Twinkle by TaeTiSeo -album review-

This was kind of unexpected release, I had found first info about this mini-album a week before it was released. Twinkle is a mini-album of TaeTiSeo (or TTS which of course stands for the girls' names: Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun), the first official sub-group of Korean girls band Girls' Generation. The album consists of seven songs, one of which is promoted with a PV (Promotional Video).

It's not a 'first-listening' review, I got the album yesterday and already listened to it several times. My reaction was very positive but I wasn't crazy about the songs. I liked three songs at first but today it grew on me more. It's definitely a universal album that, I believe, can be recommended to people despite their different taste. I admit that this kind of music isn't my cup of tea and still I enjoyed it a lot, it's very positive and uplifting, plus, girls' voices sound amazing.
Here are the tracks:

Twinkle - This song has a lot of Lady Marmalade feeling and Teayeon's high notes remind me of Aguilera's vibrato. Very catchy melody with distinctive sounds in the background that will make you move your shoulders to the rhythm and croon along. Surprisigly, I wasn't crazy about this song at first, after watching the teasers I was expecting more high notes and was a bit disappointed but after fifth or so listening I was  already singing along, even though my Korean is limited to oppa, thank you, sorry and goodbye, lol. 9/10

Baby Steps - This is the kind of song that makes me want to replay it forever instead of listening to the rest of the album. It's a mid-tempo ballad that reminds me a little bit of Time Machine, it's very catchy, especially all the little Oh!s that are drawled here a lot in a good way. Tiffany and Seohyun stand out in this song, Taeyeon seems to be hidden somewhere in their shadow but then gives her best vocals near the end of the song. The lyrics are beautiful as well, it's a sad song about longing and overcoming one's shyness. To me it's the best song on this album. 10/10

OMG - Back the the burlesque / musical mood. A song in a pretty similar style as Twinkle with more jazz feeling and a bit slower. I found it so-so at first but after few listening I started to like the chorus a lot. The vocals are strong and powerful, I like it, even though it's totally not my kind of music. 8/10

Library - The beginning of this song sounds just like one Polish song, so it got me confused and interested at once. It's very uplifting and catchy, one of those songs that brings to your mind driving on the sunny road with wind in your hair while being totally relaxed and light-hearted. 8.5/10

Good-bye, Hello - The 60's are here, a bit of a musical, a bit of Namie Amuro's New Look or, as you  probably prefer, The Supremes' Baby Love. Again not my cup of tea and yet I like this song a lot. To be clear, it's not a kind of music I listen to on everyday basis, but it goes well with the album's feeling and I'm sure it'll be interesting to watch / listen to at the concert. 7.5/10

Love Sick - I'm not into this song yet, so far I always go back to Twinkle after Good-bye, Hello. It reminds me of old Whitney Houston songs, very slow, and slightly gospel-like, I wish it had a PV or some live performance. It's nice but didn't catch my attention. 6.5/10

Checkmate - The last track on this album. It brings back the strong vocals and a bit of musical feeling but it doesn't stand out and I still tend to skip it. It's a good song but doesn't catch my heart so far. 6.5/10


Album rating: 8.0

PS. The music at the end of the PV is Good-bye, Hello ^^