KANGTA returns with his fourth full-length solo album titled Eyes On You in over 17 years since his last release. The album Persona. Eyes On You celebrates KANGTA’s 26th anniversary of debut and includes not only new singles, but also songs performed during KANGTA’s 25th anniversary debut project.
Eyes On You consists of 10 tracks led by the single ‘Eyes On You’ and sees KANGTA bridging the generation and style gaps by teaming up with NCT’s TAEYONG on the track ‘Skip’ and with the Korean rapper Paloalto on the track ‘Love Song’.
The single ‘Eyes On You’ is a smooth and elegant 90s R&B track that showcases KANGTA’s amazing vocals. The song is a sensual slow burn; the instrumental and KANGTA’s voice create a dynamic sound that, even if simple, makes the listeners feel something and come back to it.
The album moves forward with the first big featuring, NCT’s TAEYONG on ‘Skip’. The song is a groovy R&B-pop track and the two voices together on the track create a very cool combination for a stylish song. Paloalto follows up on ‘Love Song’ – a dance track with engaging synths in the background – and we have another great combination that sets a fun and modern vibe.
The R&B group Heritage features in the song ‘Bucket List’, an old-school soft song full of delightful harmonies. ‘The One’ touches on the acoustic pop style, perfect for KANGTA’s vocals that almost remind EXO’s Baekhyun.
‘Persona 2022’ is a retake of 2005’s ‘Persona’. ‘Freezing’ opens on a modern R&B piano introduction and evolves into an elegant and full-bodied song. ‘Christmas In July’ will make you want to cozy up on the sofa and can’t wait for Christmas with its warm atmosphere and the build-up of KANGTA’s voice that sparks in higher notes. As an R&B pop song ‘Maybe’ has a cool bass that, even if familiar to K-Pop listeners, creates its own colour when matched with the vocals and added synth sounds. The album softly closes with ‘Slow Dance’, a delicate pop song with a lovely acoustic guitar backdrop.
With Eyes On You, KANGTA, a first-generation idol, has decided to explore different genres and sounds that might be more familiar to third and fourth-generation idols; nevertheless, KANGTA shows that he can make these styles his own and delivers an album with solid R&B songs and features.
