We're back with Part 2 of my series of reviewing unknown 80s Korean Pop albums. In part 1 we found 80s singer Jung Soora's 1984 remake/cover album, "Listen To My Song" and reviewed the first 7 songs and put them to test against the original songs. Now, let's check if we find some more gems in the last 8 songs!

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Song #8 : Precious Gift

Originally by : Sea Bird

Rating : 5/10

Review : A ballad once again! It's pretty much RnB, and a "sweet" kind of song. It's pretty short - 2:30 - which kinda makes it a very short, filler type of song. It isn't really big or memorable, but it's cute. The original is somewhat faster in tempo, very dreamy, and more "flowy" and actually reminds of the sea and the beach, which I would have loved for the remake to be too. They could've easily kept it a RnB song without removing the "flowy" element of the song, and it could have been a bit more than a filler type of track.

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Song #9 : Craving For My Country

Originally by :

Rating : 6/10

Review : Ok so with Soora's reputation as the queen of pop-patriotic songs, and the fact that this song is in the album title, I would have expected it to be much more grand, much more "harder" and much more of a standout track - but it's a classic everyday Trot ballad, vibrato and high notes and slow tempo included. Of course Soora pulls off Trot vocals well despite not being in the field - but still the song isn't really all that. Some parts reminded me of Lee Sunhee vocal-delivery wise, but apart from that, I am not really all that impressed. But extra points to Soora for doing Trot in a Trot way, and the chill instrumentation. I didn't find the OG singer on Spotify, so I can't really do a comparison. But it better be a senior Trot artist so the song being highlighted has a justification, ig. I'd listen to the song if I want to sleep, and it' pretty calming... but not really all that.

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Song #10 : You Are Cruel

Originally by :Bang Mi, 60s Trot legend

Rating : 8.5/10

Review : We start off with a sad flute and the e-guitar and I kinda know where this is going - another slow, heartbreak pop ballad. But it's only the the verses that sound like that because the prechorus and chorus go POWERFUL, and Soora is definitely in her element with the high notes here. They made the arrangement into a RnB/folk-esque 4/4 beat while the original was a classic Trot 2/4 "waltz" kinda song, like an aunty singing her wronged heart out. And while the song style isn't Soora's homeground, the high notes and prechorus are her homeground. The Trot vibrato and lyrics make a little appearance here, as is the original, but eventhough Bang Mi is a very good singer and does sing the notes well, Soora's high notes full of power and energy add the impact. Add to that the guitar synth in the bridge and it's actually a song I put on repeat because I wanted to listen to MORE of those high notes. It's actually so interesting to see non-Trot singers take on Trot songs - they either make it a really good song, or make its super corny. In this case, it's definitely the former.

Song #11 : Bobbed Hair

Originally by : Cho Yong-pil

Rating : 9/10

Review : Finally something upbeat! The OG song is a certified classic so I don't think they could afford to mess this up. I enjoyed Soora's fun, youthful take on it, and the instrumentation is also slightly more brassy which I liked too. It's definitely fun, and could have definitey been performed on broadcast. The chorus is also there, and compared to the original I enjoyed this way more (but then... I'm slightly biased against Cho Yong-pil lol I don't really find his voice particularly enjoyable. Also his view on women are kinda weird). I also kinda liked the fade-out at the end, and just in general the "walking along the street happily humming a song" vibes. Soora's lat and biggest hit was a Euro disco song, "Delight", and that's how I doscovered her

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Song #12 : Song Of The Old Poet

Originally By : Han Kyung Ae

Rating : 8/10

Review : It's another ballad, and a very calming pop genre ballad. It's about a poet and the poetic-ness of his life and I think the instrumentation did the lyrics justice. The bridges are getting a bit repititous here, (that one bassline an instrument replaying the chorus melody), and the arrangement again reminds of "Love Story Of A Girl", but I love love the harmonies (I do wish they had included the "du du du ru du" of the OG part at he beginning) , and the whole "lost" feeling it conveys (including the fading outro). Soora somehow fits this song well, and it actually sounds like a b-side from one of her later albums. Until now the album hasn't been too "cohesive", but that kinda ok with me.

Song #13 : Think Of This Street

Originally by : Jung Eunah

Rating : 7/10

Review : A ballad starting off with an accordion or a harmonica automatically wakes my ears up, I love the uses in songs, especially old ones. This one is another "pop ballad"-ification in the style we've seen with 3 songs by now with some really powerful nice vocals in some places, actually. It has a very nostalgic, christmas song vibe and definitely sounds like a song that would have resonated with people living apart from their families because of the lyrics. The OG pretty upbeat for it's lyrics so I prefer Soora's interpretation, but the OG's instrumentation which includes a lot of folk instruments like the cembalo, and harmonica, that make the song even more nostalgic.

Song #14 : Friendship

Originally by .

Rating : 7/10

Review : This is a slower pop ballad with a lot of "Goodbye" in it. I couldn't find the original singer here again... Anyways, here, the "Soora-fication " (RnB with bassline and synth) of the song actually works well. It feels so personal and very soft, so I really liked the vibe. It reminds of a song that can be taught at schools because it just has such a simple meody and is totally choir-worthy. It flows really nicely and really brings the feeling of longing. But still, it's pretty forgettable and kinda has a very standard melody.

Song #15 : Don't Be Lonely

Originally By :

Rating : 7/10

Review : For the ending track of this album, we are going slightly more upbeat ballad with an uplifting message ("Don't feel lonely, you're beautiful like you are") and with that more into Soora's comfortable range of tempo, and once again, the vocals! Girl really said I didn't come to play. The arrangement also feels more dramatic than what I would have expected, and leaves a very nice impact at the end. It's not the best track on the album obviously but it is a good closer, and doesn't leave any bad taste at all and kinda encompasses the whole album into one song. A good ending, imo.

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With that said, we're done with the album and thus, episode one! The average score of the whole album is 111.5 / 150 = 11.15 / 15 which makes it a 0,74 percentage, which puts us at an average score of 7.4/10! The highest rated track was #4 with a 10/10 score, and the lowest rated songs were #6 and #8 with a 5/10.

I loved listening to the album. I found some pretty nice songs and some nice OG songs too that I'll add to my dictionary of knowledge.

If I were to give her an album of my fave korean songs from the 70s/early 80s to cover, I'd give her these 10 tracks :

- Jang Deok - Girl And The Streetlamp

- Bunny Girls - Have You Forgotten The Promise?

- Kim Kwangseok - Stand Up

- Min Haekyung - Peak Of Love

- Jung Hoon Hee - Mist

- Yang Hee-eun's version of Kim Mingi's - Sangroksu (but it was a banned song by the government... so we KNOW our "stay in the good books" Miss Soora wouldn't be able to sing it. So instead, let's give her Lee Eunha - Spring Rain)

- Jeon Young-rok -It must have been a dark night

- Patti Kim - I Can't Live Without You

- Jang Hyun - Miryeon

- Silver Teardrop Sisters - Kachuusha's Song

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