Korean singer Wheesung is known for both his strong vocals and tendency to produce work that doesn’t conform with current trends in the music industry. Making music purely for the sake of music, Wheesung has recently released his first single since February of last year. The single is called Realslow Is Back. I took the time to sit down and give the single a listen. Keep reading to find out what I thought of the single!

1. 결혼까지 생각했어 (I’ve Thought Of Marriage) [4/5]

I’m not going to lie: I had a mini-panic attack when the song started. By the sound of the introduction, the song sounded like it was going to be severely mainstream and filled with *shivers* auto tune. As soon as the first verse started, though, I sighed a sigh of relief. Although I would’ve preferred that the track have a lot less “hip-hop” than it’s currently got (ie. stop saying that your name is “Realslow”), I found that it wasn’t that much of a detriment to the overall song. Wheesung’s vocals are very distinct and clear, and the classic Wheesung vocal rift at the end is to die for.

2. Rose [2.5/5]

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh… This track started out pretty good, but throughout the song, I found that the instrumental track got a little overwhelming. It sounded to me like there was way too much going on in the background, and it was detracting focus from the vocals of the song. It’s also highly repetitive, and not in a good way. The only thing that saved this song from having a flat out one or two was the fact that Wheesung belted it out beautifully in the end.

3. 사랑 그 몹쓸 병 (Love Is A Painful Disease) [4.5/5]

Even before I started listening to this song, I knew from the title that I would enjoy it. As you may have guessed, this track is a depressing ballad! YES! Featuring Wheesung’s raw vocals accompanied by a simple orchestral track, the song definitely shows off Wheesung’s stunning vocal abilities. The only complaint I have about the song is that the bridge and chorus were a little bit lackluster, but that was compensated for at the end, where the chorus was taken to a whole ‘nother level! This is definitely a classic Wheesung track and is definitely the best on the single!

Final Thoughts: Overall, the single was pretty enjoyable. Save for the incredibly generic and overdone second track, the songs definitely show off the amazing vocal ability that Wheesung has. I would definitely have preferred something more along the lines of R&B rather then hip-hop, because, frankly, Wheesung cannot pull off hip-hop to save his life. His voice was made for R&B; there’s no doubt about that. Stick to your guns, man!

Overall: 3.7/5