M - Explore M

The beginning of 2007 was jam packed full of some of the year's greatest music releases, and the second half of the year was set to continue in the same vein with M releasing his third solo album in mid July. Part of popular boyband Shinhwa, Lee Minwoo was the first of the six members to go solo. He began his solo career towards the end of 2003 with the release of un-touch-able, under the name M, taking his style in the direction of pure R&B. Over the past five years, he has enjoyed plenty of success not only in his native Korea, but also in Japan.

Explore M sees the R&B artist return almost two years after his second album, and a lot has changed in that time. Although M had been dabbling in songwriting for a few years by this point, Explore M saw him really emerge as a singer-songwriter. He wrote, composed and arranged the music and lyrics for 5 of the 12 songs on the album, and just the lyrics for another 3. With such input into the songs, it's no wonder that this entire album practically drips with M's style: R&B that's sexy, sensual and charismatic.

The album begins with Showdown, a hard and sexy R&B track composed by M and featuring the rap of his Shinhwa band mate Eric. It's perfect for the stage and perfect for M's dance style, with hard, strong beats and a thumping bassline. The 'M' Style, also composed by M, continues in similar fashion, a little lighter but with a driving beat that keeps up the momentum in a style reminiscent of Justin Timberlake. Epik High's Tablo lends his rap vocals to this song, inviting the listener to "get yo' ass on the dance floor", perfectly summing up the feel of the album's opening tracks.

The pace changes with Boyfriend, an upbeat R&B ballad. It's soft and sweet, and shows the gentler and more sentimental side of M - a moment to catch a breath before being thrown right back onto the dance floor with Stomp. Used as the first single for this album, it's hard, gritty and sexy with a growling effect that goes perfectly with the wolf concept that M began to use during and after this release.

La Noche Bonita gives us yet another change of pace, a laid back but groovy little number that's followed by AM 0705, another sweet and gentle R&B ballad filled with the theme of love that's lost.

Seasoned hiphop artist Tiger JK of Drunken Tiger makes an appearance in Play My Song, also penning the lyrics to this song. Play My Song can only be described as quirky - maybe it's the rhythm, maybe it's the style, or maybe it's just the fact that Tiger JK's English rap is full of quirky personality and puns.

Neo Bbunirago (Untouchable Part II) and Pretty Woman continue the trend of the slower songs, Pretty Woman being one of the least remarkable songs on this album, followed by One Last Cry which has a distinct Usher feel to it. Slow but sexy, it's full of "M Style" and one of the best songs from the second half of the album.

The album winds down towards the end with the mid-tempo pop-R&B L.O.V.E, and then finally My Child (98.03.24). The date in this song's title will be immediately obvious to a Shinhwa fan - it's the date of Shinhwa's debut. Composed by M, this song is dedicated to Shinhwa's fans for their never ending support for both the group and their solo activities. It is perhaps this constant recognition and feeling of closeness that the Shinhwa members give to their fans that endears them so and encourages such unwavering loyalty and devotion throughout the years since their debut.

Although a little disappointing that there were no more heavy R&B dance tracks after the mid-point of the album (a disappointment slightly alleviated with the two added songs in the repackaged edition: the dancier Explore 'M' as track 8 and a remix of The 'M' Style as the final track), overall it's a good solid album from M and definitely head and shoulders above his previous releases. While his vocals have always been exceptional, it's the overall composition of this album that really makes it shine and stand out against the rest. It captures his style perfectly, and shows the different sides of M, be they fast paced and sexy, or tender and sentimental.

With the release of his fourth album rapidly approaching, anticipation is building. Each album has seen M take huge steps forward, and it will be interesting to see how much he has improved and grown since the release of Explore M.