miss A are a new girl group from producer JYP. On July 8th the girls debuted with their first single. It's a challenge for the girls as they have a lot to live up to, considering the artists that JYP has produced. If they are not careful, they might forever be in the shadows of the popular girl group Wonder Girls.
BAD BUT GOOD starts off with the main track of the single, Bad Girl Good Girl. This is a rather slow track for a new group to start off with. It has catchy lyrics and a calm tempo. We get the typical JYP introduction from the beginning and this proves just how far these girls could go without the need for singing. Seeing past that, the vocal talents from the girls are clear from the start, showing just how capable they are. The song does give you an upbeat feeling and works good as a pop number. The lyrics provide a strong image of the girls, portraying strong women who know how to deal with men. All in all, this song is rather anti-climatic, the listener being unable to pick out just when the chorus begins unless you listen carefully.
As soon as Looking at Each Other starts, you know these girls mean business. This upbeat song starts with a bang and brings a brilliant pop song to life. The lyrics and beat are catchy and the girls put on a great performance. The only problem with the song is that the music sometimes overpowers the girls' singing but they still manage to make it work. This song will have you bopping your head and wanting more. A mixture of singing and rapping is included on a professional level showing just how diverse these girls can be.
Following on from their pop themed release, Love Again starts as another happy, upbeat song. It seems more laid back than Looking at each other but more fast paced than Bad Girl Good Girl. By now, we know the girls can do pop songs and we know they can sing. To have another song on this release that is basically a mixture of the two songs is a bold move. This track includes a larger section of rapping talent as well as singing - which, once more, shows us the girls' abilities. Though since these were brought forward in the previous song, it seems redundant.
Break It is, not surprisingly, a pop number and the final track on this release. It gives off more of an R'n'B vibe, which is a nice change from the previous songs. From the beginning this comes across as a strong track with the chorus being catchy and it has a good mixture of backing vocals to go with the main voice. This is one of the strongest tracks on this release, just for its diversity from the others. It's more of a mature sound than previously heard and a nice refreshing change from happy pop songs.
All in all, this release shows promise for JYP's new girl group. They have proven that they have what it takes to produce good quality music and songs. Their only let-down was the lack of a ballad on this release to show us just how good the girls are at tackling those kind of songs. Being on the same label as the Wonder Girls, it has raised the bar for them and because of this we are expecting great releases from them. Where BAD BUT GOOD is their first, and albeit slightly disappointing in terms of track choices, they have clearly shown their talents to us. We know they can sing and we know they are capable. Future releases will be anticipated with great interest. miss A are definitely a girl group to watch and they won't be standing in anyone's shadows.
