[Review] “Break Down” by Kim Hyun Joong of SS501

[Review] “Break Down” by Kim Hyun Joong of SS501

by Rowdyruff on June 13, 2011 at 6:50 am

 

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Kim Hyun Joong’s mini-album “Break Down” bumped its way into K-pop last week, marking this the fourth solo release from a SS501 member this year. Recognized for his position as the leader of SS501 and for his acting gig in the little-known drama (sarcasm tag), “Boys Over Flowers“, Kim Hyun Joong is drawing more attention for his solo endeavors recently.
Now that promotions are underway, has the hype and anticipation been justified?
Let’s break this thing down and find out!
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Track List:
01 Intro (Let Me Go)
02 Break Down (feat. Double K)
03 제발 (Please)
04 Kiss Kiss
05 Yes I Will
06 제발 (Please) (Inst.)
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“Break Down” opens with “Let Me Go“, an anthem-like introductory track filled to the brim with bells, pedal tones, and broad melodies. It’s quick to say this early on in the listening process, but this track could have been the one breakout song off the entire mini album had it been extended to full length. It features Kim Hyun Joong’s voice in the cleanest treatment; one that works in his favor given that his vocals are one of the most limited of the bunch. The song is thick and hefty, and it works here (Let Me Go).
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Unfortunately, some of that cohesion in the intro song is lost within the title track, “Break Down“; while the first track could stand on its own, “Break Down” doesn’t hold itself as upright, audibly, as Kim would like us to believe.
“Break Down” carries a lot of weight on its shoulders, and after a few listens, it becomes crystal clear that this song was designed to be a visual experience, structured to feature large chunks of ‘nothing’ for the sole purpose of tossing in dance breaks. It explains the poor vocal performance and nonsensical echoes sprinkled throughout the verses.
There are awesome dance tracks out there that have a life of their own with the capability of sufficing without having any visual accompaniment, but “Break Down” isn’t one of them. You have to be watching Kim Hyun Joong for this song to be remotely enjoyable, or else it breaks down (no pun intended). We are given a sick rap line, a commercial beat, but the song as an entity is lacking. The decent and indecent balance of the vocal processing doesn’t help.
Unless you’re watching Hyun Joong’s live performances, man cleavage and all, “Break Down” is nothing more than average, especially coming from a K-pop veteran.