![]() “Little Bird” has a hopeful tone that aims to comfort, and was penned with the Covid-19 pandemic in mind. I sorely wish that “Gravity” had been the outro of Better. There is not much to say because every element to the song is done right: sublime instrumental backing, check, charming and polished vocals, check, feeling like you are floating in space as you listen to the song, check. The song effortlessly transitions into a “Gravity”, which is also just a classic ballad done to perfection. “Start Over” is what good pop sounds like: there is a careful use of percussions, snaps, and synths to bring a heartbreaking and aching sound to an otherwise powerful pop track. ![]() Title track “Better” goes through the same demise. Both the instrumental and vocals change in composition or tempo, and it creates a rift in the overall flow of the track. If there is any fault with “Honey & Diamonds”, it is that the bridge feels almost disjointed from the rest of the track. “Honey & Diamonds” is similarly a slow track with a funky and groovy instrumental featuring a catchy hook, the gently thumping bass creates an addictive song that proves to be an earworm. It’s all for you.” Alluding to the album, BoA uses “Cloud” to express the effort she has put in to deliver this milestone album to her fans. The contemporary R&B influence shines through in this low-tempo track, in which BoA sweetly croons, “Even if everything is poorly done and insufficient, I prepared it just for you. Other than “L.O.V.E” and “All That Jazz”, “Cloud” also demonstrates the artist’s penmanship.Īppropriately titled, “Cloud” is an ode that is airy and ethereal. What does deserve a shout out, though, is the number of songs the artist has penned the lyrics of by herself. There is not a single song where one could fault her vocals, be it on Better or off. The scat singing is the tangy, tasty cherry on top of a sweet, fluffy cake.Īs an idol who has spent years promoting in Korea, Japan, and the US, it is almost redundant to talk about how impeccable BoA’s vocal aptitude is. The artist also revisits jazz with “All That Jazz” the broken relationship that she sings of is complimented by the gentle pace this piece takes. “L.O.V.E” has one grooving from the opening note as it starts off a loud space-synth note and draws in its listener as it keeps to an uptempo disco-inspired instrumental. The experimentation does not stop there: “L.O.V.E” and “All That Jazz” keep the new and exciting energy balanced throughout the album. There is not much to the instrumental it is solely BoA’s vocals that push this song into the top few ranks of the album. Not only switching from low-range vocals to mid-range vocals, and constantly shifting from a slower tempo to a quicker one, she also adds in husky vocal notes to amp up the experience. She does not stop there, though, and makes the song uniquely hers with the range of vocal techniques she brings into it. In “Cut Me Off”, BoA follows the trend of the pulsing, breathy songs that we hear often these days (think “ Bad Guy“), which is new for a confident vocalist like her. The track is one of the best (if not the best) off the album, and features a side to BoA’s musicality that we have rarely seen before. There, she pleads for a flame to “cut off, (and) erase now”. Where BoA draws in a potential love interest with “Temptations”, she does the exact opposite with “Cut Me Off”. The vocalist keeps to a lower range of her vocals, and brings a sensual quality to it as she woos one to “give in to temptations”. Add in the show-stealer of the song - BoA’s vocals - and there is nothing to complain about. Building up on steady beats of percussions and brass, the addition of quicker, staccato notes of space-synths and snares builds up to a chorus that isn’t necessarily musically dense, but is captivating nonetheless. The instrumental in itself is engaging and keeps you on your toes. Take the aforementioned “Temptations” for example. To be fair, there is a lot that Better does right. If, however, you are one who enjoys changing sounds throughout an album, then Better is almost the perfect album for it. If you are someone who is comfortable with just a genre or two, then perhaps Better might not suit your taste. Better does have everything a listener might need instead of sticking to one genre, the veteran idol navigates through pop, R&B, jazz, disco, and house in just eleven tracks. ![]() “I got everything you need, don’t be shy” sings BoA in the sultry, alluring “Temptations”, and it is an apt description of her latest album. ![]()
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