2NE1 1st Mini Album – 2NE1 (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

GROUP: 2NE1

ALBUM: 1st Mini Album – 2NE1

LABEL: Mnet Media

DURATION: 25:45

RELEASE DATE: July 8, 2009

1. Fire
2. I Don’t Care
3. In the Club
4. Let’s Go Party
5. Pretty Boy
6. Stay Together
7. Lollipop (bonus track)

Absolutely solid!  YG Entertainment definitely found a good balance of talent for the female pop/R&B quartet 2NE1.  An exciting album with every track being solid, catchy and enjoyable.  If this is just a taste of what to expect from their full-length album, I definitely look forward to their upcoming album release.  Highly recommended!

The Korean pop group 2NE1 (New Evolution of the 21st Century) definitely started this year with a “Big Bang”! (pun intended)

The group which consists of CL, Minzy, Bom and Dara (known in the Philippines as actress Sandara Park) definitely caught interest with their collaboration with the popular all-male Korean pop group Big Bang (who have been dominating the music charts not only in Korea but also in Japan).

Needless to say, I was introduced to the commercial and the music video on YouTube by a friend who wanted me to check out this all-female group and it definitely caught my interest. But it was actually when I heard and saw the music videos for “Fire”, that I was instantly hooked.

Since their debut song in May with “Fire”, the quartet has since received a good number of awards and even signed a deal with Fila to become models for the apparel company’s campaign and eventually gaining some interest in the United States, especially continued props from US gossip queen himself, Perez Hilton.

So, with their highly anticipated full length album planned for release soon, the group has released their first mini album in July 2009 with a total of seven tracks executive produced by Yang Hyun Suk and produced by YG’s Teddy & co-produced by Kush.

The first track “Fire” is produced by 1TYM’s Teddy Park and what an awesome song this is.  Definitely dig the arrangement and the vocal play on the song by all women.  But as mentioned earlier, it’s seeing the music videos that definitely got me interested in this song.  Especially the “Fire” (Street Version).

The second track “I Don’t Care” is a catchy pop track and another solid track on the album.  Unfortunately, the track has received controversy as Lionel Richie’s music label Sony has accused YG Entertainment several weeks ago that the song was too similar and Sony Korea has denied 2NE1 from promoting the track.   (Note:  You can compare the two tracks here)

The third track “In the Club” features a smooth, pop track with a mild-tempo and showcasing the vocals by the ladies.  Another solid track on the album.

The fourth track “Let’s Go Party” is an upbeat, pop track which features CL introducing the song in French, Minzy introducing the song in French, Dara introducing the song in Tagalog and Boom introducing the song in Korea.  Actually, a solid track that I can see it definitely getting the remix treatment.

The fifth track “Pretty Boy” is a fierce pop/hip hop track.  Like “Fire”, upbeat and overall solid with its dance arrangement.  One of my favorite tracks on the album and really good lyrical flow by CL on the track!

The sixth track “Stay Together” features another enjoyable but mild pop track.

The seventh bonus track and the final track on the mini-album features the hit song with 2NE1 and popular boy band BIG BANG. The song was used for LG’s Cyon cell phone and needless to say, the song was pretty popular despite not being an official single release. And suffice to say, I love this song so much, I don’t know how many times I have listened to it already. Just a catchy, cool collaborative track by both groups. Awesome!

As for the CD release, one thing that I enjoy about K-Pop releases is that often at times, you get your money’s worth with cool packaging and freebies. In the case of this mini-album, the cover of the album is absolutely shiny foil like cover. Inside the insert booklet are pictures of each member of the group.

Overall, I do believe that YG Entertainment has found a group featuring a good balance in talent.  Especially the fact that a few members can speak in different languages, knowing that the K-Pop Wave is still gaining momentum in several countries around the world, it’s good to have talent that can attract the International audience.  In terms of talent, very good vocals and the lyrical flow of CL should not be discounted.  Definitely not fake and her transition from vocals to hip hop is definitely well-done.  So, far I’m really digging this group and I look forward to their full-length album expected to be released in October 2009.

For those who have had interest in 2NE1′s music or their first mini-album, I definitely recommended it!

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