The Return of Korean R&B Royalty

2023 has been a great year for music and a great year for fans of K-R&B. Three top artists – Hoody, Thama, and Crush – released new albums this fall. Let’s get into each of them.

wonderego – Crush

Release Date: 11.14.23

Details: wonderego contains a total of 19 songs. In this kick-off video we get a glimpse of Crush’s album process. It seems that no songs were cut since March of this year and thank goodness for that. The run time on this album is just under an hour but I’m glad we got a full album instead of being made to wait for more music on shorter EPs. wonderego is Crush’s longest project thus far and his first full-length album since From Midnight to Sunrise.

“…when I’m making music, I consistently feel alive.” – Crush

What’s Good: I love when artists who truly love music make music. This is what I can say with confidence about Crush. He’s a humble goofy guy and he is a music lover. It’s evident in the choices he makes on this album. During his Tiny Desk Korea interview, in response to ‘If stranded on a desert island with only 3 songs to listen to, which songs would you choose?’, Crush answers with the following: Donny Hathaway – “Someday We’ll All Be Free”, Curtis Mayfield – “You’re So Good to Me” and Carla Bley – “Lawns”. Please go and listen to these beautiful pieces of music if you’re unfamiliar.

The overall tone of wonderego is very different from From Midnight to Sunrise, an album Crush admits was emotionally challenging to create in his Tiny Desk Korea interview. There’s a wide range of genres represented on wonderego but Crush’s love of R&B, soul, and jazz shine through.

Favorite tracks: It’s futile to try and narrow this down… but just know that “No Break (feat. Dynamicduo)”, “Deep End (feat. AMAKA)”, “You” and “For Days to Come” are just a few of the tracks I have had in heavy rotation. Also, Crush included “GOT ME GOT U” for me (he knew how badly I needed a house song with a gospel music sample).

Read This: Lyrics for Bad Habits (feat. LeeHi )

Watch This:

WOOOF! – Thama

Release Date: 11.16.23

Details: WOOOF! has 12 tracks and is Thama’s second album, following the release of DON’T DIE COLORS in 2021.

What’s Good: The song that made me a fan of Thama was probably “Questions (feat. Jooyoung)” (from the Pre EP). Then I went back and listened to “Nuuh” and “Like That (feat. GIRIBOY)” and my appreciation of Thama as an artist was solidified. I’ve consistently enjoyed Thama’s music over the last few years and WOOOF! is a project that’s easy to love.

There are a lot less artists featured on this album compared to DON’T DIE COLORS but that just means we get to hear more Thama this time around.

I love that “Won’t You” introduced me to Ciscero, an artist who hails from Brooklyn where I now live.

“You” and “I Feel Love” give me Sunday morning church solo vibes and showcase Thama’s vocals in a really beautiful way.

Favorite tracks: “Baby I Know”, Won’t You (feat. Ciscero)”, “Breeze”, and “Shower”.

Watch This:

Sailing – Hoody

Release Date: 9.21.2023

Details: Sailing is composed of 10 new songs and is Hoody’s second studio album.

What’s Good: Departure changed my life so the bar for new music from Hoody as far as I’m concerned was high. Sailing did not disappoint. Hoody can do no wrong in my eyes. Not enough of ya’ll are tuning in! Please watch the video linked below of Hoody performing a few songs from this album live.

Favorite tracks: Choosing favorites is another impossible task with this album… I mean look at this screenshot from my Spotify library. Just listen to the whole project. Seriously.