Super Junior finally earns the ‘Super’ title
Orientation
October 18, 2009

On the third version of their bestselling third album, the Korean Pop boy band dishes out dance floor hits and smooth urban ballads with mature, swoon-worthy flair.
Sorry, Sorry, the third album from K-pop super boy band Super Junior (nicknamed by fans as SJ or SuJu), has conquered Asia with its more mature sound, sleek production, and insistent urban-R&B grooves. It has topped the charts of several countries including Thailand, Japan, and China; a feat that is not surprising once you give the album a listen.

The Korean boy band is credited to be the largest boy band in the world, with an astounding thirteen permanent members: Han Geng (the only Chinese member of the group), Ryeowook, Heechul, Shindong, Kibum, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Yesung, Kang-in, Siwon, Leeteuk, and Kyuhyun who was the most recent addition to the group. The members are divided into several sub-units that focus on different pop genres. Super Junior-T was the first Idol group to perform trot music (the oldest form of Korean pop music) and has only released one massively successful single titled ‘Rokuko.’ Super Junior-M (‘M’ stands for Mandarin) caters to Chinese pop music fans, while Super Junior-Happy is rooted in dance-bubblegum pop.		 Korean Pop boy band Super Junior’s third version of their third album dishes out dance floor hits and smooth urban ballads with mature, swoon-worthy flair

I consider Super Junior a breakthrough to the conventional boy band mold because SM Entertainment, who formed the group, included ‘atypical’ members: some of slight-build, some heavyset, and some seemingly effete. This cross-section of personality types proved to be a winning formula; the group has won a total of 55 awards from various award-giving bodies across Asia over the years. With the release of the third album, Super Junior continues to nurture a popularity that crosses geographical areas and language barriers, as demonstrated by their recent performance on Taiwan’s 20th Golden Melody Awards, which honors the best in the Chinese music scene.

I got a copy of Sorry, Sorry’s earlier version but also bought Version C, which comes with four additional tracks. ‘It's You/Neorago’ alone is worth the cover price and is ultimately the best track in the album. It starts out like a ballad, with unrelenting electronic pitter-pattering over a piano track, before a heavy beat punctuates the explosive urban-dance chorus. The result is a heady emotional ride that switches from drama to confrontational pop. This track is proof enough that Super Junior, though a manufactured boy band, will be in the Asian pop scene for the long haul.

Winning over 10 recognitions, the album title track ‘Sorry, Sorry’ is their most successful single to date, when it was released. It’s a minimalist house track blaring with new wave synthesizers and R&B-urban funk that out-dances any Justin Timberlake single. The fusion of pop genres is pure ear candy—at once Asian and Western—and frighteningly catchy that in moments, you will be singing ‘shawty, shawty, shawty’ under your breath. 'Why I Like You’ is a nod to Ne-Yo’s dance-y urban contemporary attitude, while ‘Monster’ is a power-pop, electronic-driven track that almost crosses over to rock.

‘Reset’ is a personal favorite - a smooth ballad that highlights SuJu’s textured singing and shows that they’ve got the pipes to match their liquid dancing. ‘Angela’ and ‘Love U More’ stands out for the latter’s simple sing-along arrangement and the former’s acoustic guitars, adding a refreshing change of pace to the zippy dance tracks. ‘Let's not...’ and Dead at Heart’ are K-Drama staples, drenched in passion as if one were standing on a cliff, heartbroken.

Sorry, Sorry is a masterpiece of contemporary Kpop music by a group that aims to live up to its name. The US Billboard influences are palpable, true, but infused with a uniquely K-Pop hunger for hooks and twisty melodies, the group’s new sound becomes entirely their own. What is absolutely striking is the confident intensity that Super Junior attacks each beat and each flourish with. They sing the way they dance—like there’s no tomorrow.

Now, that’s really super.

Rating: 4.5/5

- Thor Balanon

Link: http://superjunior.smtown.com