(MINI ALBUM REVIEW) Mamamoo - Pink Funky

The powerful rookie group, Mamamoo, is back!




Freaking Shoes: What a cool way to start the album: some fantastic rapping. And, considering Mamamoo has been known (up until now) as a more jazz-sounding group, having the first song be a combination of the familiar jazz Mamamoo and the pop/R&B Mamamoo really shows off their diversity right off the bat. That being said, there are a few awkward parts--it has a couple of slow parts that, though they sound good on their own, and they certainly show off their vocals, considering the rest of the song is a fast-paced pop/jazz intro song, the slow parts don't really fit. I will be saying "Freaking Shoes" to myself all day though.

[TITLE] Um Oh Ah Yeah: the jazz/pop sound is continued into the title song of this mini-album; the title doesn't really give much about the song away, and honestly I wish they had chosen a different title, though considering the song's lyrics, I don't know what that would be. Maybe "Oh Yes?" But then they'd run into a problem since another girl group, EXID, has only just released a song called "Ah Yeah," and you don't want to oversaturate the market with variations of exclamations. The song is good, a little different than the previous singles that Mamamoo has released, but it still sounds like Mamamoo. And they're still a very new group (they just had their 2 year anniversary), so having a distinct sound is pretty awesome. I have no bad feelings about the song, but the music video is problematic. It's supposed to be cute, and there certainly are parts that are, but there are parts that contain harassment, drugging, and homophobia that shouldn't be ignored. Keep in mind that these factors shouldn't keep you from enjoying the song, but recognize the problems in the music video, which you can see below:




따끔: If there are any doubts of Mamamoo's talents still, this song will dispel them immediately. I reviewed Lee Seung Gi's album a while ago, and this song stands up at his level. And let me point out that Lee Seung Gi has been in the music industry for longer than a decade. This song isn't a K-Pop song. It's music. Period. It shows off the fact that each of the members of Mamamoo are talented equally, and to be honest, that is rare in today's Korean idol industry. There's usually at least one member that is weaker than the others, but this group plays to each other's strengths and evens out the playing field, and that field is on a higher level than a lot of other groups. I am so glad there isn't any awkward rapping.

갑과 을 (No no no): Previous to this title song, this is what I would have expected Mamamoo to release as a single. It's jazzy, with a solid dollop of rock, and the vocals sound like they're being done live. I am glad Mamamoo didn't use this song as their title though, since it sounds like other songs they've done, and showing versatility is a good idea if a K-Pop group wants to stay around for longer than a split second. I think this song, while it is good, is a bit boring simply because it's what I've come to expect from them. And considering I've come to expect an excellent jazz track, that's still pretty awesome. And again, the rapping isn't awkward (yay!).

Self Camera: I guess this is the ballad of the mini-album, since the feel is much slower than any of the others. However, it's still pretty upbeat. I have one question: can Mamamoo (or whoever is composing/producing them) teach other groups how to add a rap line without it being so awkward you either want to (or you do) cringe? EXO, I'm looking at you, boys. The rapping in their songs isn't awkward sounding, and it's magical. Overall, this song is another great one, though it isn't the strongest on this album. It's still strong against other groups, however.



AHH OOP! (featuring eSNa): If you didn't know what I meant by the "Mamamoo sound," listen to this. This song is actually their previous single, and considering it was their third comeback, it's pretty consistent with the previous three, which are also pretty fantastic. But those songs aren't included in this mini-album, so I digress. I would actually call this song stronger than their current title in "Um Oh Ah Yeah," but since this mini-album is the first to be released after Mamamoo's rise to popularity as "talent-dols" (talent idols), this title track will probably (and hopefully) do better than "AHH OOP!" But you should still listen to this one, because it's fantastic.

Overall: This is Mamamoo's second mini-album ever, and they've only debuted in 2014, but it doesn't feel like it. The talent and sound shown in this mini-album makes it feel like you're listening to hardened veterans of the Korean music industry. They have a distinct sound, and they're only a year into their career. It isn't without its flaws, but they're tiny in comparison to other recent album releases, some even released by their seniors. Hopefully, this sound continues and gives much success to Mamamoo in the future!