Release Date: 2010.07.21
Honestly, I think 80% of anything Korean singer BoA sings for Japan is, or will end up to be, crap. I mean really, she’s 23 going on 24, and she still wants to act overtly cute and release bubblegum pop. Well, good for her, but there are only a select few J-Pop singers that actually pull this off past H!P-potency, and she hasn’t released anything interesting in that area in quite some time. But while the majority is laughable at best, ocasionally, she makes some truly shiny gems, or in the case of new single, “WOO WEEKEND“, a diamond that’s not polished properly.
“WOO WEEKEND” is actually a pretty good tune. It carries a late 80s/early 90s air about it, with retro synths scattered throughout atop a muffled guitar that throwback Prince and channel old-school influence – present is a acapella sample accenting the song’s title (“WOO WEEEEEEEEE!“). It is indeed a charming bubblegum song, and while it seems to stick to BoA like an old shoe that’s a little too tight (her stronger area of expertise lies in R&B roots), she certainly pulls off the fun, funky, fresh summer-ready anthem like she was born for it. The b-side, “NO DANCE, NO LIFE“, also throwbacks to the old dance-pop of the MTV era with a hot Jackson-inspired groove that seems a little monotonous but is also highly addictive. If “WOO WEEKEND” is the daytime jam, this is the downtown nightclub groove.
I secretly enjoy many of BoA’s releases, but this really caught my attention. At first I ignored it but once I learned to appreciate how well-crafted and clever this single is, I never looked back. I’ll just be looking forward to BoA’s Korean comeback for something even hotter (a guaranteed).
★★★★★☆
