[Review] Falling in love with ‘SHINee: The First’

"SHINee: The First", the Japanese language album of Korean idol group SHINee, can make you fall in love with the Korean boyband all over again.

SHINee has come a long way since their humble beginnings in 2008. I can still recall the fresh-faced young idols winning my heart with "Reply (Noona, You're So Pretty)" and my ultimate favorite SHINee track "Love's Way" which sampled "Tender Love" from the 1980s. SHINee was, in fact, one of my earliest K-Pop biases which I had to suffer from since my friends teased me greatly for liking them. Well... I was still right. SHINee has since become one of the most popular K-Pop idol groups with a series of memorable hits including "Juliette," "Ring Ding Dong," and "Lucifer."

Following the steps of their SM sunbaes TVXQ who has a massive following in Japan, SHINee went on to become bigger than their sunbaes with "SHINee: The First."

For this album, SM Entertainment has pulled out all the stops to ensure that Onew, Jongyun, Minho, Key, and Taemin receive the kind of love that they received in their native Korea. SHINee has indeed proven their crossover charm becoming the most successful K-Pop act in Japan in 2011.

"SHINee: The First" have seven tracks from previous Korean releases, namely "Replay," "Juliette," "Lucifer," "Amigo," "Love Like Oxygen," "Hello," and "The SHINee World." For the most part, these tracks are exactly what they are--Japanese remakes of their Korean originals, and I generally prefer the originals, save for perhaps "Juliette," which sounds strangely better in Japanese. To the group's credit, there is marked vocal improvement, especially on the part of dance machine Taemin, whose vocal skills have increased so significantly, he's been given lines originally assigned to resident vocal acrobat Jonghyun. We've come to expect excellent singing from the likes of Jonghyun and leader Onew, so to hear Taemin rise from the ranks is, well, refreshing. I am not surprised, however, since Taemin works really hard to achieve his goals. Taemin's improvement bodes well for the group, especially since rapper and singer Key doesn't seem to be breaking new ground (although he sings quite well too), and rapper Minho's best contribution to the ranks continues to be his, um, hotness (Shawols, don't kill me.).

This brings us to the five Japanese tracks, "Better," "To Your Heart," "Always Love," "Start," "Seesaw," and "Stranger." Of the five, the standout tracks for me are "Better," "To Your Heart," "Always Love," and "Seesaw." "Better" sounds very SHINee having that "yearning teen" quality highlighted by the impeccable blending of leads Jonghyun and Onew. Who would not feel "Better" after hearing this song?

"To Your Heart" has such a melodious chorus, its difficult to resist while "Always Love" is and feels like a "thank you fan tribute" song bound to become a SHINee fan chant classic.

"Seesaw" is a delightful surprise to me. Before listening to it, I thought it was the Japanese version of "Up & Down" but it was not. "Seesaw" has a similar lyrical theme as "Up & Down" but it sounds cooler in its electronic "seesaw-like" rhythm. The song was the shortest one in the album but it is quite a pleaser. As for the other songs, "Start" and "Stranger," these tracks are, to me, album fillers too bland and even annoying to be revisited.

Save for some of the negatives, SHINee "The First" is a strategic entry into the Japanese market. Since the Japanese already love the K-Pop sound of SHINee, they did not veer away too much from the formula. The strategic marketing which epitomizes everything we've come to expect from SM Entertainment also worked wonders. By combining both previous hits and a smattering of new material purchased from Western composers, SHINee stands to get the best of both worlds--safely releasing hit songs already familiar to Japanese fans and setting the stage for a new musical direction for the group in Japan. Clearly, SHINee is not looking to create J-Pop. The presence of Japanese lyricists and not musical composers on the musical songwriting credits is proof enough. It seems that SHINee is out to make a album that represents the direction they wish to take for their next Japanese promotion cycle. Whether "The First" caters to first-time Japanese fans or to diehard Shawols (The name of SHINee fans), one thing is certain--this album is designed to make Shawols fall in love with everything that SHINee stands for, and with that, many are hoping that "SHINee: The Second" won't be too long in coming.

Catherine Deen blogs for Yahoo! Philippines OMG! She lives, eats and breathes Korean music, cuisine, telenovelas, and pop culture. Follow her on Twitter @cathsdeen.