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CL, Dara, Minzy, Bom

So my all time favorite kpop girl group just released their new album today--after a year's hiatus--and I'm all kinds of excited!! I've posted about 2ne1 before, and I can't express how much I love these girls. They are fierce, talented, unapologetic, and just fabulous. Without further ado...


My personal Review of the new tracks (out of 4 stars):

1) Can't Nobody**3/4
Definitely a different sound. More autotune than I think was necessary--and no, I'm not someone who is bothered by autotune. The best thing about it is the chorus. It's a good song, not ground breaking, but a good song with a nice beat.

2) Go Away***
Love the upbeat R&B feel. Catchy, and fun. CL's kills it like always. Bom/Minzy are great as always. I was really happy with Dara in here also. I think it was one of the tracks on the album where you can really here her voice without autotune, which I appreciated. I think she sounds fine without the autotune, personally, so I always want to hear her without it. This song also has my favorite line of the whole album: "You always act the fool... you aint sh*t without your crew" lol.

3) Clap Your Hands***1/2
The beat reminds me a lot of TOP's "Turn It Up." It's the track that we want/expect from 2NE1. It is distinctively 2NE1 in sound. It's fierce. It's in your face. It doesn't mess around. It definitely let's you know 2NE1 is back and that they are serious. This song is what KPOP has been missing since the girls left.


4) I'm Busy***
I was not feeling the beginning of the song. There just seemed to me to be too many digital effects going on. But by the time I got to the chorus, I felt like I could deal. And by the end, I really thought it was well balanced between the upbeat/fast track, and the absolutely brilliant slow beats. Nice mix of the two. I enjoy the verses/bridge more than the chorus though. But CL's rap was SIIIIICK.

5) It Hurts****
When the teasers came out, this song was easily my favorite of the four. I played this more than any other song. And the full version did not disappoint. I think Bom's voice is really shines here, which I enjoyed because sometimes I think she doesn't always get the kind of songs that can show what she can do. Minzy's voice sounds so mature here and really suits the overall sound. The jazzy/R&B sound of this song is definitely something to just groove to. Love it.

6) Love is Ouch****
I was really surprised by this song and surprised by the girls with this song. I think it was chance for them to show a different side of themselves. We all know how fierce they are, but with song it showed a softer, more feminine side of them. They all sounded amazing. I love the slow/fast mix of Minzy/Bom's vocals combined with CL's rap and Dara's softness. It just has a refreshing sound that is very attractive. Been listening to this song the most.

11) I Don't Care Reggae***1/2
Confession time. 2NE1 was the group that got me into kpop--and their reggae version of "I Don't Care" on Inkigayo was THE performance that caught me hook, line, and sinker. Thus, I always have such a sense of affection for this version of IDC. The girls sound great, and I love how all of them are really able to display their voices. I just love swaying to this lol.

12) Can't Nobody (English)**1/2
I don't like the brand name dropping at the beginning. I think they could have done something else besides brand name dropping to demonstrate how "Bad Bad" they are. Was it laziness on behalf of the lyricist? Maybe. But you can be fierce and bad without label dropping, IMO. It seemed like such a waste of what could have been a fierce rap, which is why I'm so bothered by it. The rest of the song is fine though.


Overall: I applaud the girls for the risks they took with this album. They had a lot of pressure riding on them from their success in 2009 and with the delays, there was a lot riding on this album. I think they took a lot of chances. They didn't play it safe in order to have commercial success. I'm glad they played with different sounds and feels. Everyone was expecting something big and different from them, and I think they delivered. A lot of the songs grew on me. Multiple plays allowed me to get a better impression of their new sound. It's definitely an album that grows on you. You can take that however way you want. Maybe too much digital-ness than I would like, but overall I thought it was a strong effort by the girls. 8/10