Though she’s featured in SM Entertainment’s super group Got The Beat and made a successful return with Girls’ Generation last summer, it’s been a long wait for new solo music from Taeyeon. It’s hard to believe INVU was nearly two years ago! Now, she’s back with a new mini album and title track To. X.
Taeyeon is the kind of artist I admire greatly but often struggle to connect to musically. Her voice is one for the ages and imbues any song with plenty of emotion and character. And when a song lets her lean into that cathartic quality, we end up with a masterpiece.
Sadly, To. X is an underwhelming midtempo. I’m surprised it was chosen as a title track at all, as nothing about it draws much attention to itself. Strummed guitar meets a languid r&b beat, over which Taeyeon supplies a subdued melody. It’s executed well, but draws too close to that dread “coffeehouse” sound I tend to dislike. Her rhythmic phrasing gives this a different charm than most Taeyeon tracks, but I keep waiting for something to reach out and grab me. I guess SM is playing toward the Korean charts with this one. The listening public seems to love this restrained approach.
Hooks
8
Production
7
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.5