[REVIEW] Jay Park – Everything You Wanted

(Please be aware this article features media containing rated language and themes)

Last week Jay Park released his much anticipated Everything You Wanted album. Featuring an impressive nineteen tracks the album showcases the best of Jay Park’s musical skills.

In an interesting approach many of the tracks are officially readily available to listen to for free on YouTube, though this clearly hasn’t stunted the popularity of the album as it hit the top ten in its genre chart on iTunes.

READ MORE: Jay Park album hits Top 10 in UK iTunes Chart

Though none of the tracks are officially marked ‘Rated’ by iTunes Everything You Wanted is most certainly not an album for younger fans. One of the main reasons Jay Park stands out from almost all other mainstream Korean artists is his nonchalant attitude to sexualised lyrics.
Sexual themes are the staple of this album, which feels both a positive and a negative aspect at times. Though his use of such themes have him stand out as a seemingly maturer artist in the industry of Korean popular music, his use of language and attitude to females can at times feel immature.

Title track Drive featuring Gray is unfortunately not the most memorable track on the album, though this can often be the case with tracks chosen to lead an album. As track eleven on the album Drive feels almost skippable between the soothing tones of Stay With Me and the addictive nature of Aquaman.
Drive’s power comes in the mv, with a plethora of questionable fashion set to the background of an exotic hotel you quickly become far more immersed in the track. Turn on the closed captions and you’ll find that Jay has subbed the track and included the occasional gem such as ‘GRAY SEXY ENGLISH TIME’ and ‘its late I’m Goin to sleep’ [sic]

The English version of Me Like Yuh has its own music video; the album also features a Korean version with Hoody featuring. With an addictive musical section replacing a conventional lyrical chorus you can’t help but be caught up in the beat of this track.

All I Wanna Do takes a slightly more mature look at his female subject, in that Jay recognises that this particular woman isn’t impressed by his money, though the content regarding sexual interaction with the woman is in the same vein as the rest of the album. The album features a full English version (below) and a Korean version featuring Hoody and Loco.

I Don’t Disappoint is nothing more, and nothing less, than a song about sex, but it is possibly one of the best on the album.

The album plays as an impressive showcase for AOMG’s first female artist Hoody, with three features. Solo released in February but still stands proud and strong on this release. It is also the tamest of the nineteen tracks, and thus feels extremely refreshing, especially as it follows Limousine, a track that (given this is Jay Park) has rather obvious content.

Feature a track including vocals fromCha Cha Malone was one of the most anticipated tracks on the album. The AOMG producer (you can recognise his more recent tracks from his ‘I need a Cha Cha beat boy’ signature) is a firm fan favourite and gives Jay a run for his money on the track with his smooth vocals.

OVERALL

Everything You Wanted seems a very obvious album, yet it works perfectly as a release from Jay Park. His blend of R&B and pop makes for musical gold. Each track on the album is musically impressive in some way.
Though it may be the unpopular opinion Jay Park’s lyrical content is lacking for the most part. There are occasions throughout the album in which he uses colourful metaphors, though many a time they are followed up with cliche, or base sexual content. There is nothing wrong at all with sexual lyrics, but Jay paints one clear image of the female gender, and that is as an object purely for his sexual desires.
He has plenty of female fans that will be more than okay with that, and despite my disappointment I won’t be leading any feminist movement to have him stop writing such lyrics either.
It is this adult nature that sets him apart from all of the males in the Kpop industry, and maybe has him seem far more real and honest. I appreciate real and honest, but I often prefer that to come with respect for women – something I’m not sure I’ll find in an album that shames a female for playing the field yet boasts from the male perspective of doing the exact same thing.

However, I still bought the album, and I’ll probably still be playing it for some time, proof of the true power of Everything You Wanted. 

Stream or buy Everything You Wanted via Apple Music.