Review: Taemin - Press It

Taemin’s debut took me completely by surprise: I wasn’t really expecting anything much from it at all. I had under-estimated SM Entertainment’s A&R department (IKR) and Taemin’s desire to shine on his own in the spotlight. With choreography from Ian Eastwood for Danger, he was given a routine that enhanced a good song and made it great. Taemin showed a fierce commitment to dance that he doesn’t often show with Shinee. I followed every live performance and anticipated his long player with more enthusiasm, although the paedo teasers, with Taemin sporting a bowl cut, were offputting, to say the least.

Then the MV for Press Your Number arrived: the concept was idiotic and tired (great combo!) and it took a while for the song, co-written by Bruno Mars, among others, to grow on me. Taemin’s vocal is a little thin on the high notes of the chorus and the piece doesn’t seem to get cracking until the bridge (“Oh girl, there’s something about you … Barae! Barae! Barae!”).

Honestly, the song does grow though. It’s View-like in the way it creeps up: so many people wrote off Shinee’s LDN-produced track and where was it at the end of 2016? Yeah, that’s right; on everyone’s end of year lists. Ultimately, Press Your Number is pretty slick. Maybe that sexy dance routine distracts from it after all. The English language lyrics displayed during performances don’t help: “Do it fast do it slow/You control the tempo.”

Um, brb. 

The other MV released with Press Your Number was for Drip Drop, an adventurous electronic dance track (not EDM) co-written by Sara Forsberg (SNSD, You Think) and Tay Jasper (FX, 4 Walls), among others. It’s the other stand out on the album. Both writers to keep an eye on. Guess Who - the LDN Noise co-write (Jasper also contributed) - is a slinky low-key track with a guitar-driven groove. Kind of a slower Smooth Criminal.

Sexuality is the Minneapolis-style offering, in name and sound, with a bass drum heartbeat and fat synth chords. It’s co-written by Ryan Hyun, who does truckloads of work for SM (Red Velvet, Taeyeon etc) and had a hand in a bunch of tracks here.

Unfortunately this concludes the non-ballad section of the review and the album. Yes that’s right: six of the 10 tracks on Taemin’s debut long players are ballads. I sympathise with your WTAFs.

There is a bit of variety within that wet umbrella, but not much that’s going to get me coming back when there is stuff as addictive as Nu’Est’s Overcome and Brave Girl’s Deepened to phase on. (Also I am still getting a kick out of 9 Muses Sleepless Night from last year.)

The most interesting, musically, is One by One, which has a busy, fuzzy, solo electric guitar riff under Taemin’s smooth vocal for the entire track. A nice and unexpected contrast. Mystery Lover, a waltz with a music box riff, is quite cute too. Layered backing vocals and a strong performance from Taemin help make it a standout.

The penultimate track, Until Today was co-written by G. Soul and honestly it isn’t that bad. There is a bit of acoustic guitar over an 808 drum track and muted backing vocals behind a towering performance by Tae. But it’s just the prelude to a shocking bit of syrup that is the closer (Hypnosis) and sapped my will to live.

Here’s a palate cleanser.