I remember being pleasantly surprised when Kim Jaehwan made his solo debut – not because of the by-the-numbers ballad he promoted but because of the breadth of styles he attempted on the b-sides. Since then, I’ve found him to be a compelling voice performing material that feels too middle-of-the-road and safe.
That trend continues with new single Spring Breeze (봄바람), which isn’t a straight-up ballad but doesn’t venture far enough into new territory either. The instrumental injects some bounce, even if the percussion is quite reserved. A voice like Jaehwan’s would absolutely kill over a thumping club track, though I know he’ll never go in that direction. Spring Breeze hinges on a whistling hook reminiscent of vintage western movies. Close your eyes and it’s easy to picture a showdown at high noon in front of a dusty old saloon. I’m not sure if that’s what the producers were aiming for, but this musical motif is etched into my brain.
Jaehwan elevates the song with his performance. His vocal feels very effortless, and that’s a comforting place to be as a listener. You know he’s got this. There are some nice melodic turns throughout – especially during the extended pre-chorus. But me being me, I crave more bite and bombast. I wish Spring Breeze went full bore for its chorus instead of pulling back. Despite Jaewhan’s attempts, too much of the song fades into the background. It’s certainly a worthy piece of music, but I doubt it’ll stick in my memory for long.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
As a KJH bias, this one is right up my alley. All those nice harmonies salted throughout. And the delivery is so confident and assured. It is so nice to hear a singer just stand up and sing. Listening to music being performed shouldn’t be like watching a high wire act, will he or won’t he.
I don’t know how crazy I am about the old school Ennio Morricone whistle, and don’t quite know why it is there, but for me, for now, it is OK.
I played the shit out of “Snail” last year, my comfort song of the year, as it felt like the song came home with every turn. So too with this one. Since there is no live version of today’s posted yet, I shall link to “The Snail” live live. What is that I hear, someone singing live on a kpop music show in 2022, be still my heart?!!
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I have learned that “Snail” was composed by Seo Young-Bae of GFriend, Astro, Orange Caramel, BTOB etc credits.
Unknown at present who wrote this one – if anyone finds out, pls let us know.
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Spotify tells me Seo Young-bae is also credited for this track, not a sole writer/composer, though.
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the real question is which one is better, Wanna One’s Spring Breeze or his Spring Breeze???
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God, Wanna One’s is so good. I didn’t follow them extremely closely and thought very little of Spring Breeze when it came out, but, despite only listening to it maybe twice, parts of the melody have been burned into my brain since it came out. It’s just a really pretty song, and it makes me miss the group even though I can only name a couple of their songs. Gotta (finally) throw it on my playlist.
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Love this one, very much my style.
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