Who: f(x)'s Amber

Genre: Pop; Indie

Tracklist:

1. Beautiful

2. Shake that Brass (featuring Taeyeon of Girls' Generation)

3. Love Run

4. Heights

5. I Just Wanna (featuring Eric Nam)

| iTunes |

I've never been a hardcore fan of f(x)--I don't have any of their songs, but whenever they come up in others' playlists, I have not been desperate for it to end. All of f(x)'s stuff is catchy, there is no denying that, and all the members are talented. Even as someone that has watched them from afar, I wouldn't dare deny that. And finally, one member has a solo that gives them a chance to showcase themselves apart from the group.

Even though I knew going in that Amber was talented, as the main rapper of f(x), going in, I had little idea of what to expect, so when I say that I am pleasantly surprised by this mini-album, it is not because I doubted Amber's ability to hold her own, but because I had no idea what to expect from a mini-album as her solo debut.

That being said, as much as I enjoyed the album, I do have some problems, though those will be directed mostly at SM Entertainment.

But first, the music!

Beautiful: The first track of the mini-album is much slower paced than a lot of other people would have wanted the first track of an album to be. Usually, the first track is either an intro to the second song, typically the title song, or it's  different, upbeat song that is usually a pretty safe bet in terms of people liking it. "Beautiful," however, is a song that I would have expected to find nearer to the end: a soulful, very personal, reflection song. However, for this mini-album, having this song first works really well. Besides being the title of the mini-album, it actually ties most of the rest of the album together. If anyone needs a song that boosts you into following your dreams, this one is it.

[TITLE] Shake that Brass (featuting Taeyeon of Girls' Generation): I have already reviewed this song and music video as a single (you can find it here), so this is a review of it in the context of this mini-album. I mentioned in my single review that I was not entirely pleased with the song and music video, and not because of anything Amber (or Taeyeon, in this song's case) did, but because of how it seemed to be more of an extension of what SM wanted than Amber. And now, having heard it as a part of the mini-album, I have become more annoyed. The song is good, as I have said; it's catchy and Amber does well in it. However, it is very out of place in this album. Had Amber's solo debut been only a single, and she had done this song, I wouldn't feel this way--it would be just another SM single. However, going from the somber, beautiful indie sound of "Beautiful" to this and then back to a more indie feel in the following songs simply doesn't fit. Obviously of all songs on this album, the one that would play on Amber's reputation and do the best as a title song on music shows would be this one, but it probably would have been better if this song came out as a single instead of a part of this mini-album. Having said that, I don't think SM would have let Amber hang her solo debut on any other song on the album because they aren't as much of the catchy earworms as this one, and if anything else, SM is known for catchy earworms. I hope Amber has a solo comeback with another song off of this mini-album, because I feel like those are more in line with the feel she wants, and they showcase her talent as a performer (not just a rapper) much better.

Love Run: And the indie sound is back! I'd call this indie rock-pop, but that's just me. I love how each song (aside from "Shake that Brass") are all uplifting, personal songs. I feel like this sound and speed suits her voice very well. It also sounds like a good driving song (I have not tested that theory, but if you have, let me know!). I have a feeling that if this starts playing in a car full of people that don't listen to Korean music regularly or at all, they would even like this song.

Heights: As soon as this song started, I thought "This should have been the title song!" It has just the right amount of pop sound for the rest of the album, it shows off Amber's amazing performance abilities, and I'm np choreographer, but I'm sure the dance could have been awesome (Another thing SM is good at). And again, it's such an uplifting song that everyone would want to listen to it. Hopefully, if she comes back with a second song for her solo debut, it's this one.

I Just Wanna (featuring Eric Nam): If you still haven't heard this album but have looked at the tracklist, you should know that the Eric Nam feature points in the actual direction of what this album feels like (Eric Nam is known for slower pop songs and ballads). Entirely in English, this song really helps make this Amber's. Everyone knows she's American, and though the rest of the album is mostly in Korean, this music of this song is similar enough to most of the rest of the album that it doesn't feel jarring when the English songs starts. It makes this mini-album a perfect combination of Amber's Korean side and her American side. To be honest, I really want them to preform this song at least once live.

Overall, this album is pretty awesome. Take out "Shake that Brass" (and make it a single, since it's good in its own right), and it would have been almost perfect, in my opinion. Amber's talents are being showcased, and in a way that may be surprising to some.  The overall feeling of this album is that this has been something that Amber has wanted to do for a very long time, and she wants to use it to tell others that following her dreams is what she's going to do. I hope she gets more opportunities for solos in the future!

Favorite Song: Heights

Least Favorite Song: Shake that Brass

Best Feature: Eric Nam

Favorite Lyric: "Any kind of scar is beautiful to me."