For the meeting with Mr. Kim Hyun Joong you will have to wait, with luck, maybe next year. Today we meet his new album “A Bell Of Blessing”

First impression, presentation is perfect as expected, and as only South Koreans knows how to do it. You end up with a jewelry box in your hands. CD, DVD, poster (pre-orders only) and a booklet with art photos. (congratulations to the photographer 😉

The package seems so precious to you, and has come from so far away, that you wonder if you shouldn’t keep the packaging plastic and the labels for fear of losing a small piece of Kim Hyun Joong!

However, you can’t help but wonder why all this, surely horribly expensive, presentation effort, when the songs are already online? But, we are not going to complain, we love to touch a CD, it gives us the same pleasure as browsing a book. Yeah, a  B– O- O- K.   You know? This little rectangular thing with paper sheets that tells you all kinds of stories …

Obviously, the content of the CD was not a surprise, we had the chance to attend the concert online and already know all the titles after a week of broadcasting, even if for some we still have not a (reliable) translation of the lyrics.

After listening, we decided to classify the titles of this album. Please note, this is not a classification in order of preference, but by “topic”. This is our classification, everyone is free to fit them (or not) as they wish.

 

A- Message songs, alert songs or engaged songs if you prefer

1- “What are we fighting for”
2- “Upside Down”
4- “Green Light”

Mixture of rock sounds quite different from what he’s accustomed us to.

The new Kim Hyun Joong has arrived. Welcome!

Sorry anyway, but, listening to these songs, we think a lot about AMH (the other group from HENECIA label), the fault of this guitar and this original way of starting and ending certain songs …
The names of the composers being still in Korean, we can only distinguish the name of Kim Hyun Joong (Henecia Agy- still a little communication effort and it will be perfect)

Topical message, political message, (softly) criticism of society, environmental questioning, a little anti-militarism, message of denunciation, message of resistance.

Questions on the fate of each one on this earth and on the state of the world in general, which challenge us on the selfish destruction of it by humans.

Lyrics that call us to not give up and to be tolerant. Wich draws our attention to the lousy result of the extreme reactions of humain beings, who fight so hard to finally end up in dust.

We can admit it now. We were very scared about the success of this album when the online concert  starts with the harsh staging of “What are we fighting for”.
But it was impactful and the message got through.

From here we hear some people think that it was a “cliché”, or “deja vu”, but clichés help us, too, to see the world from another angle, and sometimes, if we are open-minded enough, to reflect and denounce indifference.

The arrival of new themes in Kim Hyun Joong’s usually “wise” repertoire is not to displease us. Re-Welcome to the new Kim Hyun Joong!

 

B- “Double meaning” critical song

3- I’m a million (aire)

An already known, timeless piece, whose arrangements we already liked since last Bio-Rhythm tour, but which have been further improved.
Kim Hyun Joong’s voice is more powerful and clearer in this version (and this drummer? Please stop him, he’s driving us crazy!).

 

 

C – “Good mood” songs

Already known, still as beautiful but arranged differently and sung (tenderly) in Korean.

5- Pure Love
6- This is Love

These titles would pass very well on a French radio.

 

D – “Killer” songs

7-Rightabout
8-Farewell

Those two songs almost completely got us.

We are on familiar ground and in the usual Kim Hyun Joong’ register .

New here, these pieces are sung to us by a new kind of extraterrestrial (we translate: an unknown voice emerging from a known body).

Where do these new nuances in your voice come from Mr. Hyun Joong? How many hours did you still training?
And the realism of these words  and this interpretation? Are these life experiences? If so, how many lives have you already experienced ?

Artists inspiration (or lack of inspiration) has always intrigued us.

 

E – “Special fan” songs

It is our pleasure to think that these two songs are a special gift from Kim Hyun Joong to his fans.

6- Oasis
We like it a lot even if the “nasal” voice of Kim Hyun Joong when he sings in English confuses us a little.

11- You’re a Miracle
Superb staging during the concert for this one. In the top 4 of our favorites.
Is there one we don’t like?

 

F – “A BELL OF BLESSING” a song stod out apart

The lightest melodies and the simplest lyrics are sometimes the most effective.

This hymn alone concentrates all the messages of the whole album: Joy, Love, Hope, Positivism

This song cheers you up, and we’d love to hear it on every radio station.

Are we saying too much if we say that this title “A Bell Of Blessing” is simply a song of:

FREEDOM – FRATERNITY – EQUALITY
(a cherish motto to french people)

 

**–**

 

WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU FOR A  LITTLE HELP
TO A DOUBLE  MISSION DURING THIS NEW WEEK THAT BEGINS

 

FIRST MISSION

We are fortunate to live in a country where there are a large number of national and local radio stations.
Find in your favorite radio station (or in another), the program and the presenter likely to program one of the titles of Kim Hyun Joong’ new album, and send him/her an email  explaining your approach ( a serious email about his talent as a singer, not about his eyes, his mouth, or his mastered way of doing streatching…oops sorry)

There are messages in this album “A Bell Of Blessing” for all tastes.

Even if we don’t understand Korean, the language of Love is universal and you might come across someone who will find a little something in this album that will touch him/her.

Promotion link to send: “A BELL OF BLESSING” OFFICIAL MV

If you have no inspiration or no time, let us know the name of the show, the name of the presenter and the address of the radio station, we will send them an album, you will see if they will not succumb to Kim Hyun Joong’ voice.

Our email address: khj-france@orange.fr

 

 

SECOND MISSION

Keep listening to Kim Hyun Joong’s new tracks on Youtube.

Let’s try to get a million views on some titles.

Be careful, don’t let yourself be drawn into listening to his album on the fake account which has still not been banned (which is still inexplicable)

 

Here is the good playlist that we have made on our account -> “PLAYLIST” A BELL OF BLESSING “
(don’t worry, even going through our account your views will be counted in Kim Hyun Joong’s Youtube counters, since these are HIS videos)

 

We are pretty sure that the title 7. “Rightabout” will reach the million before the others and therefore does not need a boost.

So: “Choose your fight”

If you have a choice to make due to lack of time, focus instead on titles that have fewer views.

Of course, if you only have to listen one, listen to FAREWELL (We still falling for all the little  sucked “h” from the chorus …)

Have a good work week (or vacations week)
Mask and no kisses.

 

 

 

Update: The header photos on this page are the work of Mr. Seungkyo Seo –  “In two eyes”