Album reviewsToni Braxton 'Pulse' (Warner Music Korea) Toni Braxton, the 1990s R&B legend, returns with her seventh album ``Pulse,'' filled with tragic serenades and dance-worthy bars, though the release still drags at times. The highlights are tracks like ``Make My Heart,'' which begins with funk rhythms before transforming into a lively club song, while ``Yesterday,'' a heartfelt ballad, recalls the strength of Braxton's earlier work. The vocal range of the 42-year-old shines through as a saving grace unaffected by time, but a few tracks like ``Hero'' and ``No Way'' are easy to tune out. Though the album overall has no major faults, the absence of anything explosive leaves listeners merely nostalgic for the singer's past. ― Ines Min Robin Thicke 'Sex Therapy' (Universal Music Korea) The multi-talented pretty boy Robin Thicke releases his fourth album in a smooth, polished package of ``Sex Therapy'' that features a (only partially) tongue-in-check cover booklet and equally smart tracks. Thicke manages to blend his brand of R&B into a slick, 17-track offering inMay 18, 2010
DAT Politics to play in Korea for first timeBy Ines Min Staff reporter Prepare yourself, Korea, as the French-electro group DAT Politics will make their way to the country for the first time in their decade-long career this week. The eight-album strong laptop group from Lille can be characterized by their eclectic sound bites, quirky background vocals, synthesizers and beats reminiscent of video game music. Since beginning in 1999, they've also had a chance to contribute to the growing vein of electronic bands as they helped transform the music scene. ``At the time laptops were not always well accepted,'' said Claude Pailliot in an email interview with The Korea Times, while the band was busy flying between Russia and Switzerland. ``But it changed recently with the explosion of the French electro scene. It just became usual.'' Though the recent popularity of laptop-based bands, which range from fellow French-electro dance group Justice to the impressively orchestrated DJ remixing of Girl Talk, DAT Politics looks to retain their sense of technical roots while continuing to engage the crowd. ``Watching somMay 18, 2010
Holzmair’s Schubert story resonates with KoreansBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter Koreans have a super soft spot for heart wrenching love stories, and perhaps this is why Franz Schubert’s romanticism resonates so well here. This year the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music is making a tribute to the Austrian composer, and Friday highlighted the Korea concert debut of Wolfgang Holzmair, one of the leading Schubert specialists of the day. ``Schubert is a very Austrian composer,’’ the Austrian baritone told The Korea Times in a café in downtown Seoul, Thursday. ``There is something in his music language that has a lot of `sehnsucht’ ― there is no exact English word for it but it means longing. His works are full of joy and longing, but on the other hand they are very melancholic and speak a lot about death, though not in a threatening but consoling way. ``This reflects Viennese thinking. In Vienna, death is always present. Schubert plays with major and minor tonalities in one song, which gives a certain atmosphere which is depressing,’’ he said. Perhaps this is why Schubert’s ``Die Winterreise’’ (The Winter May 14, 2010
Ji-Yong to debut with BBC SymphonyBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter A debut with the BBC Symphony in Seoul, a concert debut in Japan and a first solo recording project in Germany ― not such a bad summer plan for a 19-year-old pianist (though of course, artistic caliber and age often are two different things). Ji-Yong has been praised by the Chicago Tribune as ``a gifted, sensitive young pianist who is clearly going places,’’ and he obviously is. In 2001, at age nine, he became the youngest ever winner of the New York Philharmonic Young Artists Competition. The following year he became the youngest pianist to be represented by international management company IMG Artists, and began to appear in prestigious halls across the United States, Korea and Russia. On Saturday, he will be playing opposite the BBC Symphony for the first time. The unprecedented park-style performance at Olympic Park will bring London’s annual BBC Proms experience straight to the heart of Seoul. ``It’s my first time playing with the BBC Symphony and it’s also my first concerto in Korea. I can’t believe that this is actually happening;May 12, 2010
Album reviewsJason Castro `Jason Castro' (Warner Music Korea) The dreadlocked star from ``American Idol'' has released his debut album, two years after he rose to fame on the popular show. The 23-year-old from Dallas, Texas, showcases his acoustic, clear-cut tenor melodies in the perennial hit ``Let's Just Fall in Love Again'' and his sincere rendition of Leonard Cohen's ``Hallelujah.''' Though the album lags with more clich?d formulas such as ``That's What I'm Here For,'' other, more quirky ukulele-accompanied pieces like ``If I Were You'' bring refreshing island notes. But it's the slight country-twang of ``Love Uncompromised'' and the practiced croon of ``All Wrapped Up'' that make this album ― if not the best ― at least charming. - Ines Min Various Artists `40 for 40 Songs' (Sony Music) This three-disc set compiles the best oldies and guilty pleasure songs from 40 artists over the past four decades. From Korean legend Bom Yeo-reum Gaeul Kyeo-ul (Spring Summer Fall Winter) to Simon & Garfunkel and Whitney Houston to Haebaragi (Sunflower), all the basics are covered in May 11, 2010
