[Review] Lim Jimin is a bit like Taemin-lite on “Who, You?”

So many male soloists have used Taemin’s slinky dance pop as a template for their own work. From Kim Donghan to Lee Gikwang, and Park Jihoon to Kang Daniel, a restrained, rhythmic arrangement seems to be the touchstone of choice. The latest performer to steer down this route is Lim Jimin, who debuted last May before his eventual involvement in Play M’s upcoming boy group. His “Who, You?” feels like Taemin-lite — a successful copy but not all that compelling on its own.

As evidenced in last year’s survival series ‘The Fan,’ Lim Jimin is a fresh talent who excels with this kind of material. He rides the groove with a convincing swagger, and although his vocals aren’t nearly as idiosyncratic as Taemin’s, he manages to kick up a few sparks. My issue with “Who, You?” is that it no longer feels new, and without any substantive difference to bring to the table, it also feels kind of unnecessary.

“Who, You?” is about 30 seconds too long, but only because it doesn’t do anything interesting with those last thirty seconds. Its chorus is nice and catchy — if predictable — but it’s repeated way too often without the kind of modulation that might make it interesting. If you listen to the song’s first minute, you’ve pretty much heard every one of its tricks. And although the splashes of rhythm guitar and insistent bass makes for an enjoyable instrumental, its appeal wears thin quickly. As a solo showcase for Jimin’s charms, “Who, You?” does a serviceable job, but I hope that he’ll be given a more unique sound when he debuts with his group.

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IATFB says: Definitely agree that it gets repetitive and the song could’ve been cut by up to a minute, but it’s a nice smooth effort with a catchy melody to it. It really is a shame the production and arrangement don’t do more with the back-end.