A Contemporary Blues Singer Who Excites Me (more from The Voice)

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Woo Hye Mi, on The Voice, well-trained blues, soul, and jazz singer (etc.), sartorially restless, not just putting on different styles on different days (which it seems almost all Korean singers do), but seemingly inhabiting genuinely different cultural categories with each, from post-punk shape-shifter to tough pop waif to after-dinner elegance to god knows what. Paradoxically, in her singing, it's when she goes for playfulness and experiment (like the yelp here in "Maria" at 1:13, and the final 30 seconds) that her music gets in trouble; whereas when she settles into conventional power and passion she knocks us dead. I hope that as I hear her more this turns out not to be a tradeoff she'll have to make, that the adventure and passion will feed each other to the benefit of each.

( Yu Seong Eun )

( Lee Ha Yi on Kpopstar )

( Meanwhile, back in the States )