Schumann concerts offer spring revelryBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter ``In beautiful May, when the buds sprang, love sprang up in my heart; in beautiful May, when the birds all sang, I told you my suffering and longing.'' ``The Beautiful Month of May'' is the opening piece in ``The Poet's Love,'' the most beloved song cycle of Robert Schumann, inspired by Heinrich Heine's poems. The spring season is in full bloom, and romantics can indulge in German Romanticism through Schumann-themed chamber concerts this month. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer, who was born in 1810 in Saxony, Germany. His big birthday here has been slightly eclipsed by the bicentennial of yet another maestro, ``poet of the piano'' Frederic Chopin. But it is interesting to note that Schumann, who, in addition to writing pieces of music that have become staples of the Western classical music canon, was also a writer/publisher of a music magazine called ``Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik (New Journal for Music),'' and he was one of the first to spread the word about Chopin's exceptional talent. Living legend Martha AMay 10, 2010
Usher bounces back with new albumBy Han Sang-hee Staff reporter For top stars, experiencing a downfall can be a big blow: whether it is on a personal level or in terms of a career, but for R&B superstar Usher, it was a chance to step back and fully appreciate his life and music. ``Having experienced some serious things in my life over the last few years, it has allowed me to reflect and challenge my life. There is validation in accepting change. Having gone through a marriage, a divorce and having children have taught me very valuable lessons and that's what I put into my career and my music,'' he told The Korea Times through an email interview. May 9, 2010
4th World DJ Festival begins near Han RiverBy Ines Min Staff reporter The annual Seoul World D.J. Festival kicks off this Saturday for its fourth installment of house music, beats and innovative rhythms. The two-day extravaganza will showcase 42 artists from four continents, serving as a venue for artists to collaborate and inspire one another in an idyllic spring setting. Concertgoers will have access to non-stop electro at the Nanji campgrounds along the Han River, after listening to beats from such artists as Fantastic Plastic Machine (FPM) from Japan, Australia’s Vandalism, Freemasons from the United Kingdom and Dirty Disco Youth from Germany. The festival’s motto, ``Everyone participates, with zero onlookers,’’ will reach the crowds through such adrenaline-pumped experiences as the ``Silent Disco.’’ The festival practice involves a DJ transmitting beats straight into wireless headsets for participants, which effectively creates a dance scene without sound to passersby. Other main events will include the ``No Tricks Battle International League Korea vs. Japan,’’ in which two teams of artists from the twMay 5, 2010
Seoul Spring Fest to console Cheonan mournersBy Lee Hyo-won Staff reporter The 2010 Seoul Spring Festival is reaching out to heartbroken Koreans with warm string sounds. Korea’s foremost chamber music event kicked off Wednesday with a special Children’s Day concert for kids from lower income families, and will continue through May 18. The opening show on Friday titled ``Alla Breve’’ (in cut time) will be dedicated to the 46 sailors who recently lost their lives in the sinking of the Cheonan navy vessel. Violinist and artistic director Kang Dong-suk and renowned Belgian pianist Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden will play Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major by Guillaume Lekeu. Like the sailors who died too young, the Belgian composer passed away at the age of 24. The concert will be held at Sejong Chamber Hall, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, central Seoul. On Saturday at Seoul Arts Center, the festival will host a performance of which the proceeds will go to the victims’ families. As much as this year’s edition of the festival is themed ``Unfinished Journey’’ in reference to Schubert, who lived a short lifMay 5, 2010
Album reviewsJesus Loves Babies 'Jesus Loves Babies' (Universal Music Korea) For many new parents, a growing emphasis has been put on prenatal education. But forget the foreign-language tapes, as Universal Music Group's ``Jesus Loves Babies'' provides a new twist to prenatal education: religion. Fifteen instrumental hymns arranged by Conrad Wong and Kong Fai present soothing melodies for all ages. From acoustic guitar and piano, to more quirky xylophone and flute pieces, they keep this album lively and fun. Accompanied with a 36-page booklet with lyrics in both English and Korean, the album reinterprets such classics as ``Amazing Grace,'' ``Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty,'' and ``He's Got the Whole World in His Hand.'' / Ines Min Cypress Hill 'Rise Up' (Capitol Records) The legendary Cypress Hill returns with their first album in six years ― in a career that spans two decades ― and their debut release on Snoop Dogg's Priority Records. The move to the new label and four years of work by the Latino hip-hop group has resulted in a strong comeback that recalls the edge oMay 4, 2010