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ALBUM REVIEW: SUHO – “SELF PORTRAIT”
Written by: Polaris_Tae
Suho, best known as a member of the kpop super-group EXO, has finally, after eight active years, made his solo debut -- with an album that, I must say, is one of my favourites yet this year. "Self-Portrait", a love letter to his fans, is a perfect opening act to the career of an artist. Notably, he participated in the making-of, helping pen a number of songs under the pseudonym SH2O, proving his worth not only as a singer, but as a songwriter.
'O2'
"O2" is a light and fluttery first breath. Suho sings in metaphors, compares himself to a deep blue ocean, questions whether he is truly wanted. He asks to be embraced before he is forced to leave, just as the tide is pulled away from the shore by its ebb and flow. The song starts in a crescendo, gradually bleeding into the rest of the instrumental array as he begins to sing. The track largely utilises string instruments, a wonderfully soft accompaniment to Suho's fantastic vocals. My favourite aspect of the song (aside from the deeply metaphorical lyrics) is the vocal layering within the bridge, as he sings "Hold me close / Kiss me hard / Show me where you wanna go" -- an emphatic plea, only amplified in depth and meaning by this layering. "O2" is definitely one of the best specimens I've ever come across, in terms of an introduction to an album, and a gateway into its own little cosm.
9/10
'Let's Love'
"Let's Love", the title track of the album, is a soft-rock inspired ballad that gives Suho's love for his -- and by extension, EXO's -- fans a central status in his debut as a solo artist. The choice to name the song "Let's Love" -- a slogan he coined himself to express his love for both the group and their fans in any giving of thanks -- adds an extra dimension of significance to the song; an expression of his gratitude and love for the fans that have supported him through the years. However, "Let's Love" is probably one of my least favourite songs on the album, mainly due to the fact that it lacks any real vocal complexity, failing to carry through on the precedent set by "O2". In my opinion, some kind of significant vocal challenge is the least one could expect from the title track of a vocal-oriented album. There were portions of the track that teased at a shift to a higher key, only to not deliver anything of the sort -- anticlimactic and disappointing. It seems likely that SM decided to go the safe route with the title track, putting emphasis on the track instrumentals instead of the vocal technique, choosing, rather, to explore the latter in the following b-sides. That being said, the instrumentals were, indeed, very enjoyable -- especially the constant loop of the electric guitar -- invoking in the listener, beyond the obvious addition of musical depth, a certain sense of hope; a personal story for each individual. "Let's Love" is one of those songs that make you wish that SM published bare instrumentals with their releases, as the instrumental layering within "Let's Love" is superb!
7/10
'Made In You'
"Made in You" is an upbeat, cheery song that perfectly showcases Suho's sweet vocals, as he sings of love and gratitude in an uplifting melody. The subject of this song, however, is unknown and open to interpretation (of course, the song could be taken as yet another love letter to his fans). He expresses his belief that without the love and support he was given, through thick and thin, he couldn't have made it to where he stands today -- "I just need you / Cuz you know that without you / The me of now doesn’t exist". "Made In You" is the perfect song to listen to while you're stuck at home with nothing to do, bound to boost your mood and make your day better!
8/10
'Starry Night'
"Starry Night" is by far the greatest song on "Self-Portrait", a complete package, containing everything one could want from a song. It has both a fantastic instrumental arrangement, and the vocal complexity that "Let's Love" was desperately wanting for -- making this song one of my favourite yet in 2020! "Starry Night" speaks of loneliness, of being a stranger to one's own self in a fast-paced world that is as cut-throat as it is glamorous. "Starry Night" starts with a sort of 'scattered'.piano motif, a sole accompaniment to the voice of the artist -- and as the song develops, so does the the musical ensemble, with vocal and instrumental layering being gradually added to the base consisting of the voice-piano pair. This is a song that proves Suho worth as a vocalist -- establishing the fact that in any other group but EXO, he'd be a main vocalist. I found the most stunning aspect of this song to be the beautifully deliberate control he has over the expression of emotion in his voice -- in the final lines, for instance, he sounds truly heartbroken as he sings: "You're a broken star / The darker it is, the more you shine."
