Baekhyun Hello, World Album
Added 2024-09-12 15:10:17 +0000 UTCHmm.
There's a couple of songs I've saved and kept re-listening to but perhaps my expectations were WAAY too high considering his previous work.
I think it's good enough for now considering he's doing all this himself essentially however for me, it wasn't the most exciting or memorable comeback for me.
The title track is also good but it didn't really excite me. Not as fresh as I would've liked considering it's his first post military release except for the SENSATIONAL mv with the diverse dancers, a major win. His dance skills are always great to see too!
I really would like to seeing him push the needle forward musically depending on the budget constraints he has of course but I can't help but hear the change from the standards the SM machine produced.
Enjoy!
Comments
I feel the exact same way! I actually loved this album, but all of my favorite Baekhyun songs have been ones that Colde worked on. Colde and Baekhyun are my top 2 artists in Korean music so this album really worked for me. Although the single isn't my favorite in comparison to his others, I love hearing the Colde influence on his music.
Gracie
2024-10-04 20:24:11 +0000 UTCBaekhyun said that he want to chill this time because when he was touring he was a bit tired cause his song was kinda high and the choreography hard and he is planing to go in world tour soon so I understand him in the end he is Baekhyun he want lip syncs even if he was tired
Htoon
2024-09-14 01:19:32 +0000 UTCYess I totally agree!
Koko3op
2024-09-13 22:47:44 +0000 UTCI hear this!
Koko3op
2024-09-13 22:47:17 +0000 UTCDang. Pretty much what I said on YT unfortch seems true for the rest of the album. It seems unfinished. Even while "Woo" started me moving, it got inexplicably messy(?) at the end. And "Truth Be Told" sounds like a "Timbaland-type beat" you can pull up on the internet vs. something inspired by that era, but well-crafted and fresh. Missed opportunities.
Lo Lla
2024-09-13 20:52:07 +0000 UTCI can't even read this looool. Please add some paragraphs and spaces!
Koko3op
2024-09-13 13:39:21 +0000 UTCFrom what baekhyun shared in interviews talking about this album is that he was very meticulous in his vocal delivery, in that he would take double the time in the recording booth for every track than ever before to convey the emotions of the lyrics as well as he could, making various different stylistic and technical choices with his voice. Also as i understand, he talked a lot about wanting to challenge himself through exploring different subgenres of R&B in this album that he'd never tried before, thus the different distortions of his voice in 'Hello, World' compared to the clearer, crispier sound of his voice in previous albums. While I also wished at times that he'd belted more & showcased more vocal gymnastics to really bring a similar sense of soul into these songs as he'd always done before, I can also respect and understand that this wasn't his priority over fitting the mood of each song; especially since his previous discography already showcases him going all out vocally. I also agree that the quality of the sound production and mixing can make the songs sound fuzzier and thus, less timeless/more dated compared to all his work under SM, but for sure, considering that he's working with a whole new production team now under his own label for the first time, this was his best shot so far. And still it sounded good and atmospheric to me so, despite there being a clear difference to SM's production quality, I can't be too hard on him on this matter. He had a hand in the production of this album from its beginnings and, as a fan, knowing his love and care for music and how detail-oriented he has been since his solo debut, I don't agree that he doesn't care for the quality of his music production and only cares for his vocals. Of course, I may be biased in saying all this too, but he's definitely learning a lot so I can't help but look forward to all his future projects that come directly from him. While I am also sad at the unfortunate drop in sound quality from his previous works, realistically, comparing him to the absolute greatness that is SM, is a little tough. However, regardless of all this, the sound and listenability of his music matters more than anything, and personally, I still really enjoyed this album and actually appreciated that he took risks in exploring different areas of music that he's never tried before. This project felt the most different to me and diversified his discography in my eyes, which is interesting since i've also heard a lot of people