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Category Archives: Bada
Bada #3: Made in Sea
29-Dec-07
(CJ Music, January 2006)
Stern(5,g)
After her lively second album, Bada's third is a big let-down. Gone are the catchy pop tunes which show off her vocal range and bring a smile to the face. Instead we are faced with a run-of-the-mill R&B and dance collection, which could have been put together by anyone. The voice is still unmistakably Bada's (a slightly thin, nasal sound which works OK with pop numbers but less well with the more soulful songs) but the musical style is generic.
After the seemingly obligatory instrumental introduction we get a slow, cheesy number which could serve as the soundtrack for a second-rate soap - "Find the way". Bada herself isn't responsible for this treat, that privelege belonging to Lori ...
It's a while since I did a round-up of celebrity news, which means that I've almost forgotten all the things I was going to mention, and lost most of the links that I was going to use. So before things get completely out of hand, here's one of my not-so-regular posts shamelessly plundering the celebrity blogs.
1 Bada
After my recent post defending Bada against the assaults of Popseoul I exchanged a few emails with the Popseoulites. They don't have an issue with her singing ability, just her sense of style. I'm coming round to their way of thinking, based on one of their more recent posts.
A weird vision. And the singing ability? Well, I've now listened to Made ...
In defence of Bada
13-Jun-07
Monitoring my traffic statistics recently I noticed that Bada is surging in the popularity rankings. I approve of that, because her second album is my favourite mainstream K-pop album of all time (or, at least, in my rather small collection). So, in my semi-regular round-up of celebrity news and pictures which have caught my eye over the past few weeks, Bada is going to have a post all to herself.
Like many of you, I'm a huge fan of PopSeoul. The site has completely demolished all competition in the celebrity blogosphere. Prolific in their posting, I don't know how they keep it up. And their unique selling point: most if not all of the material is, as far as I can ...
S. Korea’s birth rate inches up
16-May-07
Whether it's the auspicious influence of the year of the Golden Pig, the outcome of Bada's awareness-raising concert, the result of Shin Dong-jin's efforts as head of the birth-boosting campaign, or a combination of all the above, Yonhap announces an increase in the birthrate in 2006. KBS gets all technical about the potential astrological reasons:
2006 was a lucky "ssangchun year," because there were two "ipchuns," or first days of spring that fell within one lunar calendar year. Many couples chose to get married last year in the belief that the "double spring" year was lucky. Some experts attributed the hike in childbirths to the increase in marriages in 2006. However, many of the couples who tied the knot last year ...
New! Celebrity BlogWatch
28-Jan-07
Knowing that many of you visit my site looking for celebrity coverage, and knowing that I don't really satisfy your needs, I've been thinking about what to do about that.
Also, I know that there'is a lot of English-language blogs out there which cover Asian celebrities, and it is almost a full-time job looking through them all.
Enter the world of RSS feed aggregation, and a wonderful little gizmo produced by the folks over at the Oz Politics Blog (and yes, despite the cricket, a Pom can still harbour warm feelings towards an Aussie). And thanks to these technologies I bring to you Celebrity BlogWatchTM. The latest headlines from all those blogs, on one page. See what's hot. See which bloggers lead ...
Rain #1: Bad Guy
11-Nov-06
Rain's first album displays his vocal qualities (it's a good voice), and the range of stuff he's prepared to sing.
There's a problem though. The music isn't really distinctive. The ballads he sings are the sort of ballads which lots of K-pop stars are singing. The same key-shifts, the same use of that infuriating tingly bit of percussion. Track 5 is a typical example of the blandness of these ballad tracks. It's a mystery based only on these tracks why he's such a star (could it be something to do with his 6-pack - pictured right?)
The more interesting tracks are the livelier, more urban numbers. Track 6, "Baby baby" has some good rhythms, and track 8 is has a guest appearance ...
Bada #2: Aurora
05-Nov-06
(Released: September 2004)
Stern(10,g)
A ridiculously good album. Pop perfection. This is the sort of unpretentious music which has me bopping around the kitchen as I cook.
If I were to have a criticism, there's rather too much synthesizer and computer-generated beats - particularly in the numbers produced by the Japanese team - and not enough human intervention. But it's a minor quibble. Bada is talented: an agile voice, with some great top notes (which don't have to be belted out); she wrote the lyrics of the songs and wrote the music for half of them. In fact Bada's own numbers, arranged by Kim Min-Seon, stand up really well. Highly recommended.
Here's the title track:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaJVSln4VDA[/youtube]
Bada and the birthrate
29-Jul-06
I wish I was in Seoul today.
I recently posted about Anna Fifield's article on Korean family planning, and in particular the government's plan to spend $30 billion over the next 5 years to try to boost the birthrate.
Here's a story about how some of that $30 billion is going to be spent: a live gig by Bada today at which people with 2 kids will get a nice crisp 10,000 won note. I wish I could be there. Even if I were Korean, I wouldn't qualify for the cash handout, but (not that I'm an expert) I think Bada is one of the best K-pop stars around, and I'd love to hear her live. I'm just stockpiling a few CD ...
