#spring review

Park Bom is back with her single album, and she’s here to stay. Kpop has definitely missed her unique voice and charisma, and there is ALWAYS room for another powerful female singer in this industry. I am so glad that to see Bom keeping her head high and singing again after all the hate she received – it just shows her incredible strength as a human being.  

The title track is called Spring, or Bom (봄) in Korean. It is an upbeat ballad, with relevant and uplifting lyrics. I really like the word play in the chorus, where she says “Spring is back” and also means Bom is back. The chorus is catchy, and the melody is sweet. Of course, the best thing about this song is the singer herself. No one has a voice like Park Bom. It is so emotive and memorable – and you can hear both the pain from her struggle and her determination.This song is truly a dream come true for 2NE1 fans, as Sandara Park is the featuring artist. I really liked hearing Dara’s sing-rapping section; I thought it was so cute! The bridge in Spring is quite unique, as the introduction of a choir gives the song a gospel-feel. This wasn’t my favourite part of the song, but Bom’s vocalisations in the last chorus redeem the song. It’s just so wonderful to be able to hear her sing again!

You pull me down but I’m alright,

You make me cry but I’m alright…

It will get better soon once time passes

My lover is a more traditional ballad song compared to the title track, with a simple piano instrumental that allows you to hear Bom’s voice in upmost clarity. This song is not boring at all, as the beat soon comes in, and the song transforms into a rhythmic power ballad reminiscent of the 2000s. I especially like the melody in the chorus, where Bom belts out high notes with her classic charisma. The calm and slow bridge was really nice to hear, as I am a fan of those slightly soppy emotive ballads.

When I saw the title of the last song, Shameful, I wasn’t expecting to hear an upbeat EDM-style song, yet that is what this song was. I didn’t think that Bom would conform to Kpop trends with this tropical house-style party bop. Nevertheless, she did so elegantly and with her own flare. I was so surprised to hear her rap in the second verse – this queen just has unending talents! In my opinion, the least impressive part of the song was the chorus itself, as I thought the beat drop was a little unimpressive.

This single album gives me the impression that Park Bom wants to return as a full fledged member of the Kpop industry again. Spring was the perfect song to mark her return, and I hope that she is received with open arms by her fans and other artists. She certainly deserves to shine.

Kpop Review Café’s Overall Album Ranking: 6/10

My Chemical Romance in YRB Magazine (X)

Spring Review - April 2007

I went into this to prove a point; that Art Education majors are in fact worthy of participating (and should be encouraged and obligated to participate) in the university's BFA semester review of artwork. The major catches a lot of flack in the department of Art because of how artistically unprepared people in the program are; and it is too often neglected by the College of Education that "just can't seem to tie into the program's general curriculum the importance of preparing Art teachers." In short, I want to be stellar at what I do, regardless of the crap that would require me to be metiocre.

The following factors, although not considered to have been a handicap in my endeavor, are essential to this rant: I was the only Black person exhibiting that review day; I'm pretty sure I was the only black exhibiting anything this semester. My piece focused on the unwillingness to discuss race at this University. Keywords are "I knew this."

Enter the faculty. Their critique, although adulterated, was very positive and encouraging.

As well as patronizing.

Every "influential" artist mentioned to me was a Black Artist. The only instance of disregarding my obvious persona for the sake of academia was that one of the aforementioned artists was a woman. The questions shifted from "so you're an Art Education major" to "so as a Black Male....."; but the winner had to have been the bolstering rally cry of "you're not angry enough; next time - SHOW US ANGRIER!"