[HOT TRACK]Mature Kim Gun-mo Pleases
Published: 05 Jan. 2003, 16:47
In one photo, the 33-year-old singer resembles a sharp-looking businessman in a pinstripe suit. Another picture shows him in a Las Vegas lounge suit with a plastic smile glued to his face. In another, he mimics singer David Byrne's penchant for wearing suits two sizes too big.
While he may not actually have so many different faces, Kim Gun-mo does have a wide range of vocal capabilities. Since debuting in 1992, he has worked in a variety of musical styles including rap, reggae, ballad and pop. He is especially well known for being one of the first to introduce reggae and rap to Koreans.
His voice is neither as sweet as Ronan Keating's, nor as sexy as Ricky Martin's. Instead, he has a strong tone that can deal with any song he chooses to sing.
In "Another Days...," scheduled for release on Monday, his voice sounds more relaxed and experienced. He not only is featured in the vocals in his new album, but also wrote some of the songs and produced the album.
The song "Jeong" ("Affection"), is already the talk of the town, because it features lyrics written by a former Miss Korea, Oh Hyun-kyeong. The appearance on the Internet of a sex video depicting Ms. Oh forced her to move to the United States; Kim asked Oh to help with the lyrics of the song by describing her present state of mind. What she came up with translates as "I don't believe love anymore, for I was so hurt when I did. But today, I pine for love though I am tired of it. I cannot let you out of my mind."
Kim also has a reputation for being playful, and did not forget to include a few dance tracks with amusing lyrics. In "Jjang-ga," he asks a former sweetheart who dumped him to return all the presents he gave her. He continues by telling her he will keep her gifts because he can't remember which girlfriend gave him what.
Ballads are his forte, and make up six of the nine tracks on the album. In "I'm Sorry," a husband asks forgiveness from his wife.
With the accompaniment of comforting piano music, his husky voice reminds you why he is one of the most loved ballad singers in Korea.
Though you might be disappointed that the price of the CD buys you only nine songs, a good time with this versatile singer is guaranteed.
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Balladeer Mixes Moods And Styles in His 7th Album, Notable for a Track Featuring Lyrics by Oh Hyun-kyeong
by Chun Su-jin
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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