Review: New Breed Red Edition – Jay Park

Jay Park
New Breed Red Edition (2012)
[Universal Music]
**** (out of 5 stars)

Getting the boot from idol group 2PM was a blessing in disguise. The erstwhile 2PM leader left the JYP Entertainment group in the midst of controversy, got burnt from naysayers…but eventually rose from the ashes to make an impressive comeback.

Jay Park returned to the Korean music scene with his first full-length album entitled New Breed (2012) which showcases the multi-talent’s affinity for hip-hop music. Shortly after that, the 25-year-old released a repackaged version of the album: New Breed Red Edition.

In addition to the 15 tracks in New Breed, the repackaged album contains English versions of Girlfriend, I Love You and Know Your Name. There is also a new English track entitled Care Free, an acoustic version of Know Your Name (in Korean) and Body2Body — a song from his free English mixtape.

The goodies do not end there as together with the CD is a bonus DVD that contains footages of Jay’s showcase in Kuala Lumpur on May 13. The behind-the-scenes sequence of his Asia promo tour, however, was filmed while he was in Indonesia.

So with that, New Breed Red Edition makes a very nice collector’s item. I found that the songs at the beginning of the album are the best — they are catchy and memorable. My personal faves are Know Your Name, Girlfriend, Go and I Got Your Back.

Towards the end of the album, a lot of…er, rapping goes on. Jay’s music is heavily influenced by hip-hop so do not expect the usual syrupy K-pop-like tracks. Stepping out as a solo artist has liberated Jay to create music with an edge…which suits his personality — tattoos and all ;).

If you haven’t gotten your Jay Park album yet, get New Breed Red Edition because of the extra good stuff :).

Check out Jay’s Know Your Name below:

K-popped! and Universal Music Malaysia are giving you the chance to win a New Breed Red Edition CD! For details, hit this link! (contest ends Aug 5, 2012).