SHINHWA(신화) - TWENTY SPECIAL 'HEART' Album Thoughts(Kpop)

   Shinhwa is that group of men that will continue to be everlasting. They are the longest ever surviving idol boyband in South Korea and all of the members have had successful solo careers. All of them except for for the group's leader Eric, that is. He did more than make up for that with his acting career though. This album is apart of Shinhwa's twentieth anniversary which seems like it's comes around hundred times over every damn year. None of them seem to age in physical appearance but their music changes spontaneously. Well, expect for the wrinkles around Kim Dong Wan's eyes when he smiles…. [INSERT ME LAUGHING!] (He's still a handsome guy.)

Track List:
01. In The Air (with YOON MI RAE)
02. Kiss Me Like That 
03. LEVEL
04. HERE I COME
05. L.U.V
06. 떠나가지 마요

   Shinhwa still exhibits a essence of youth in their releases. You would never believe that Shinhwa was singing when many of the newer boyband idols were in primary school. They still prove that their music can keep up with all the newer generation of groups. Sometimes without even trying to be on top of the Kpop competition. Heart unfolds using methods of ease that's so smooth you wonder why they got your heart feeling all these emotions. The album was a bit more mid tempo than their release prior. Kiss Me Like That has a vibe etched in simplicity because the leading track isn't big on being a powerhouse song to feature pop beats or flashy rap bars. It's a track thats just a RnB tracks with acoustic and catchy rhythmic motion that makes the song rememberable to listeners. In The Air opens the album that features Korea's rap Queen, Yoon Mi Rae. Shinhwa blends both their vocals and Mi Rae's vocals together effortlessly, yet  in a quiet dominance. Most of this mini album slides between two genres of slow RnB jams then dance pop. A lot of new pop sounds are in the album, such as the dance pop dance breaks that makes up most Korean pop songs. These moments on the album don't feel like Shinhwa is trying to be young. Instead this is their way of becoming familiar to the new generation. Heart's first two tracks are my favorite tracks on the album.

   Heart was more of a rap centered album than their other albums. Listeners get to hear a bit more of Eric and Andy have bars in the tracks. Rap parts are a little longer than normal. I loved this fact since I've always been a fan of Eric's "no effort" sounding style of rapping. Andy keeps getting better and better on his goal of being a legit rapper. His flow had major improvements here. Shin Hye Sung's voice shines bright in the middle of the rap parts as lead vocals. The others support Hye Sung during their own solos and harmonized sections in the music. Shinhwa still seems to be in top form musically.

   Heart's a cute album. I was satisfied as a long time fan of Shinhwa. It would be really cool if Shinhwa did something different outside of pop. Maybe a pop rock album would be nice.