Album Review: BoA (보아) One Shot, Two Shot

xw

I have been looking forward to this album since 내가 돌아 (Nega Dola) was released, as BoA never disappoints, and on top of that, she hasn’t released any sort of album in a while, as she has been only releasing singles. Quite frankly, BoA is one of the Queens of K-Pop, and she can do no wrong. So get ready for a review of One Shot, Two Shot. It’s quality. You can get it on Amazon (I added a link for y’all to make it easy).

I do a lot of my album shopping on Music Plaza LA. Additionally, if you have never used Music Plaza before, this link will get you an extra 5% off of your first purchase!

You can also order a copy of the album from an eBay, as they typically have good prices. Plus, with eBay, you can save a little bit of money by using the E-Bates extension on your browser, as it will save you 2% on all album purchases, which definitely adds up.

What is E-Bates?

E-Bates is a cashback site that gives you money for purchases you may have already made. They even have an extension for multiple browsers so when you go to a website that uses Ebates, it will automatically pop up the cashback button to make sure you are saving money. I use this all the time, and I got over 80$ back from them for purchases I was going to make anyway. That’s about 3 more albums I can buy!

If you’ve never used EBates before, you can use this link to get $10 when making a qualified purchase of $25 when using EBates. You will also get whatever percent cashback is being offered from the site you are purchasing from.  Sephora, typically has 4% cashback, through here. Sokoglam typically has 3%. These percentages Many other major retailers are on there as well.

BOA One Shot, Two Shot, Track by Track:

  • One Shot, Two Shot: BoA has started off strong with a body roll song that also makes you want to walk like you are on a runway. She is keeping it catchy. I really like this song, and how it flows from section to section. I also really enjoy the music video for this song. I like the mix of electric and R&B that the song has. Also, in a typical BoA fashion, her vocals are perfection, and I will probably never say anything bad about them through this review. Her vocal harmonies aren’t as good as some other artists, but she is a solo artist, not a part of a group, so I don’t expect as much for that. She definitely does build some great harmonies through the chorus when she sings “One Shot, Two Shot”. You guys will all like this song and should add it to your playlists.
  • Everybody Knows: This is a nice transition from the first track. It has a bit of a slower tempo, but still a light electronic sound to it. In regards to the complexity of the music, this track as much more simple than the first track until you get into the first chorus where more layers get added. She really plays with rhythms when you get to this point too, as she starts a really interesting rhythm pattern where some parts are on-beat while others are offbeat. And per usual, BoA’s vocals are perfection… because she is the Queen. I will never understand how such a tiny little person can get such a strong belt out of her mouth, but she does it in the bridge.  So good job girl
  • Nega Dola: This song has been my jam since it came out in January. It always gets stuck in my head, and I love this song. If I had to describe what kind of song this is,  I would probably say that it has a pop-salsa vibe to it. I know, it is a weird combination, but you will be able to hear it when you listen to the song.  It’s a really good song. You’ll want to dance to it. I’m dancing to it right now while writing about it. It’s called multitasking.
  • Your Song (feat. Junoflo):  Yooooooo… Our girl has created a sick jam for us. This song is straight-up R&B and Rap. It is so good. I’m not even joking. This is like a get rid of the haters while driving song. The multi-tasking continues through this song, especially through the dance break section where we all know that our girl is breaking it down like she always does. Insert dying because BoA has done it again. Good job girl. I think this actually might be one of my favorite tracks so far on the album. It’s fire.
  • Recollection:  She is doing it again! She is ripping fire. OMG. This album… I’m officially at the point where I am like in music heaven. I’m pretty sure this entire mini-album is going to make it into the playlist. Every single track is just so good. I love the guitar and bass in this song, and I Iove how she plays with them by having them muted in the beginning. Honestly, at this point, everything else that I could be saying about this track would be repeating everything else I said above. So, to summarize: BoA is a musical goddess.
  • Always, Always (feat. Chancellor):  This album has officially turned into musical heaven. This R&B track is fire from the first 5 seconds all the way through the end. I really enjoy it, and Chancellor and BoA harmonize beautifully. Nuff said.
  • Camo: Closing out the album with a track that she released late last year. Camo is a fantastic dance track. When the track breaks down at the first chorus, it is like magic. Se also adds like some sort of cowbell thingie into the track as well. I love this track too. It’s amazing, and it is a perfect closer to the mini-album as well.

K-Points: 768/5

Okay, there is a reason that she is the queen of K-Pop, and if you don’t know why, you will listen to this album and understand why. This album is amazing from start to finish. Every single song flows beautifully into the next one and still manages to sound distinct. At the same time, the album is a fantastic “Girl Power” sounding album. I mean, of course, there are love songs on here too, but they aren’t cutesy at all. They are more of lady-killer tracks.

From start to finish, this mini-album is perfection, and BoA has managed to get a perfect score, which is the first time a female artist has done that. I honestly cannot even find anything to critique on this album, except why did she only give us seven tracks? Give me more, Queen! This album right here is the perfect example of what K-Pop should be. She released singles here and there until she finally felt that she had enough to build a full album to release for the people. She didn’t add crappy songs into the album, took her time, and produced a beautiful collection of music.

Should you buy this? Yes. Any reasons you shouldn’t? No. Buy it cause you will jam, and you don’t ever want to ever have streaming services lose it. Plus, the artists get more credit when a physical album is bought, as I believe an album has to be played to 15-25 times for it to be included as part of the artist’s sales on the charts in Korea. BoA, I love you.

K-Nuggets, I love you too, but you ain’t BoA.

사랑합니다!

—Rachel