LYn
“9x9th”
Loen Entertainment

LYn amplifies the emotional depth of her voice to express the wistfulness of a woman who longs for an absent love on her ninth studio album “9x9th.” With six tracks having lyrics written by LYn, the album also represents her growth as a singer-songwriter.

The album steps away from her well-known R&B style to take on overarching blues and jazz themes. The lead single “Love Moves On” features a waltz rhythm that allows LYn’s voice to meander in a gypsy style, while “A Bitter Shot Goodbye,” “Drunken Blues” and “Only You” shows off her jazzy appeal, complete with scat sequences.

LYn turns coy to a simple acoustic accompaniment on the pre-released song “Let Me Be the Only One.” The traditional jazz accompaniment and LYn’s rich voice lends classic style to the bitter “Look At Me Now,” while the resigned “Nobody Knows” turns up the drama with a tango melody.

The last two poetic songs “Cheong Sa Po” and “If It’s Love” were written by Choi Baek-ho -- the first a recreation of Choi’s original song and the latter a song written specifically for LYn.

“9x9th” is a triumph for LYn, who shows exceptional control on the variation of tone and style for each track. The album is a refreshing alternative to the EDM and hip-hop based songs dominating the charts, and the lyrics offer a poetry that has been lacking in recent Korean pop.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)