Review: JYP Captures Smooth Grind Of 1990s R&B On 'Love Is The Best' With Namgung Song Ok And Dynamic Duo's Gaeko [AUDIO]

There is no shortage of artists on the South Korean pop charts calling themselves R&B acts.

Yet, very few of them are able to recreate the mixture of hip-hop's heavy beat and 1970s R&B soul that allowed 1990s pioneers of the genre like Mary J. Blige and R. Kelly to cross over into the mainstream with high-quality hits.

At age 40, singer Park Jin Young, also known also known as J.Y. Park or JYP, is channeling a sound that is simply more satisfying than the Pro Tools sinus headache that so much top 40 R&B has become

With collaborators Gaeko of the rap group Dynamic Duo and singer Namgung Song Ok, JYP captures the dreamy-yet-danceable vibe that so many classic 1990s R&B jams seem to muster with his new single "Love Is The Best."

Gaeko's performance is a highpoint of the song. The rapper delivers a razor sharp flow that is the perfect antidote for the sweetly layered vocals of JYP and Namgung.

His brash, urban-fueled attack takes the hypnotic beat to new and interesting places.

Namgung has clearly done her homework.

The singer dials in a powerful combination of R&B powerhouses like Janet Jackson or Aaliyah and something that is sounds as if it is all her own.

JYP also wears his influences on his sleeve with shades of Bobby Brown and the Isley Brothers shining clearly through.

In a pop music world dominated by pure imitation it is refreshing to see an artists like the trio on "Love Is The Best" take the best of what's come before them and create something new with it.

That is what the best artists do.

There is an certain feeling the listener gets from music made by artists who are far enough along in their careers or their lives that they no longer feel they have anything to prove.

This aspect of music is often difficult to define in specifics, but music that possesses that quality just seems to come on in a different way than the million dollar single by the music industry's new flavor of the month, whoever they may be.

They just feel better.

"Love Is The Best" shows an artist and two collaborators who realize that the true power is not in what any one ego brings to the table, but in the music itself.

Check out the new single "Love Is The Best," off of the new album "Halftime" by JYP, Right HERE

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JYP
Halftime
gaeko
Dynamic Duo
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