critique that they felt he wasn't taking enough musical risks or that the songs in this album could fit into previous eras (that he wasn't trying something new). After a long hiatus of 3 years and 6 months from his previous album Bambi, i took this album as baekhyun's attempt at amalgamating all the different styles he's been known for and putting a more mature twist to it - 'pineapple slice' especially felt familiar but really fresh to me, kinda opposite to how you felt about it :'). In Jaehyun's recent album, his songs definitely feel more novel, sophisticated and polished production-wise and its so cool to see the world-class producers he collaborated with to create that sound. Baekhyun's album definitely sounds much less modern, and maybe this is just a matter of personal preference but despite that, I still enjoyed the nostalgic feeling of his songs especially as the genres he was working with were more reminiscent of the 2000s. But I do believe that there is a fine line between nostalgic and dated and i can understand how for some, this album feels more like the latter than the former, making it less listenable/repeatable. From what I understand of the artists that Baekhyun looks up to and enjoys listening to, a lot of the 90s/2000s R&B is very much his taste and thus why he made such choices with this album. Thank you so much for you reaction and for still giving Baekhyun's music a chance even if it wasn't up your lane or up to your standards. (P.S. very sorry for the super long comment, ofc you don't have to read it all, just was feeling very conflicted but impassioned about this album and wanted to express it here, thank you <3)
mary62768
2024-09-13 12:16:35 +0000 UTCI really loved this album, Good Morning and Woo especially, but I'm a huge Colde fan so that might be it (he produced two songs here: Good Morning and Rendez-Vous). Pineapple Slice wasn't as good as Bambi, but I like it more than Candy and UN Village, so overall I'd say that, as of now, Hello World might be right in the middle for me, after Bambi and Baekhyun (the japanese album).
Luisa
2024-09-13 12:15:44 +0000 UTCI totally agree on the production quality notes, Pineapple Slice has been a bit of a grower for me! I'm excited for his future releases as I'm sure he's learning a lot, and honestly the level of songs they would have to be to knock off Cry For Love, for me, is probably just so unreasonable 😂
life of nicole
2024-09-13 07:58:07 +0000 UTCi liked it, i think it was within expectations (after i came down to reality) knowing/remembering that it's his first album out of SM and working on his own.
Stella
2024-09-13 00:43:47 +0000 UTCHahah we Stan quality that's all!
Koko3op
2024-09-12 22:29:57 +0000 UTCI definitely haven't felt as much of a punch or vocal standouts from the releases I've heard lately from artists that left SM but I think it's just a case where when a SM song/title is good it's DAMN good. I hope I don't sound like a company stan lmao...I think I definitely like Woo and Truth be Told the most. Pineapple slice has grown on me a lot.
Ash
2024-09-12 21:57:32 +0000 UTCYesss I like Woo the most too and would've loved more of that!
Koko3op
2024-09-12 20:02:49 +0000 UTCbaekhyun has one of my absolute favorite voices and i feel like sm wanted his voice to basically carry everything and wanted that to be the focal point and i feel like that became a habit. i still love his music but hopefully with his next release, we can get more equal with production quality and vocal quality. because right now it feels like the vocal moments got more importance than the instrumental. i did love woo and truth be told very much but not as much as i love his previous albums. hopefully with more time, he can have more interesting song choices because i feel like this album was a little rushed because it had been so long since he released music and wanted to put something out.
Reagan 💚
2024-09-12 18:55:16 +0000 UTCI agree with you! SM really spoils us with the polish their music production has so because he’s been with them for so long I think I expected that level of quality. Not to say this production was bad, I just felt it was too safe maybe? But Woo is definitely my personal favorite from the album, it reminds me of the rnb back in the early 2010s which I adore.
Juda Culp
2024-09-12 18:11:06 +0000 UTCThat's really interesting because I think that's my favorite album of his. The title track, in particular, stands out as my favorite so far. The only thing I feel is missing is a bit more vocal gymnastics—I was definitely hoping for an "All I Got 2.0." But overall, I'm really satisfied with the final product.
