4minute – Hit Your Heart

The queen is back! 4minute makes their comeback with a fresh new concept and a bundle of new, explosive tracks. It’s safe to say that at least a small bit of “fierce” is present in each song on the album.

While adopting an edgy street concept, they also changed their more electronic music sound into something that sounds very similar to what we heard from HyunA in Change. Huh is just that, another dose of fierce R&B influenced synth-pop with loads of voice manipulation and an explosive chorus. This is a superb song and Gayoon’s voice shines above the others with a charisma unheard of before from her. Sohyun also raps during the bridge, my favorite part of the song.

Two other songs in the album qualify as fierce as the title track. I My Me Mine, an incredibly catchy song which is pure Korean synth-pop bliss with rapid vocals and a genius hook, all bounded together by HyunA’s charismatic vocals and the darker Highlight which gives off that “driving music” vibe thanks to it’s almost overuse of strong synths and swift beats.

While their prior album jumped through various genres, this one attempts to center around a similar style. That’s what makes Bababa sound like the Won’t Give You of the album and not lagging behind! The girls get serious for this bittersweet R&B pop song with modern sounding 80′s synth. Invitation is the most R&B song on the album. It is almost entirely rapping and features a fierce brass arrangement, although I didn’t find the song very interesting until the very end. In fact, the whole song sounds like a very long interlude.

Cool and Natural finishes off the album, being a surprise to many 4minute fans out there. It’s the groups first full blown string and piano ballad. With this song I learned that even if my favorite K-Pop group releases a ballad, I’ll still dislike it. The song is pretty and you can get a good listen at the girl’s unmodified vocals but I just don’t find it anything too amazing(like SNSD’s ☆★☆ was).

Even though they went for an R&B twist, 4minute DELIVERED and gave us a package of fierce, enjoyable synth-pop songs that are the essence of what K-Pop is all about. They have yet to disappoint me and I see I bright promotion period for them.

THE QUEEN INDEED HAS COME!

OVERALL RATING

Hit Your Heart is 4minute’s 2nd mini-album and it was released on May 27, 2010.

TRACKLISTING
1. Who’s Next? (feat. BEAST)
2. Huh
3. Invitation
4. I My Me Mine
5. Bababa
6. Highlight
7. Cool and Natural

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• F is 4 FIERCE
• 4minute – For Muzik
• T-ara – Breaking Heart (New Tracks)
• 4minute – Jingle Jingle (feat. Mario, Amen)
• 4minute – Hot Issue