I haven’t made it much of secret in this blog on how much I adore Jaehyun’s voice. Warm, sultry, and rich, his timbre is one that is quite unique within the K-pop context. The closest artist I would draw parallels to would be EXO’s D.O, but I would concur that while the two have their similarities, they still sound quite distinct. Throughout Jaehyun’s career, he has already released quite a number of solo material via SM station, most of which has been quite solid. Most notably, his duet with (d.ear) X early on his career, ‘Try Again‘, is arguably one of the most beautiful K-pop songs that have ever been released. Simply put, I have been waiting since forever for Jaehyun to debut solo, and the time has finally come!
‘Dandelion & Roses’ acts as the album’s pre-release. While the title suggests the presence of only one song, it is in fact two songs slapped together in one MV. Quite unusual, even for K-pop standards. But because they are two songs, I’ll review them separately.
Dandelion
Dandelion is a relatively upbeat RnB track that does little to distinguish itself from the typical RnB track sung and performed by other male soloists besides Jaehyun’s vocal performance. The song’s concept (lyrics) and the key at which it is written is a perfect match for both Jaehyun’s image and his vocal performance, which he utterly sells. I’ll give it plus points for some decent English lyrics too, though it still doesn’t fully flow together. Ultimately though, the most unique thing about the song is the strings that enter near the song’s end that bring in a sense of drama which I was not expecting from this song at all. At this point, I’m convinced that the MV only showcases part of the song, and when his album comes out, the full version of the song will be revealed. But of course, if this is all he’s working with, I’m slightly disappointed. Jaehyun himself makes everything better by default, but it is no ‘Forever Only’. The latter, while very much within the realm of a typical RnB song, keeps things interesting with a constant state of tension and release expressed through both the song’s melody and production. Meanwhile, ‘Dandelion’ feels more derivative of classic happy male solo songs (sung by western artists) that have been done much better in the past without offering his own twist into it. His lower set voice is definitely not typical of modern pop music, and I do think he should lean more into this sound, but find a way to make it more exciting. I’ll still be listening to this, but not as much as I hoped I would be.
Hooks – 7
Production – 8
Vocal Delivery – 9
Overall – 8
Roses
I have to say, Jaehyun was really feeling himself in this one.
Right of the bat, the song’s dancing bass line came out taunting, birthed from the eerie midnight thoughts of the ‘what ifs’ and ‘what isn’t’. It’s so tense yet satisfying, done just enough to feel lurching, yet there is sense of unspoken dignity that seems to come through as if saying, “yes, I’m saying this, but I’m proud of it”. And it makes me take it much more seriously and it is much easier to appreciate. You could practically feel the palpable emotions present in the vocal delivery, exemplified by the richness of Jaehyun’s voice.
The release when the chorus kicks in feels particularly satisfying because it sounds like a literal outlet of emotions, with the echoing choir supporting him as if mirroring his inner thoughts.
The production is quite simply put, interesting. I was invested throughout, and it did not feel constrained to a pattern I’ve heard a million times over. The producers really went full-out in delivering the concept of the song- which in my opinion, is a twist on Bruno Mar’s iconic ‘When I Was Your Man’, except with the helpless acceptance of one’s faults in the latter being twisted into into a roar of deep anger, resentment, dark yearning, and of course, a sprinkle of delusion. I’m very much invested.
Altogether, it is impressive in practically all regards. I did not expect Jaehyun to be so innovative in his solo work, which tells me he really has an artistic vision worth looking forward to. I’ll admit, I was expecting more of what he has already done in the past because he already does it so well, but this is welcome direction for him.
Hooks – 8
Production – 9
Vocal Delivery – 10
Overall – 9
K-pop Evaluated 
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