Aya Saidi
2024-09-12 17:05:06 +0000 UTCI feel where you coming from in the review overall. He had his hand in the production and all the the choices (according to some interview I read) for the first time. He has some learning to do (in my opinion). There is room for growth but for me it was solid overall. My review below :-) Hello World - I love the neo soul chill vibe. I love chill everything, ballads, café music, (everything you hate lol). This was up my ally so for me it was a strong start to the album. I give it a 7.5 Pineapple Slice - This was one was interesting. A grower for me. Vocally it sounds amazing and I like the groovyness. Visually, the video it did nothing for me. There was a budget but I wasn't feeling the choreo. Maybe it was also the tired vampire concept? I don't know but after the premiere I was like meh. I watched him perform it and it was a little better but overall the same thing. Funny thing was when I was in the car on the way to work and the song came on it hit different. I like the audio so much more. I'm not sure if it's because 99% of the time I watch stuff on my computer via TV so never headphones or anything so a different medium in the car but it hit different. Honestly none of that should matter but I enjoy this song a lot more now. I give it a 7. Rendezvous - I usually love café vibes but this wasn't in the realm of the sound that I like. I enjoyed his vocals but I didn't like the instrumentation so that killed the song for me. I gave it a 4. Cold Heart - I really liked this sound a lot. It gave me TLC Sumthin' Wicked Comes This Way Vibes so instant nostalgia there for me. This was a turning point of the album for me. Solid 8 Woo- This shit right here! Loved it. I wish there was more of this type of direction on the album but I appreciate him experimenting and trying things that he's always wanted to do so it is what it is. Anyway, this was the standout song vocally, production wise, stylistically, just everything for me. This is the Baekhyun I know, love and keep coming back for more. Easy 9. Truth Be Told - This was another nostalgia sounding song that I loved and I loved the way he sang the song. The overall melody and arrangement worked for me. I think I like the way he approached the verses in this song better than Woo, but since I've listened to the album a few times I go back to Woo more. This is a close 2nd fave. I give it a 8.75 Overall, Album gets a 7.5. Baekhyun does indeed have high expectations because he's such a great artist. It's a tough standard to meet but as he continues in his CEO thing I hope he learns and gets better from here. No one asked but now that I have heard all of the members solo releases (I don't think Xiumin has anything coming soon) here are my rankings: • Chen/D.O. - Difficult toss up but Chen edges it out. It came down to my faves Remember vs My Dear and Remember wins, barely • Chanyeol/Suho - Another toss up. This came down to Clover vs Wishful Thinking and Clover took it. • Baekhyun - Solid album but the other members had more songs that I liked overall Lay - I loved the parts of the album that gave me JT vibes (Music is Your Love is my shit). The other parts were on some different atmospheric poppy shit that I wasn't really feeling. Solid release and well executed but overall not my bag.
Kym
2024-09-12 16:33:30 +0000 UTCYess I hope so too!
Koko3op
2024-09-12 16:05:00 +0000 UTCExactly!
Koko3op
2024-09-12 16:04:25 +0000 UTCI felt like the album picked up a bit of pace while listening I like 3 songs but I definitely agree it felt like it was missing something
LunaLunar
2024-09-12 15:47:50 +0000 UTCMy favorite songs are woo and truth be told and I have abused them since their release. Regarding Baekhyun's albums, the only ones that I really loved were Bambi and now Hello World. I don't even remember the bsides that were in the first 2. I knew this wouldn't be your taste and it is completely understandable. He sold a million albums for this, so hopefully it will help to invest in better producers for the next one
Laurelle
2024-09-12 15:43:39 +0000 UTCI enjoyed the title track but the bsides really disappointed me. I didn’t care for any of them tbh which is a shame. Good morning really reminded me of love scene in the very chill vibe, except just nowhere near as good.
Wiggle
2024-09-12 15:25:58 +0000 UTCI agree I liked the album but didn't loveeee the album like I thought I would. I thought I was going to get a one two punch with Jaehyun and Baekhyun dropping albums so close together and was expecting this to be the one that knocks me out completely but that didn't happen. I also unfairly was expecting like a Bambi 2.0 album so when it wasn't that I was a little bummed. Still good, I'll probably only come back to 1 or 2 songs tho.
Jazzy
2024-09-12 15:23:58 +0000 UTCi feel the exact same like i used to be floored by his albums and this is just ok, expected way more too
zuzi
2024-09-12 15:18:34 +0000 UTC
