[Song You Need To Know #1] 'Cleansing Cream'

This song was not exactly an underrated song. It did generate quite some interest, but many still have never really heard this song before, preferring the orchestral, divalicious masterpiece in Sixth Sense, from the same album.

I loved Sixth Sense. It was powerful and that Mariah Carey-esque note from Narsha was probably one of the best things with appeared on the 2011 Kpop Scene. But it seemed a little unfair that that song, which was stunning to say the least,  had to steal away practically all the limelight from the rest of the songs in the album, most of which were pretty solid. Cleansing Cream, was one such overshadowed song.

Aside from the ambiguous and laughworthy title, the song conceals a deep message further enhanced by the beautiful vocals, laced with pain and helplessness, all which culminated into an emotional ballad, one of my favourite ever Kpop ballads. Most ballads done by Kpop groups have been produced simply to add a slight variation to their album songlists which (let's face it) are predominantly swamped with mindlessly catchy electronica beats, and many a time, these ballads have been gobsmackingly lacklustre. A rare gem like Cleansing Cream thus immediately grabbed my attention, and after the first listen, I bought it. I got the message. My soul was permeated with the ideas of superficiality and feelings and suffering. The chorus, expecially, featured many moments of spectacular falsetto by Ga-in and to-and-fro high notes with Narsha, which were brilliant. Jea, of course, shone with her chesty belts and Miryo, who got the least share of the song, made the most out of her short rap bits, which intertwined gorgeously with symphonic Western strings in the background.

Few other Kpop ballads have managed to convey such depth and complexity, especially not in such a sound smothered with variety and exceptional singing techniques. Maybe another one I could think of would be 'We Were In Love' by T-ara and Davichi, another lovely ode with surprisingly spiteful rap sequences from Hyomin and Hwayoung, and also beautiful harmonizing from Soyeon and both Davichi members, simply oozing with sadness and raging pleads for their loves to return to them.

Still, Cleansing Cream is a ballad not to be overlooked. Need I say more about BEG? Brown Eyed Girls have never disappointed and I do not foresse them doing so in the near future.