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Frank Kogan ([personal profile] koganbot) wrote2013-06-11 06:23 am

Black Tinkerbell

New ChoColat single, "Black Tinkerbell," similar to their previous three in that there's a touch of mid-Eastern-by-way-of-Spain-and-Africa quasi-freestyle mournfulness,* and all four singers get time in the spotlight. Song provides no opportunity for an aching Melanie** wail à la the "I want it all, all or nothing" in "I Like It." But she gives us a nice emotive brushstroke at the end of the middle eight. And the other three are catching up to her in sounding forceful and assured. Track doesn't earworm me the way "One More Day" and "I Like It" did, though maybe it's going more for a steady mood than for hooks.



What I mean by "freestyle" is more than one thing (see tag). ChoColat lean towards the passionate NY style, rather than the poppier Miami. And I wish the writers and arrangers for ChoColat would jump into the style whole hog, clear up space for vocal passion and hop up the beats and see what happens, e.g. (1989):

Cynthia "Change On Me"


*Provided by songwriters from Britain, Norway, and America, respectively, on singles 1 through 3. I don't know yet who wrote "Black Tinkerbell." [UPDATE: But David Frazer does. It's Kim Eui Sung of the band Bring The Noiz, and this is his/her first commercial song, or idol song, or something.]

**Me being prescient sixteen months ago:

http://koganbot.livejournal.com/287310.html

Get your makeup, boys don't cry

[identity profile] davidfrazer.livejournal.com 2013-06-11 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
(Reposting from the other thread.)

The B-side is called All Night Long. It's a hip-hoppish R&B-ish song with a rap break by a male rapper, and I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest that the brass riffs sound freestyle-ish. :)



Jaeyoon's voice can reputedly be heard on All Night Long, which would mean that it's sat on the shelf for a few years. It would also mean that the "where's Jaeyoon?" and "omg I heard she had cancer!" comments on YouTube videos will never, ever end.

Side note about freestyle

[identity profile] davidfrazer.livejournal.com 2013-06-11 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think I really knew what freestyle was until I started reading your blog, but there's one freestyle or freestyle-esque song I've known for a lot longer than that, and which I did know was "Latin" inspired -- Domino Dancing by the Pet Shop Boys.



The story goes that the Pet Shop Boys had written the song and wanted it to have a "Latin" sound, and after hearing lots of Exposé songs during a visit to the US they went to Miami and recorded it with Lewis Martinée.