Kim Jaejoong Makes First Korean Return in Four Years
Kim Jaejoong and the other members of JYJ have had a rough go in the Korean market since leaving TVXQ and SM Entertainment. Struggling against the heavy influence of the big three agency, Jaejoong and his counterparts have still managed to remain influential idols on the Korean scene. With his last release in 2016, fans highly anticipated the return of this veteran idol onto the Korean scene after his heavy focus specifically on the Japanese market for many years.
The Title: “Tender Love”
As a solo artist, Jaejoong has explored just about every musical genre available, beginning with his heavy rock debut track “Mine” all the way to this latest title “Tender Love,” an emotional and slow tempo ballad. This type of track definitely can’t be mastered by just any vocalist, and in the case of Jaejoong it does an excellent job of showcasing his gorgeous vocal prowess. With a simple string melody backing up his singing, there’s very little complexity in the track to take attention away from his voice. Whether a long-time fan or a first listener, it’s impossible to deny the singer’s ability both in fundamental vocal prowess and ability to portray emotion through his voice. It’s a risky move to have the title of an album be a heavy ballad like this, but if anyone could pull it off, it’s Jaejoong.
The music video does not feature the vocalist, instead placing emphasis on the story of a couple that appears to be struggling through some hard times and eventually parting ways. With heavy metaphorical placement on a disposable camera that the male lead carries around, perhaps as a symbol of wonderful past memories that can’t be immortalized, the overall melancholy of the song is exacerbated by both the acting and muted color palette used within the video. The experience of watching this music video will likely leave you at least somewhat heartbroken in a sorrowful atmosphere.
The Album
If you’re looking for something more uplifting in the mini-album of Love song, it’s not going to be immediately apparent. Opening with the soft “Time of sea,” the ballad theme is pretty much set in stone. “Time of sea” has a lot of the same feeling both in melody and tempo to the title, but the occasional addition of the faint ocean waves adds a pleasant element to the song overall. This continues with “Life Support,” a song that’s main differing factor is the particularly intense verses around the chorus that require a higher level of vocal mastery to achieve.
We finally get a taste of something different on “Secret,” a classic alternative rock track that’s somewhat reminiscent of Jaejoong’s early track “Mine.” It’s a nice change up and helps brighten up the mood on the otherwise sorrowful album, while showcasing that Jaejoong is capable of hitting more genres than just the ballads he’s focused on for this comeback. Finally, the album wraps up with an instrumental version of “Tender Love,” a good song to use when struggling to fall asleep or feeling the need to relax.
I’ll admit that under most circumstances, the delicate ballad genre is not my favorite thing in the world. If you’re like me, this album probably won’t be your cup of tea either. Despite that, there’s no denying how talented Jaejoong is as an artist, whether it be his past history or his most recent album release. Love song is by no means a bad album, but it’s likely something that’s fitting for a certain type of melancholy mood. Despite that, it’s great to have Jaejoong back on the Korean scene after so many years and we’re hoping for many more still.