Lee Seung Gi Vol. 2 - Crazy For You

I have a rather low attention range for slow songs, particularly K-pop ballads which tend to be more dramatically legato and emotional in expression. Lee Seung Gi's ballads though hit the right notes when it comes to keeping my attention. The combination of soft openings, crescendo chords, catchy choruses, sensitive lyrics, and simple arrangements in this album are perfect examples of how to properly build a ballad. Much of the credit goes to the musicians onboard, such as songwriters Kim Do Hoon and Jeon Hae Sung, but what makes it work are Lee's strong vocals and impressive range and versatility.

Crazy For You has plenty of the touching piano ballads that Lee has made his name on. The outstanding first track, "Words That Are Hard to Say", starts low, soft, and deep with a piano accompaniment and surges to a high chorus, showing off the young singer's vocal range. He continues to stretch his vocal cords with more songs about heartbreak like "I Shout" (Track 2), "Shape of Your Lips" (Track 3), "Then What Should I Do" (Track 4), "Afraid It Will Happen" (Track 6), and "Erasing Love" (Track 11). "Shape of Your Lips" stands out particularly with its great piano arrangement and wrenching lyrics ("Are you throwing me away?/Is it not me?/Will you not even let me love you?"), and "Erasing Love" captures the seamless ease with which Lee nails the high notes. While many singers try to display versatility by switching up musical styles, Lee Seung Gi displays subtle vocal differences in his ballads. "I Shout" brings out the slightly husky voice that first won over fans, while "Then What Should I Do" highlights the soft conversational quality in Lee's singing.

Though the first half of the album is primarily ballads, the album isn't all sadness and heartbreak. "Mask" (Track 5) is an edgy, angry, raspy mid-tempo rock number with a very catchy beat; listen for the parts where Lee does flat-out octave jumps. After the anger and tears, there's even happiness in store for those who wait. Paradise (Track 8) is the most lighthearted track on the album, a road song with cheery lyrics and an easy reggae flow. Lee's singing isn't as comfortable here, and the reggae elements sound particularly muffled, but the song is nonetheless a pleasant listen. Title track Crazy For You (Track 9) takes Lee squarely into contemporary K-pop territory with an up-tempo head-bopping pop rock track complete with rap interludes and guitar riffs. For an interesting comparison, the next song, Beautiful Girls (Track 10), is also a loud pop track, but Lee sings it in a soft voice, contrasted with repeating guitar chords and strong backing instrumentals.

Listening to Crazy For You, I have to appreciate not only the way each song builds up, but also how the entire album builds up overall, from slow heartbreak ballads to faster happier tracks, concluding with rock ballad "First Kiss" (Track 12) and the jaunty "A Night Light Tonight" (Track 13). Though still a bit rough on the edges, Lee Seung Gi is clearly finding his own voice, and the talented 20-year-old singer still has plenty of time to grow. And hopefully, plenty of time to find someone to design him better album covers.