Advancements In Modern K-R&B: Joohee, LambC, NY.LA, Cherry Coke

If you came to this article thinking, “I can’t wait to be educated in all the vast ways in which Korean R&B is advancing! Please, Whiskey Tea, show me your infinite wisdom,” you’re going to be terribly disappointed. I just needed an excuse to talk about the following releases without doing 4 separate reviews because I’m lazy, and they happen to all be in the same genre.

Let us proceed.

Joohee – “She’s Mine

Joohee, formerly of trio 8Eight, just released her first ever solo EP, ‘Psychotherapy,’ and it is all around fantastic. The title track, “She’s Mine“, is no exception. These synths are wub-wubbing in all the right ways. I love the dreamy quality of the instrumental in contrast with the precision of her notes and quick vibrato. The subdued jungle-like rhythm that makes its appearance in each pre-chorus is an awesome touch, too.

LambC – “Love Like That

If you’re in the mood for a song to sit back, relax, and vibe to, LambC‘s “Love Like That” has you covered. From the easy falsetto chorus to the jazzy piano solo, everything about this feels classic and allows you to unwind. I can see myself listening to this with the windows down driving lazily on a spring day, or while enjoying a glass of bourbon at home. Definitely keeping my eye out for more from this artist.

NY.LA – “Can’t Find No Reason

NY.LA impressed me with “Can’t Find No Reason“, a song that combines The Weeknd-like lyrics, a bluesy guitar, funky bass, modern hip hop elements, and ends with some jazzy piano. It sounds like it’d be all over the place on paper, but in practice, it’s smooth as hell. For once, I’m happy a song was presented in all English, as it was clearly written in English.

If nothing else, just watch the music video for the good looking couple, particularly the guy. He’s gorgeous.

Cherry Coke – “Like I Do

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t know what she was saying until I looked up the lyrics. Most of the words are in English. Oops.

Regardless, I found Cherry Coke‘s “Like I Do” interesting in not only sound, but also the odd visuals of the music video. The instrumental itself and hypnotizing repetition of lyrics really reminds me of artists like Kiiara. Considering the song is only about two minutes long, one would think the real drop in beat coming in nearly halfway through is too late, but I think it works.

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There’s never enough of this genre to go around, in my opinion. Particularly because, both within Korea and outside of it, those who aren’t on top tend to go under the radar without anyone even noticing, even if their music is more deserving than those dominating the genre.

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of Korean R&B talent, as regardless of your takeaway I’m always of the opinion that listening to new music is simply fun.

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