(ALBUM REVIEW) EXO - Love Me Right [Exodus Repackage]

[TITLE] Love Me Right: A pretty standard sound for a single, really. It's catchy enough that it makes a good single, but it certainly isn't a risk for EXO. The beginning sounds off at first (and I mean that in terms of beats, not emotion), but at the first chorus it comes together into the part that everyone will remember. The singing is pretty good, and I think the song would have been stronger without the rapping, but hey, if that's your thing, stick with it! My favorite parts of the song are the bridge and the break, simply because the musicality and vocals are more important than keeping it catchy at those parts, and it shines.

Tender Love: So this song has two beginnings and I'm not sure why. It starts slow but then goes into a faster song. It could have been a cool effect if it had built, but it just sort of switched beats instead, which was weird. The rapping does fit better in this song though than the previous one at first, but then the rap break is just strange, though it is cool on it's own (give that a whole song!). But the song probably could have done without that rap break, and the girl in the background is just strange. Looking at the lyrics, I think the song should have stayed with the original slow tempo from the very beginning--since their love is "old fashioned," the song should be slower, I think. It would be sweeter that way. But this was written by Gaeko, so I suppose it makes sense. On a sort of strange note, some of the drums in the very background sound like a boiling pot, but maybe I'm just hungry?

Call Me Baby: The original single from the EXODUS album. This sounds like an EXO I know, to be honest. Layered voices, high notes that are both impressive and a little terrifying for live shows, strong beats, and an overwhelming SM feeling. The hook is amazing and I hate it for that reason; I will be humming it to myself for the rest of the day. The bridge could have been eased into a little better, but the transition out of it was great. My question for this song is: who did the electronic "baby" lyric near the end? Was it one of the members? Was it a random vocalist on the demo? Was it an electronic, disembodied voice? WHO WAS IT, SM? I want to give proper props.

Transformer: So I looked up some of the other songs that Kenzie, the lyricist and a producer for this song has done, and it's really been hit or miss for me in terms of liking them. On one hand, she did SNSD's "Oh!" But she also did "Way to Go!" which isn't my favorite SNSD song ever. and honestly, I still don't know how to feel about this EXO song. On one hand, it has a really catchy chorus and beat, but at the same time....I can't tell if the rapping was strange for the song or if it was the singing. Maybe that's the point: it "transforms," like the girl in the song, but I also may be giving too much credit. What I do know is that I want Baekhyun to sing all the singing parts of this song. His vocals fit best with the song to me. Sing all the things!

시선 둘, 시선 하나 (What If…): I have decided something: EXO singing is better than any member of EXO rapping. Based on this song alone, I'd be all for these guys being a ballad group. I realize ballad groups don't often sell more albums than mainstream pop, but if EXO can really sing THIS WELL live, why not have them do it all the time? They sound so smooth. Their singles don't really let them sing well, what with all that crazy dancing and stuff, but if they can truly sing like this outside of a studio, then they shouldn't have to dance to do well as a group.



My Answer (Baekhyun, D.O, & Suho): I reiterate: LET THEM SING MORE. Anyway. I love the background to this song--piano heavy songs are a great way to get on my good side. I would have liked to have heard the other members in this song though. I don't know if it's a simple curiosity at their abilities or what, but hey, I want to know. That is not to say that Baekhyun, D.O, and Suho did badly, I just want to hear the other guys do something more than the random awkward rap line, and "What If..." sort of showed they could sing, so.... Another thing about this song I would change is that I would make it all Korean. No English lyrics. There are more awkward English phrases in Korean music than the ones found in this song (some examples are even in other songs on this album), but I think it would sound better being completely Korean.

Exodus: Why does this song make me think of the American boy groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s? Is it the random pants of breath in between lines? The piano? The harmonization? All of it? I have no idea, but as soon is it started, I sort of wanted to break into *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" or Backstreet Boy's "I Want It That Way." That is not necessarily a bad thing, my childhood suddenly came back to me in a rush, which was nice, I guess. I suppose I just sort of expected more than childhood memories from the original album's title song. I feel like it should be faster in tempo as well, but what do I know? I'm in the middle of wondering where my *NSYNC CDs are.

El Dorado: Switching childhood memories, I have gone from boy bands to movies, as I'm now wondering where my copy of The Road to El Dorado is. Just kidding. I know where it is. Anyway... I'm not sure if the music producers know where El Dorado is supposed to be: I hear instruments that I would associate with the sea and ones that make me think of parts of Asia. But hey, that's not EXO's fault. Their singing is pretty good, even if we're back to having weird rapping thrown in. Also, I'm not sure who hits those high notes near the end (Baekhyun?), but they actually sound a bit like TVXQ's Changmin, whose voice has always fascinated me. Let me know if it was Baekhyun!



Playboy: Whoa, hello, voice at the beginning. This is a pretty general song to listen to--it follows the rules as a track filler. I am a little weirded out by the "Play--BOY" exchange, but that's probably because it just feels really close to my ear drums and I don't usually have people that close. But otherwise, this is a song that I feel like if I was in any particular mood, I would skip over when it started playing on my phone, but I would be fine with it if I were daydreaming or dozing.

First Love: Now this is a song I can imagine as a fan service song. It's easy to listen to, and from their voices, it sounds easy to sing. They could walk around a stage singing this to fans, and they could take a break from their ridiculous dancing and their fans can hear them singing this to them. I see smiles. Someone tell SM to put this on the next EXO Concert setlist. Even the rapping is less awkward in this song. The ending is a little strange, but considering everything else, I'll forgive them for that.

Hurt: Have I ever said how much I love fade ins? I do. I wish the one for this song was transitioned out of better, but I suppose the song is to be a little jarring, since they're "Hurt" and all. On the plus side, the rapping fits well (finally). I don't feel like I was ripped away from one song to listen to a snippet of another rap song. I love the vocal climbs as well. The tone of this song is really constant, which is nice, though I do suspect that this song will have a crazy dance attached to it, which means they won't be able to do those vocal climbs as well, which is really annoying. They sing so well in studio! I wish they could sing that way live, but at the very least, their dances tend to get in the way.

유성우 (Lady Luck): I'm not sure what to make of this song. It sounds similar to another one on this album, but I can't remember which. Some of these songs have gotten tangled in my head, which can be either a good thing or bad thing, depending on your perspective. If you like full albums that flow really well from one song to another without much differentiation, it's great, but if you like distinct songs, then it may be a negative, and this song is an example of this song. Also, the break in this song is INSANE, and not in a good way. I don't know how describe it except by saying that if you didn't know what a break was, you'll know what it is after listening to this song. 

Beautiful: Solid R&B beat. Smooth vocals. Strong harmonization. Considering this was the original final song on the Exodus album, it's a strong way to end. It takes elements from previous songs and makes a better song out of them.



약속 (EXO 2014): I'm going to go out on a limb here and think that this song is dedicated to the fans? Otherwise using the sound of screaming fans in the background near the end is just mean. For a final song on a repackaged album, it's a really well done song, which is nice, and considering the title of the album is "Love Me Right," the fact that the last song is a song for the fans asking for their continued love and support is a good way to fade out.Wait, if it hasn't been dedicated officially to the fans, then I'm doing it now. The music is the highlight for me, but the lyrics are really lovely as well. The rapping, yet again, is awkward (And angry at times?), but the singing more than makes up for it. I'm sure that fans, whether listening to it on this album or at a concert, will really love it, and I expect tears.