WOODZ(조승연) - EQUAL Mini Album Thoughts(K-Hip Hop/ RnB)

    I never liked UNIQ's songs(or X1), so ofcourse, I wouldn't know who WOODZ was until now. Do you want to know something funny? I watched his music videos and was instantly confused. His music video he's using to promote his album has many backup dancers in it. So many other them that it looks like a boy group which caused me to think that WOODZ was a boyband until a few hours ago. Then I was WOODZ's other music videos where he was alone and I thought that that guy was a different artist. [INSERT ME LAUGHING]. WOODZ is in an idol group currently as the rapper. Equal is his first solo mini album.

Track List:
01. LIFT UP
02. Acccident
03. 파랗게 Love Me Harder
04. NOID
05. Waikiki (Feat. Colde)
06. BUCK (Feat. punchnello)
07. 주마등 memories

    Equal has some really good sounding tracks to take you though about the middle of the album. I'm not sure what's with Korean artists dropping the ball toward track four all the time but it happens frequently. This solo effort blurs the lines of idols vs. Korean indie singers because WOODZ could easily pass as a non idol if you didn't know his background history. Lift up starts Equal as the opening tracks and here we have the best put out right away. The track has a hip hop neo- soul sound that could could have fit on The Weekend's last album for it's mature dark beat that's strings along by Cho Seung Youn's extremely high vocals. Lift Up is a whole mood that could have been a theme working in favor of Equal's success. Sadly WOODZ goes the mainstream route with a title track that isn't bad at all. Especially considering ow the track keeps it's album's RnB Hip Hop theme but adds an alternative flare in using various Guitars heard all throughout Equal. It's also very danceable as you would expect from an Idol rapper. Accident's chorus has a lot of sounds going on in production. I love how I notice little things like a flute playing lightly in the background during the track's play time. You would think the track featuring COLDE would have been a bit less boring considering COLDE's music usually bangs real hard. NOID came on before Waikiki signaling the last good material on Equal. Punchinello does more rapping on BUCK than WOODZ did during this whole mini album…. Why does every mini album have to end with a ballad? Equal would have done better has a single in my opinion.




     WOODZ probably loves The Weekend. His music shows this. From the high vocals to the beat choices. Equal was basically a little less version of After Hours. I'm not hating on him though. He just needs to work on being more consistent in his sound instead of what he and his label think that the public want to hear. Korea has enough singers who are trapped in mainstream validation.

  Equal is a mini album where I would recommend the three songs I liked. Then scrap the rest of it unless those are to your taste. He would be a great indie artist but I don't think he wants to leave the idol life behind….. NOT THAT BEING AN IDOL IS A BAD THING. I'm just not into the shady stuff……