10/10
'Self-Portrait'
"Self-Portrait" is, in my opinion, the song could have replaced "Let's Love" as a perfect title track. It is a surprisingly upbeat track, with him singing about his efforts to let go of a past love. He uses the image of paint bleeding into the grain of a canvas as a metaphor for his feelings -- just as the paint can never be fully erased, and will continue to exist as a stain, his love will always exist as a part of him, in some degree. As for the music itself -- picture a day of aimless, summer wandering. Mellow instrumentals allow his voice to take centre stage, leaving you to wonder what took SM so long to grant him a chance at a solo career. "Self-Portrait" is a song that helps to fully establish Suho's capacity to hold his own in the solo arena.
9.5/10
'For You Now (ft. Youhna)'
"For You Now" is the final song on "Self-Portrait", and serves as the perfect closure to an already stunning album. Youhna, the featured artist, lends to the song her graceful vocals, a beautiful complement to Suho's own voice (a pair that truly highlights the best qualities of each), and the pair sing a tale of bittersweet longing. A perfectly ambient coffee shop track, if you ask me. However, I found that there wasn't a single standout quality to the songs, when compared to other great tracks on "Self-Portrait". The instrumentals are too simple, sort of generic-nameless-ballad-esque, and even the vocals technique failed to impress. However, the harmonisation between both Younha and Suho was wonderful, and I enjoyed the fact that neither vocalist drowned the other out, by taking turns at singing rather than layering their voices on top of each other. All in all, the light, yet wistful vocals of this song were the perfect way to conclude the story of Suho's "Self-Portrait".
7/10
In Conclusion, "Self-Portrait" is a fantastic first chapter for Suho, both as a singer and an artist, especially considering the b-sides, which I found more enjoyable than the lead single. Suho has proven that he has a lot to show, with or without EXO, and I look forward to his future both as a solo act, and as a member and leader of EXO.
__________________________________________________
Artistic Creativity: 10/10
Vocal Quality: 9/10
Music: 8.5/10
9/10
__________________________________________________
PROOFREAD BY: TIMINGIL
GRAPHICS BY: BOOMIMO
Written by: Polaris_Tae
Suho, best known as a member of the kpop super-group EXO, has finally, after eight active years, made his solo debut -- with an album that, I must say, is one of my favourites yet this year. "Self-Portrait", a love letter to his fans, is a perfect opening act to the career of an artist. Notably, he participated in the making-of, helping pen a number of songs under the pseudonym SH2O, proving his worth not only as a singer, but as a songwriter.
'O2'
"O2" is a light and fluttery first breath. Suho sings in metaphors, compares himself to a deep blue ocean, questions whether he is truly wanted. He asks to be embraced before he is forced to leave, just as the tide is pulled away from the shore by its ebb and flow. The song starts in a crescendo, gradually bleeding into the rest of the instrumental array as he begins to sing. The track largely utilises string instruments, a wonderfully soft accompaniment to Suho's fantastic vocals. My favourite aspect of the song (aside from the deeply metaphorical lyrics) is the vocal layering within the bridge, as he sings "Hold me close / Kiss me hard / Show me where you wanna go" -- an emphatic plea, only amplified in depth and meaning by this layering. "O2" is definitely one of the best specimens I've ever come across, in terms of an introduction to an album, and a gateway into its own little cosm.
9/10
'Let's Love'
"Let's Love", the title track of the album, is a soft-rock inspired ballad that gives Suho's love for his -- and by extension, EXO's -- fans a central status in his debut as a solo artist. The choice to name the song "Let's Love" -- a slogan he coined himself to express his love for both the group and their fans in any giving of thanks -- adds an extra dimension of significance to the song; an expression of his gratitude and love for the fans that have supported him through the years. However, "Let's Love" is probably one of my least favourite songs on the album, mainly due to the fact that it lacks any real vocal complexity, failing to carry through on the precedent set by "O2". In my opinion, some kind of significant vocal challenge is the least one could expect from the title track of a vocal-oriented album. There were portions of the track that teased at a shift to a higher key, only to not deliver anything of the sort -- anticlimactic and disappointing. It seems likely that SM decided to go the safe route with the title track, putting emphasis on the track instrumentals instead of the vocal technique, choosing, rather, to explore the latter in the following b-sides. That being said, the instrumentals were, indeed, very enjoyable -- especially the constant loop of the electric guitar -- invoking in the listener, beyond the obvious addition of musical depth, a certain sense of hope; a personal story for each individual. "Let's Love" is one of those songs that make you wish that SM published bare instrumentals with their releases, as the instrumental layering within "Let's Love" is superb!
