Released in August, 2010, Love & Verse 1/2 is a mixed infusion of sound and tone.
STILL PM is one counterpart of the 14 member underground hip-hop crew Soul Connection. Released on August 9th, 2010, Love & Verse ½ is a follow up from STILL PM’s Love & Verse ¼, which was released in November 2009. Love & Verse ½ features vocals from various Soul Connection members on all tracks, barring Fool.
The opening track, Michyeoga (feat. Kuan), is a strong start to the second mini-album. It sounds like most other K-pop songs, so nothing new. The following track, Nuneul gama (Feat. CSP, Ringo Jay) , is a smooth ballad and includes some rather fast rapping -- very impressive.
The third and seventh tracks (Sorry and Mianhae) are essentially the same song; the only difference besides an English title versus a Korean one is that they feature different Soul Connection members as supporting vocals. Sorry is a collaboration withChoi Yuu Mi, while Mianhae features vocals from Keyreal and Kuan, both of whom are part of Soul Connection. Overall, Sorry has a faint Big Bang nuance to it, in their older hip-hop work before turning pop.
Remember (Feat. Kim Hyeon Min) is a bit brighter and stands out on the album. The track is a bit reminiscent of the rapper, Outsider, who is known to rap at ungodly speeds (also holds the world record for rapping fast). Kim Hyeon Min sings the chorus in English and provides a balance between both the rapping and actual singing as well as the two languages, English and Korean. The line “keep your head up, k-k-keep your head up” reminds the listener to remain in high spirits even when times are tough.
Fool is the most laid back song on Love & Verse ½. Still upbeat, but it also has a faint jazz infusion within the pop song. The partial English-Korean lines of the chorus: “still and lonely fool, you’ve got to be my boo / Ajikdo nan kkumkkugoisseo, wanna be your lover…” details a man and his determination to find love. The rapped verses seem to outline more of a story, but within the chorus are his voiced feelings.
Goodbye (feat. Gray City) is a strangely relaxing song. Although Goodbye (feat. Gray City) is marginally slower than Fool, the former invokes the feeling of lounging in the warm sun and doing next to nothing—a nice feeling to think of when skies are grey. It has a light jazz feel, mixed with R&B elements.
The final track, Don't Stop (feat. Soul Connection), smartly wraps up the album and leaves on a strong note. When compared to the ballad-like previous track and Don't Stop (feat. Soul Connection), the contrast between is very noticeable. The mix of STILL PM’s voice, other members of Soul Connection and the overall fun feeling of the song makes the listener want to get up and dance. Elements in Don't Stop (feat. Soul Connection) sound similar to current Big Bang works, in that it’s bold but still has its own unique style.
Overall, Love & Verse ½ includes a mixture of sounds: jazz, pop, hip-hop and rap. Since STILL PM isn’t part of the famed Hallyu idol crowd, but an underground hip-hop group, he seems to deliver a truer hip-hop mixed with more generic pop.
