Yang Yo Seop from HIGHLIGHT has released his first full-length solo album ‘Chocolate Box’. The album description writes about his time dealing with depression and how taking a breather, and thinking of his family and friends helped him get out of that situation.
Chocolate Box
We start off with the title track ‘Brain’. This is such an amazing single. The vocals have this really cool tone to it, the whistling added is super fun and the overall R&B meets jazz vibe is sick! The bass is everythinng!!
‘Chocolate Box’ featuring pH-1 is next. I’m in love with the intro. We’re going early 2000s inspired R&B with this one. pH-1’s verse is cute and blends well to the rest of the track. They added some violin to the instrumentation and it was such a lovely little surprise. Yang Yo Seop’s falsetto is great!
Next up is ‘SLOW LUV’ featuring MINSEO. The way the vocals are layered is really nice. This is such a well-balanced track. It’s a smooth R&B pop ballad and I am really loving this sound.
‘Dry Flower’ follows that with a pop ballad vibe. The track was co-written and co-composed by Yo Seop. The break-up song has some beautiful lyrics.
‘Chuck’ is next. Co-produced by Primary, this track is a lovely jazzy track. Yo Seop’s vocals really suit this jazz inspired single so well. I really enjoyed the guitar riffs.
Following that is ‘Body & Soul’ composed by Sally, Basecamp and Colde. The urban R&B track tells the story of losing the memories of time spent with a loved one. The chorus is a complete earworm with a really nice melody.
Next up
‘The Last Cold’ was co-written by Yo Seop while in the army. In the album description they wrote: “It is a song that carefully captures the feelings of the time when you were afraid to be forgotten.” This R&B track has a great electric guitar in the back, it’s dope and adds to its depth.
After that we get the ballad ‘Alone’. Inspired by a letter he received from a fan, Yo Seop wrote this track together with Gyuberlake. If you feel lonely, check out this track and read the lyrics.
SOLE is the feature on the track ‘Change’. This one brings a bit of energy back to the album. The chorus is lovely and will have you grooving in no time. SOLE’s voice is such a nice addition.
‘Pretty’ is a very cute acoustic pop track. It’s very wholesome and feels a bit like spring. It’s the kind of song that begs for a live performance.
We’re introduced to swing with ‘Good Morning’. This might just be one of my favorite tracks of the album. The instrumentation is lovely, the piano is amazing! Yo Seop’s vocals tie it all together in a lovely package. This feels like the kind of song you listen to close to Christmas.
We close off the album with ‘YES OR NO’. This Dance track seamlessly blends funk and pop and has us finishing the album on a cheerful high note. What a cool track!
Overall, this is a really solid album. It was well worth the wait and each track has its own charm. You can find ‘Chocolate Box’ by Yang Yo Seop on Spotify here.
