Hours Is Ready for a Brawl on “What Are We Doing” LP
After Hours is a very interesting collective. The overall color and style of each MC doesn’t really differ that greatly. Each rapper seems prime for a fight. Ready to scrap at the first hint of someone showing them or their circle disrespect. “What Are We Doing” is an album from a group itching for a brawl. The kind of piss and vinegar on display at certain points of this album is actually breathtaking.
“POSSE” KODE82 Brings Classic Bars with the Remix
I’m going to keep this short and sweet: The KODE82 remix to track “POSSE” goes. so. HARD! It’s like the first time you listen to Schoolboy Q’s “Groovy Tony” or Dr. Dre’s “Talk About It.” When I get in the mood to hear just straight bars and I watch a Loaded Lux or Iron Solomon battle.
PhreDdy M. & Mckdaddy Bring Anthemic Nostalgia with “WILD”
When I first heard there was a Korean hip-hop group going by the name LOS LOKOS, using Mexican imagery, I was hesitant. Of course, this was before I realized a member of the group is, in fact, from Mexico. The knowledge that an integral part of their existence is their producer and beatmaker, PhreDdy M., softens the side-eye. It also helps that PhreDdy M. makes use of musical elements from his culture to add some genuine dimension. Elements not often seen in mainstream Korean hip hop.
D I A L Brings Samuel Seo Closer to His True Artistry
At this point you must be sick of me saying it. But I can’t help myself. Samuel Seo does NOT make bad albums. Every time he releases something it just reinforces my claims. His most recent EP, D I A L, taps into something earthier in the artist. While The Misfit was mostly bright, this five-song album is drenched in darker hues. Every bit of it’s just swimming in the earth tones of classic neo-soul.
The D I A L Core
To make the intro the actual title track is bold. But it certainly lets a listener know the album’s sonic tone. “D I A L” actually brought a smile to my face. Sneaking back into the earliest days of Samuel’s music when he was wont to sprinkle instrumentals into his albums (Elbow’s “Ian’s Prayer,” [So Far Good]’s “Raindrops”).
What a clever amalgamation of dial tones and phone sounds. It does the job of both putting one in the head space and creating anticipation. Curiosity and excitement crackle in the air like the white noise between phone calls. The anxiety is palpable like answering a call from an unknown number (or perhaps someone you’ve waited to hear from for a while). From the first note of the album, Samuel places his listeners into the EP’s core.
Touching the Soul
Samuel Seo mentioned in a recent Insta live that the producer for D I A L, archeformw, was the first who “touched his soul.” Indeed, “Damn Things” really does seem to tap into something Samuel’s been trying to access for the past few albums. A rooted connection to the neo-soul that weaves complex threads throughout his discography. “Damn Things” is heavier at its foundation. There’s the same earthiness that defines neo-soul. The genre is an intricate cross-section between jazz, R&B, ’60s and ’70s Soul, and hip hop. archeformw has tapped into each element that makes up the genre. Actually given listeners new to real neo-soul a crash course in the delicate balance it strikes between all of them.
Samuel more embodies the essence of the early-’90s genre. Neo-soul vocally is a genre that doesn’t rely on the heaviness of gospel-raised singers, erring more on the side of honest emotion from the gut. However, it does require a deceptive amount of control. Singers sit nestled in the vocal range where they can most comfortably express themselves. Thus many do lounge in their lower registers. Allowing the warmth of the moment to reign instead of the oppressive need to over-impress with church vocals. Samuel does this with scary precision. His most natural tones bloom. This means we get a much more honest vocal performance from him. Something he doesn’t have to work for because it’s where he’s most comfortable. When there’s no threat, all living beings expose their vulnerabilities and desires with ease.
The Billion Dollar Cocktail
Damn, is it ever rewarding to hear Samuel and DAMYE more overtly on a track together! Theirs is the perfect cocktail of old-school soul and youthful exuberance. The bright blues of DAMYE’s V.S. cognac (a young cognac matured for two years) blends like magic with the silky smoothness of Samuel’s Crown Royal. (The Crown Royal company calls this a Billion Dollar Apple Cocktail.) When youth meets the classic elegance of experience, you get something truly magical. Samuel and DAMYE just work.
Can I just say? DAMYE continues to impress. His voice is muscular, unshy and full to bursting with energy. Not bad for someone who for the longest time was only focused on playing guitar. He shares the spotlight with Samuel like an old pro. Playing off Samuel’s smoothness with some truly lush expressiveness of his own.
Korean Forsythe
Samuel has always been transparent about his desire to simply enjoy life. The lyric video for “GAE NA RI” is as carefree as the lilting tones of the song itself. True neo soul. A cross-section of jazz, R&B, and hip hop reminiscent of Jill Scott and Dwele. Bits of Incognito at the edges where the synths become wavy. Smooth as silk, with a soul that anchors the prettiness of the crooning to something deeper.
It’s good to hear an alto voice (albeit first alto) accompany a male voice. Far too often co-ed collaborations depend on pretty sopranos to create an obvious complement (or foil) to the male vocalist. It’s tedious, predictable, and painfully boring. With Yerin Baek we get a voice that blends with the male lead. She’s not a delicate damsel. She’s a grown woman who sings from the gut. Still lovely. But not fragile.
As a duet, one couldn’t ask for more. Samuel reaches at the top of his full-voice range. The notes are strong, vibrant. He crests at the top without breaking and gives us one of his most vocally powerful performances to date in terms of how steady his notes are. Never faltering and working in perfect concert with his female counterpart.
