Ever so often, I like to share what’s on heavy rotation on my iPod. It isn’t always the newest thing, or the most popular thing, but for some reason this is the stuff that I’m grooving to. I make no distinction between idol and non-idol Kpop, popular and obscure, mainstream and indie. It’s just what I like, and some info about it. Maybe you might like it too.
What I’m Listening To
Who Does It
This time, it’s Brown Eyed Soul‘s Can’t Stop Loving You, a single released in 2010. The group, made up of Na Ul, Jung Yup, Sung Hoon, and Young Jun, debut in 2003. They are primarily known for being a Korean R&B group, and their other albums, Soul Free (2003) and Brown Eyed Soul (2010) testify to this. Brown Eyed Soul are serious students of soul. In an interview, one of the members explained: “Basically, we pursue soul – a genre of African-American roots.” While the group is inactive, individual members have been pursuing solo projects.
Why I Like It
In this song, Brown Eyed Soul brings back the old, ’60s type soul: horns, melodies. It’s a refreshing change. Some people assume that if K-pop groups emulate American soul, it’s the 1980s/1990s variety, but Can’t Stop Loving You shows the range of the genre in Korean popular music.
Photo Source: Union Press News
Source: Brown Eyed Soul Interview, Reika No Rakuen
High Yellow - Asian Popular Culture 