[Review] “Lonely” by 2NE1

2NE1 have recently unleashed their first track of 2011, titled “Lonely“, just ahead of their full-fledged comeback this June.

Just a week ago, lead vocalist Park Bom debuted her solo digital single, “Don’t Cry“, and if that was any indication, it sounds like YG Entertainment has finally decided to pull back from the over digitized sound and veer their efforts toward a more experimental approach with 2NE1.

If anything, the change is paying off.

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Rather than following the cookie-cutter trends of K-pop, 2NE1 have been setting their own ever since their explosive debut back in 2009. It’s undeniable that these four ladies bring something completely different to the scene than any other active girl group right now, which makes them that much more important as a contributing factor to the progression of the Korean pop music industry.

2NE1 have grown to be edgy, innovative, and believable as artists in their own right; when 2NE1 introduced swag, attitude, and brute force to the scene, many girl groups were quick to follow. However, the authenticity and fierceness of 2NE1’s style remains to be tested by their valiant competitors.

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“Lonely” stands out as a newly released track because it’s much slower than anyone was expecting from 2NE1, but there’s one other thing that stands out about it as well.

In a thoughtful move by the songwriter, this song doesn’t feature a lick of rap. Pop songwriters, now more than ever, feel the need to insert rap into every single song/ballad they can muster because it’s ‘automatically cool and interesting that way’ when most times it could really go without, and this song unfolds just fine on its own. Instead of killer rap lines, we get a large dose of CL, who is arguably the shining star in “Lonely”, as she gives us a variation of vocal skills. She tests out her falsetto, and while I maintain her forte is rap, it goes without saying that CL has quite the singing voice (one that always risks breaking any emotional connection with the listener by almost getting too fierce on us).

Not surprisingly, Sandara Park holds her ground, like in every 2NE1 song, as the filler-transitional voice between the strongest singers in the group. Park Bom, who reminds me of the Park Bom in “The First Mini Album“, is not only given great parts of the song, but is allowed to handle the ad-libs (yes, ad-libs) at the end just like a proper lead vocalist should.  And by all means, does a mighty nice job of not over singing or shouting them, a step above previous releases for her.  Bom just sounds comfortable.

Finally, we have Minzy, who has the capability of blowing the roof off 2NE1’s singles but is never given the opportunity to do so. Here, Minzy delivers that very rich timbre of hers and carries most of the lower notes that the other ladies can’t quite hit. The difference: Minzy can hit both the lows and highs because she has a prominent chest voice, but we’re stuck listening to her deeper tones for now.

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“Lonely” sees 2NE1 putting a damper on the auto-tuned rage of everything on “To Anyone” (I’m sure we’ll hear its reprise, or at least a heavier form of processing by next month). Instead, this sounds like they’ve cut everything down to just vocals and a couple accompaniments. It almost feels like someone laid an ever-so-thinly trimmed veil over 2NE1’s vocals, not exactly to muffle their vocals, but to cut it back from sounding crisp. On top of that, “Lonely” is very resonant, far more than any of their previous singles; if you listen closely, you can hear what I mean throughout the verses (CL’s first line).

In truth, “Lonely” plays out just like YG wants it to – sounding ‘acoustic’ and ‘live session-like’ without actually being either of those. YG have noticed that not many idols have stripped that thick layer of glitz and glamour away, nor used the indie-esque vibes as a comeback tactic, and they’re going in straight for the kill here.

Rather than strutting in unison into the future like they did last year, 2NE1 are coming at us from a brand new angle, one that we haven’t seen them from, and there’s something very refreshing about that. Listeners have always known that 2NE1 possess an undefined amount of vocal talent, and the best thing about “Lonely” is that it’s one of the better releases to showcase those abilities.

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