RED
Then… “RED.” It’s such an intimate piece of music. Every ounce of this song speaks to a very young part of me. That part that remembers listening to old records with my father. The delicate warmth of his lower register. The sweet ease of the music. The two blend like incense and close breath. Like deep purples and blues when the first bits of ink (or dye, as it were) blot daylight from the sky.
I’m thrown back. The balmy twilight of Kool & the Gang’s “Summer Madness.” The sweat-spiced sensuality of Jamiroquai’s “Everyday.” Dare I say? This is Samuel’s most sensual, most intimate piece of music. There’s something so… skin-close about the song. Like a breathy stage whisper (full voiced, but low to suggest privacy in a crowded room). This is lips on the shell of the ear during a slow dance. This is a finger slowly caressing the forearm (innocent in appearance but suggesting something more. Deeper). Oh yes. “RED” will stick to my skin for a while.
One Step Closer…
The EP is short, clocking in at just under 15 minutes. But I don’t feel cheated. It does so much with vocals, composition, delivery in such a small space. It’s a work of art for completely different reasons than last year’s The Misfit. While the LP was an elegant exploration of Samuel’s humanity, D I A L is a snapshot of the… smokier side of the man. The parts that he reveals only every once in a while.
D I A L is vocally Samuel’s strongest offering (from a discography that’s already pretty damn mighty). He sits very snugly in his tenor pocket, letting the lower parts of his register spread and fill the space with warmth, thick air, nighttime things. He continues to talk about getting closer to the artist he wants to be with each release. D I A L is most definitely another step in his evolution. Another nudge ever closer to the vocalist and musician he aspires to be.
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Syn’s Influences Overshadow Her Talent in Debut Album “Butterflies.”
When Daze Alive vocalist Rico gives a recommendation for a vocalist, best believe I’m going to give them my full attention. So when he dedicated an Instagram post to songstress Syn, it piqued my interest. She dropped her debut EP “Butterflies.” not long after this discovery. It’s certainly a pleasant surprise.
“Floetry… And We’re Alright”
Though I try not to very often, sometimes it’s good to point out the obvious. Syn takes heavy inspiration from British neo-soul duo Floetry. “I Blush So Easily” could’ve easily slotted itself onto “Floetic.” Both in cadence and musical composition, Syn matches the soul and energy of Natalie Stewart, The Floecist, and some of the huskier smoothness of Marsha Ambrosius, The Songstress. It’s no mistake Syn samples a line from the now timeless demo “Butterflies” (“You give me butterflies inside”). There are also hints of Maddslinky groove “Further Away.” Syn’s tone and the song’s syncopation and synth work are almost a compliment to the deep house of the 2011 tune.
From there, we get a song more in line with the recognizable trends in R&B from South Korea. A simple beat compliments of a filtered 808, easy bass line, basic melodies to house the actual vocal. Rico’s voice is such a soothing compliment to Syn’s. The pair of their voices on a song so rooted in the patterns indicative of Korean R&B makes it such an easy track to listen to. That said, it dances dangerously on the side of more background music than something to invest serious listening into. An easy track that while lovely in its own right isn’t much more than that. I do applaud some of the more overtly sensual imagery (“Grab my hair and pull,” “Wanna rock you ’til the waterfall”), but it doesn’t do much more to make an impression.
“There For me, There For Me”
“Selp Cure Tape.” is a beautiful piece of music. Soothing. Emotional. It’s the most obviously personal track on the EP. Syn continues to wear her influences openly (the sparse piano hinting at Floetry’s “Feelings,” while the overall makeup is reminiscent of Van Hunt’s “What Can I Say (For Millicent)” or “Headroom”). Perhaps a little closer to home, the overall composition reminds me of former Decadent lead vocalist Jin Dong-wook’s “Question.”
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it means she’s able to fully express what’s resting on her soul. Her breathy second soprano does evoke an air of desperation. Sensitivity to an unsure situation. Most notable are her nods to Lauryn Hill’s own desperate plea for clarity, “Ex Factor”: “Care for me, care for me. There for me, there for me.” Certainly the most uniquely crafted piece on the album.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Syn has a gorgeous voice. Her tone is silky, smooth. A second soprano range that has an edge to it that separates her from many of her peers. That being said, I find myself thinking Syn is still looking for musical direction. Relying so heavily on her influences to flesh out a three-song EP doesn’t much to inform an audience new to her exactly what she’s about.
Paying Homage
These not-so-subtle nods to Floetry permeate the entire EP. Featuring lyrics from some of their most popular grooves (“Say Yes” and “Butterflies”) and even taking some of the emotional weight of one of their most evocative B-sides (“Feelings”), Syn’s Butterflies. does, in fact, seem more like an EP meant to pay homage. As far as debut efforts go, it’s certainly well crafted. If not a bit lacking in originality. Perhaps for Korea it’s a one of a kind. But fans of R&B and it’s younger cousin neo-soul will see it for what it is.
A beautifully crafted album that is obviously a love note to one of The Culture’s most beloved duos: Floetry. A beautiful voice with some compositional and lyrical nuance sprinkled in among the specters of her influences. “Butterflies.” is a decent starting point. I’m anxious to see if Syn can navigate through shadows of those she looks up to in order to truly find her own artistic merit. She’s too talented to attempt to fill shoes that don’t fit her.