T-ara vocalist remembers the ’90s, as do we all…
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[5.25]
Alfred Soto: Summoning the breathy force of En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go” in 2014 is impressive, especially when the arrangement hints at Spiceworld.
[6]
Iain Mew: I haven’t heard this much exaggerated breathing on a record since Matt Bellamy was in full air-sucking pomp. It might work as emotion heightening, rather than distracting, if only the song wasn’t thin as mist.
[4]
Brad Shoup: Are those breaking waves in one channel? Is it a crackling fire? It’s the only element that’s not pulled into Ji Yeon’s orbit. Pianos and lovergirl guitar and strings all throw themselves headlong into her mincing melody, because even multitracking can’t give her any serious kind of presence.
[4]
Anthony Easton: Her voice is too high for me to find it that enjoyable, but some of the strings twinkle like a mountain brook, which is a definite plus.
[6]
Will Adams: It’s all a bit maudlin, what with the thunderstorm sounds and harmonic sequence; still, its lilt and hook are charming, exactly what the genre requires.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: Everything about this track, starting but not ending with its title, makes me think of All Saints at their peak, with a dash of Dallas Austin flavoring the production. No one seems to be making widescreen R&B/pop like this these days; this is definitely a throwback, and a welcome one. Mariah Carey would’ve done well to include this on her new album.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: Glides like blades on an ice rink, and slots perfectly between TLC and Mariah for the soundtrack thereof.
[6]
Patrick St. Michel: This is a fantastic song to play while doing something else — that’s not a diss, because mundane Google Docs and email replies need soundtracks too, and “Never Ever” offers something smoother and catchier than whatever tunes the Starbucks I’m sitting in right now is playing (oh god it’s A Great Big World). Ji Yeon isn’t snapping me out of the other tab, but she’s making my time a lot more enjoyable.
[6]