Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
EXO‘s D.O. and veteran singer Yoo Young Jin collaborated recently on a studio release of “Tell Me (What Is Love)” (the song was previously previewed at an EXO live).
D.O. acquitted himself well, as usual, and his vocal tone completely owns the mood of this track. His parts are fluid and fit snugly alongside the composition of the song, which wasn’t unexpected because that’s what was heard in the teaser. Yoo Young Jin, however, surprisingly let the song down a bit by completely interrupting what was a smooth jam with a choppy vibrato at around 1:50 that just didn’t fit with the mood of the song.
While it’s understandable that the D.O. and Yoo Young Jin pairing was done because the veteran singer is the mentor of the idol, that doesn’t change the harsh reality that the song would’ve been a lot better either as a D.O. solo or with somebody whose vocals wouldn’t clash as much throughout.
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I’ve honestly never been much of an EXO fan, but it’s impossible to deny that D.O. carries the song here and his vocals shine brightly. In the end, “Tell Me (What Is Love)” serves as something like a teaser for a potential D.O. solo effort, as his powerful voice could really work on more of these types of releases.
