This is Taegoon’s debut minialbum released on 2009.01.15. The intro and title track “Call Me” joined together and had a PV made out of them, featuring TVXQ’s Jae Joong. It was for Jae Joong I first checked out Taegoon, but I have thankfully ended up with something new to obsess over.

The minialbum starts with a short intro, which is very sexy with a heavy bass beat and synthetic feel- definitely conjuring up that little promo video where Taegoon shows his moves (both this intro and the dancing scream Rain for some reason XD) Indeed this is something to put alongside visuals, not really something to listen to. But it’s nice and…

… flows brilliantly into the title track and one of the best songs on this thing- “Call Me“. This starts darkly, with light dance instrumental and the subtle sound of a phone ringing, and what sounds a little like distorted voices before the song builds up and Taegoon comes in: his voice smooth and emotional. I like the voice echo and distortion, and how he doesn’t rely on it but only uses it to enhance the song which continues to build up introducing a stronger dance beat, becoming faster and more complex. Then the amazing chorus comes in. I just love this chorus. It is upbeat with a heavy dance feel, but completely contrasting to the upbeat atmosphere of almost the entire song is the slightly bittersweet, desperate feel to the song and especially the chorus as Taegoon asks his girl to “Call me call me Call me now”.  I adore Taegoon’s vocals, he can really sing and he puts all the right emotion into it. His English isn’t bad either.  Overall this is a fast paced dance track which is catchy and danceable whilst still retaining a darker feeling.  I like the subtle effects and variations. Oh and It’s really cool how the song starts with a phone ringing then ends with the sound of hanging up.

The minialbum flows nicely into the next track “One Two Step” which starts slowly and calmly with very nice piano part and then a soft dance feel as Taegoon comes in, gradually developing into a heavy dance beat as the song builds up. The piano lingers for a time to accent the slightly sad and regretful feel to the song, almost like a ballad. Like Call Me it relies on repetition to stick in the mind, but there’s enough variation to keep it interesting. The instrumentation stays simple yet effective to allow Taegoon to control the song with strong emotional vocals. There’s some backing vocals too, and like backing vocals often do they sound slightly out of place but don’t detract too much from the song (though it could become a minor irritation that’s still too much to ignore) This song is a lot more laid back than the previous tracks and although at first it didn’t steal my attention like “Call Me” it’ still a pretty good track.

After One Two Step fades Track 4 “My Girl” starts up with some staccato strings and twinkling synth before, surprisingly, a strong RnB beat comes in. This is completely different from what has been presented so far, clearly being a slow RnB ballad. It’s really pretty and often romantic with a slight edge. I like the instrumentation and as always Taegoon’s vocals are beautiful, carrying the song forward and giving it a lot of emotion. His adlibbing at the end is just stunning. The song is still pretty repetitive like all the tracks here, again relying on subtle variation- building up and then falling down.  Also, this track has a small rap part which fits in really well and enhances the smooth RnB feel.  It’s totally different from what has been presented so far, and reminds me of Se7en for some reason.  A very nice song worthy of multiple listens. It’s strange how the song stops sometime towards the end then comes back for a few seconds before ending off. Kinda cool though.

Next up is “I Understand You (Feat.H-Eugene)” which blends the dance style of the first tracks with the RnB of track 4 for something pretty damn cool.  It starts with the heavy dance beat before more synth comes in along with the RnB beat and the rapper starts the song. I’d say this song has a bit more of a rougher feel. It continues to build up, Taegoon coming in with some very sexy and smooth vocals. Then the chorus comes in and I especially love it for the great feeling it presents. I’d say it totally makes the song. And by this point the song has definitely set itself up as something sexy and mature, yet with something darker about it. It continues on as it is, finally at some breaking down for something reminiscent of the intro with more effects layered on top (like a siren) before more rapping and I really like how they finished the song off raising it up to a higher pitch just to make it feel all the more urgent. Oh this is a great song. It just sums up Taegoon well- great vocals, catchy songs with feeling and a nice blend of RnB, Pop and dance.

The minialbum has one song left ending with “Hands Up (Feat H-Eugene)” which definitely has even stronger RmB feeling than the rest, and is also pretty damn sexy. Very very extremely sexy. Taegoon’s vocals are very smooth and mature here. I’d say this is Taegoon taking on the style of Se7en completely. And he has done it well. This song has a great feeling and like a lot of the songs here, is very catchy. A good end to what has been a fantastic and refreshing listen.

Overall rating: 7/8
Favourite Tracks: Call Me, My Girl, I understand you

When I heard Call Me for the first time whilst watching the music video I really fell pretty hard for Taegoon and thought he had a great style, reminiscent of Rain. After checking out his minialbum I could hear hints of Se7en too. But his style is a little different. And it’s good. I still adore Call Me and the rest of the minialbum kind of washed over me at first listen, but after listening a little more I realised that the entire minialbum is pretty cool. Each song presents something a little different, something that shows all aspects of Taegoon’s talents whilst also keeping the minialbum interesting.  I think Taegoon may do really well; he shows amazing potential here and I do look forward to whatever else he delivers next. I hope he is successful with this thing too. His vocals are smooth and mature and I think he has great style, at this point it is a great blend of pop, dance and RnB. I also like how often his songs are upbeat and poppy/RnB-y whilst still retaining something darker and/or more bittersweet about them. This is well worth listening to. Taegoon is definitely one to watch out for.