NCT’s Jaehyun pre-released two tracks from his debut solo album earlier this month. I gave both average ratings but never returned to them again. Rather than “good” or “bad,” the songs didn’t have much effect on me at all. They simply existed — nice, well-performed and very predictable. Title track Smoke continues this pattern, painting Jaehyun as an R&B crooner but failing to supply him with memorable material.
To be sure, Jaehyun has a great voice for R&B. His vocal performance is credible and engaging, but a pleasant tone only takes a song so far. As its title suggests, Smoke evaporates from memory in real time, laying down a slick groove but struggling to do anything interesting with it. The verses are smooth and atmospheric, yet too generic to stick. The song comes across as “R&B 101,” leaving little room for Jaehyun to showcase his unique charms.
Still, these verses are stronger than Smoke‘s spoken-word chorus. The songwriters punt here, opting for a half-hearted catchphrase. This approach results in a vacuum at Smoke‘s core. I’m sure the intention is to appear sexy and aloof, and this probably works better in the context of live performances. On record, this chorus simply comes across as noncommittal and dull. It certainly doesn’t herald an exciting solo career, making me curious what Jaehyun is seeking to convey in his music.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Man, the chorus is a bummer. But the instrumental is groovy and I like the rest of the song.
7.25 (6, 8, 8, 7) for me.
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this line killed me 💀 I have to agree here. Roses and Dandelion were stronger songs imo.
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The song’s fine, nothing special.
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I liked the groovy instrumental and the verses. I wished it had a better chorus. 😦
Roses grew on me a bit though.
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I think I’m the only one obsessed with this song. I’m admittedly VERY Jaehyun biased (although I thought Roses was unbelievably cheesy and couldn’t quite get with it). I listened to it for the first time at work and I literally played it a dozen times again. The groovy instrumental along with Jaehyun’s smooth voice is perfection and I actually LOVE the chorus as it provides needed contrast with the silky verses. Jaehyun’s speaking/rapping tone are pure sex to me and his little whispers and adlibs make this exactly what the song needs to be an fun sexy rnb bop. Also this song kinda reminds me of a previous relationship where I have some very nice memories of fooling around in a nice car so…
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I am Jaehyun biased as well so I completely understand where you are coming from in terms of the way he sounds in Smoke! I do prefer the b-sides more than Smoke but that’s just my personal preference. As for Roses, idk I just love how bitter the lyrics are and the sound of desperation & misery in his voice 😂 (loser jaehyun at its finest iykyk). Anyway, I love your comment! It made my day lol
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3 members left golcha. terrible day in thebiaslist land
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need a rant post from nick cos i cant handle this alone
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When I saw the news, my first reaction besides “Oh damn” was “someone better check on Nick, he’s gonna wake up to probably the worst news of his life” 😭 but man, Woolim’s fumbling their groups so bad 🫠
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The thing is, I was expecting them to disband completely so my feelings are much more mixed than devastated.
I’m more concerned with their future going forward. Like… is Woollim ever going to let them release new music? Will it just be super infrequent drips and drabs before all the members leave for good? I would love this reset to be a chance for increased promotion and creativity, but that hasn’t been Woollim’s history with its veteran groups and the agency doesn’t seem to be in a good place at the moment.
Y is scheduled to come back from the military next month, so the group needs to release something shortly after — before other members have to enlist.
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Oh, gotcha! This is from a non-fan’s perspective, so I’d like to wonder if they’ll just continue doing the “one or two if lucky comebacks a year and that too, a single album” tradition they’ve established so far. But then again, like you said, the enlistments of the other members is around the corner, and so, the possibility for more promotions is very unlikely (unless they promote solo). But well, only time will tell.
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I can barely feel the NCT’ish even though this song was directed to be R&B. Hope it was truly his own style
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As a new nctzen (I’ve been a casual listener for years) and Jaehyun being my bias in 127, I agree with the review of Smoke. I do enjoy the production of Smoke, the lyrics are interesting as always with SM songs, it’s not favourite song off the album, and there’s more to be desired from the song. Especially at the end, when the trumpets come in and it seems like we are getting something new. Then the song ends….like that’s it?? I wish the producers and writers could’ve done a proper outro really flesh out the ending like Can’t Get You. Smoke is a fine song on its own but I don’t know if it was the right lead single for Jaehyun. I think a song in the similar vein as Perfume could’ve worked really well, but he probably wanted a song with more R&B and Jazz influences. Overall, Smoke is fine, I do enjoy the production though, and the b-sides are stronger & definitely worth listening to!
Favorite songs on the album:
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The last 20 sec were giving Suit and Tie. Would’ve been more interesting if he went that route but keep this groove.
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It’s a little muddled, but his voice is always immaculate. Also, the video was really funny and offbeat. Preferred Roses by a lot, but this was entertaining.
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