
최안순 - Choi An-Soon (Choi An-Soon) (<-Lana.et Rospo)
Most of the album is folk songs with acoustic guitar, possibly more of the tracks are covers of popular Western song hits (like “Plaisir D’Amour” and Greensleeves”). The picking is good and the voice has a sort of strong quality of innocence I rarely heard in this amount outside Korea (such approach could easily balance between sensitive and mellow). For some tracks the singing makes a few strange turns, perhaps it was not always totally correct for each note or variety as a

라나에로스포 / Lana Et Rospo / Ranaerospo (Frog & Toad)
Jigu Rec. Lana Et Rospo (with Choi Ahn-Soon) -2CD- (2006)***° This double album (-sounding a bit like another South-Korean duo, Toi et Moi-) is another classic collection of sensitive and warm acoustic guitar songs with duo of warm male and a contrasting cool female voice. I assume several songs are covers of Western songs, but how many I cannot tell because the all have the same sensibility. Recognised was track 10, “Summerwine”, originally by Lee Hazlewood (wih Nancy S

김정호 - Kim Jung-Ho (April & May)
MRCD0902 Kim Jung Ho looks like an LP which could be singer-songwriting etc. and it might be that as well, but also, it is the rather schlager-kind of songwriting, close to Trot, arranged with studio music that is also mainstream, besides having electric piano, keyboards, bass, drums, acoustic guitar and strings and a few more instruments. Some songs are sung by female singers, but are also mellow and sentimental. Also the folk track (13) with two picking guitars, with some h

김민기 - Kim Min-Ki (金敏基) (Kim Min-Gi)
All the works of Kim Min-Gi were compiled onto this beautifully crafted heavy LP-sized box with 3D imprints on special paper, containing two booklets with Korean info and lyrics, both in unusual formats (LP-format and a long sleeve insert). The box alone is impressive, but the music is also worth checking out. When the singer released an album in 1971, mostly guitar and voice only with sparse arrangements, his words were so powerful, the Park Chung-Gee regime took his album f

송창식 - Song Chang-Sik (Twin Folio)
송창식 - 1974 : 맨처음 고백 / The First Confession also titled as "First Confess" CD release : Music Research May 01, 2008 (original LP MPA) (SIDE A) 1 맨처음 고백 / The First Confession 2 한 걸음만 / Only One Step 3 밤눈 / Night vision 4 향수 / Perfumes (SIDE B) 5 축가 / Anthem 6 손을 잡고 걸어요 / I Walked Holding Hands 7 새는 / Birds (*) 8 한번쯤 / At Least Once 9 강변에서 / On the Riverside 10 바람부는 길 / Windy Roads I thought Song Chang Sik's boosted song emotionality must have delivered a few worth checking ou

조영남 - Cho Young-Nam
조영남-점이-여보 / Point / Honey Most of this album is going beyond the interest of Western Music lovers. At it worst, like track 3, this is goes onto the direction of a kind of mellow schlager-operette using a melody like performing a Christmas-song-for-all-seasons, accompanied by orchestra and band. Most tracks are mellow song pop. The second track, with the singers odd, perhaps unusual voice takes a totally different approach when singing a Korean folk song, while being accompani

이종용 - Lee Jong-Yong (Twin Folio)
Lee Yong-Jong, who once cooperated with Twin Folio, also made some solo song records. This well-hanging together compilation shows that solo period. The choice of songs tend to chose a bit more often predictable chords and melodies, save songs and perhaps even Christian idealisations of inspirations. Often there’s use of synth arrangements with acoustic guitar. Elsewhere there are strings and entertainment pop/rock arrangements. You can still hear there’s an original songwrit

이장희 - Lee, Jang-Hee
Lee Jang Hee - Meet Me In A Room also listed as "That's You" I usually prefer not to review albums if I do not know if whether they are official reissues or not, but there are so little more easily available Korean reissues that I prefer to give this one some attention. Before I do review this I must say that there are, just like in Japan, two different influences of inspirations that western collectors should distinguish with, which is the more self-penned and adventurous cr

윤형주 - Yoon Hyung-Ju (Twin Folio)
윤형주(尹亨柱) 리싸이틀 / Yoon Hyung-ju's cycle CD 1 01. Okie From Moskougee 02. 우리의 이야기 / Our story 03. Lost Love / Today / Sloop John. B 04. Help Me Make It Through The Night / For The Good Times * 05. 비의 나그네 / Rain's Wayfarer 06. Solitary Man (김세환 / 윤형주 / Kim Se Hwan / Yoon Hyung Joo) 07. Come To My Bedside (김세환 / 윤형주) / Come To My Bedside (Kim Se Hwan / Yoon Hyung Joo) 08. Banks Of The Ohio (윤의련 / 윤형주) / Banks Of The Ohio 09. Hush A Little Baby (윤의련 / 윤형주) / Hush A Little Baby

4월과 5월 - April & May
Charming, song-related folk-rock with 2 slightly mellow male harmony singers, some tracks also orchestrated (strings and brass), accompanied by an electric rock band (with some nice organ giving a psych touch here and there). 60s styled with some lalala backings. Sung in Korean. It took me two different listens, but it is a nice one. I assume there will be some western pop covers involved but I don’t recognise any of them. Track 5 featured some Korean folk instrument and I th