Jaebum…you could have given us a little more warning.

We loved JB’s first mixtape and were hoping that, given the volume denotation, there would be more on the way.  Well, we had to wait for GOT7 to get some downtime, but he came with the goods and just decided to drop it on us and let us deal with the delicious fallout.

One of the things that marked the last set was the spectrum of R&B that was on display.  Coming from the poppier end of the JYP spectrum, we understood that pop&B would have to be on display and were pretty impressed with the soulfulness that crept into more deep cuts like Bad Habit.  This time, though, Def Soul is coming through with the sensual, babymaking sound that we deserve from him.  Every song is a slow burn with a throbbing bassline and begs you to bodyroll.  There is a certain amount of classicness to the sound of this–even though it comes with a lot of modern musical moments–that keep it from falling prey to being dismissed as fad by a slightly older set of listeners or stale by a younger set.

But was really sells this are the vocals.  There were few features on the previous set but you ca tell that Def Soul’s confidence has increased by the way that he hits you with the power of his voice right out the gate and maintains it throughout.  It can sometimes be hard, coming from a group, to make a track work when you don’t have the familiar backup to secure you.  While he sounded good the last time, this time we got a lot more emotional depth and resonance, giving each track a distinct mood despite the similarity in the overall production style.  Whether he is hitting you with the anguish on Pray or seducing you on Think Of You, there will never be a moment where his tone is weak.  He also maintains a good notice of volume; he is well-modulated so that he isn’t blasting out like a foghorn or in audibly whispering.

If this had been an official release, we have no doubt it would be a breakout for him beyond his growing SoundCloud base and GOT7 fans.  We still want more, but now we want him to make it official and let us give him our coins.

Our favorite tracks are Think Of You, Don’t Touch Me, and Pray.  The most skippable track is Outro because he needed to drop at least three more songs on us before driving off.