7/10
'Made In You'
"Made in You" is an upbeat, cheery song that perfectly showcases Suho's sweet vocals, as he sings of love and gratitude in an uplifting melody. The subject of this song, however, is unknown and open to interpretation (of course, the song could be taken as yet another love letter to his fans). He expresses his belief that without the love and support he was given, through thick and thin, he couldn't have made it to where he stands today -- "I just need you / Cuz you know that without you / The me of now doesn’t exist". "Made In You" is the perfect song to listen to while you're stuck at home with nothing to do, bound to boost your mood and make your day better!
8/10
'Starry Night'
"Starry Night" is by far the greatest song on "Self-Portrait", a complete package, containing everything one could want from a song. It has both a fantastic instrumental arrangement, and the vocal complexity that "Let's Love" was desperately wanting for -- making this song one of my favourite yet in 2020! "Starry Night" speaks of loneliness, of being a stranger to one's own self in a fast-paced world that is as cut-throat as it is glamorous. "Starry Night" starts with a sort of 'scattered'.piano motif, a sole accompaniment to the voice of the artist -- and as the song develops, so does the the musical ensemble, with vocal and instrumental layering being gradually added to the base consisting of the voice-piano pair. This is a song that proves Suho worth as a vocalist -- establishing the fact that in any other group but EXO, he'd be a main vocalist. I found the most stunning aspect of this song to be the beautifully deliberate control he has over the expression of emotion in his voice -- in the final lines, for instance, he sounds truly heartbroken as he sings: "You're a broken star / The darker it is, the more you shine."
10/10
'Self-Portrait'
"Self-Portrait" is, in my opinion, the song could have replaced "Let's Love" as a perfect title track. It is a surprisingly upbeat track, with him singing about his efforts to let go of a past love. He uses the image of paint bleeding into the grain of a canvas as a metaphor for his feelings -- just as the paint can never be fully erased, and will continue to exist as a stain, his love will always exist as a part of him, in some degree. As for the music itself -- picture a day of aimless, summer wandering. Mellow instrumentals allow his voice to take centre stage, leaving you to wonder what took SM so long to grant him a chance at a solo career. "Self-Portrait" is a song that helps to fully establish Suho's capacity to hold his own in the solo arena.
9.5/10
'For You Now (ft. Youhna)'
"For You Now" is the final song on "Self-Portrait", and serves as the perfect closure to an already stunning album. Youhna, the featured artist, lends to the song her graceful vocals, a beautiful complement to Suho's own voice (a pair that truly highlights the best qualities of each), and the pair sing a tale of bittersweet longing. A perfectly ambient coffee shop track, if you ask me. However, I found that there wasn't a single standout quality to the songs, when compared to other great tracks on "Self-Portrait". The instrumentals are too simple, sort of generic-nameless-ballad-esque, and even the vocals technique failed to impress. However, the harmonisation between both Younha and Suho was wonderful, and I enjoyed the fact that neither vocalist drowned the other out, by taking turns at singing rather than layering their voices on top of each other. All in all, the light, yet wistful vocals of this song were the perfect way to conclude the story of Suho's "Self-Portrait".
7/10
In Conclusion, "Self-Portrait" is a fantastic first chapter for Suho, both as a singer and an artist, especially considering the b-sides, which I found more enjoyable than the lead single. Suho has proven that he has a lot to show, with or without EXO, and I look forward to his future both as a solo act, and as a member and leader of EXO.
__________________________________________________
Artistic Creativity: 10/10
Vocal Quality: 9/10
Music: 8.5/10
9/10
__________________________________________________
PROOFREAD BY: TIMINGIL
GRAPHICS BY: BOOMIMO
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This was a really impressive solo debut from Junmyeon and I genuinely don't think there's a single song on this that I'd consider to be skippable. I'm glad you also think Starry Night is the best song on the album because I agree!
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Suho promo on H+
Thanks for the review!
Thanks for the review!
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It really is a solid album, best album for my first Kpop review ~
"Starry Night" is amazing
thanks for the review 
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thanks for the review! it's a solid album and very fitting for suho
Wozumo
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This is my fav album this year and I don't think no other will too this, it was such a surprise for me cuz I wasn't expecting it
Starry Night <3
Starry Night <3