Doing a "Review" of All of SHINee's Albums Before Their 15th Anniversary

I've been a fan of the K-Pop group SHINee since February 2009. A friend posted their Replay music video on my Facebook wall after she came across it on YouTube. Things spiraled out of control from there. SHINee was my gateway to K-Pop on the whole, but to this day, they are far and away my favorite group and the only group that I still closely follow. There have been times in my life where I didn't keep as close an eye on their releases, like the first few years I was married, but I've been fully back on board ever since their 6th full length album came out in 2018.

I will say one "weakness" of mine, as a fan, is being able to recognize all of their songs. I don't speak Korean, so I don't really remember what the names of some of the songs are and some songs aren't in as heavy of rotation. I have heard and own most of their Korean releases, but when I hear a song I can't always name it or remember what album it came from. I figured that doing a deep dive through each of their albums in anticipation of their impending comeback and fifteenth anniversary might help me in sinking another level deeper into true, devoted fandom.

So let's begin back in May of 2008, when SHINee debuted. Their first release was a mini-album featuring five songs.

1. Replay - This was the song that started it all, not just for SHINee but for my journey into the world of K-Pop. I could identify this song by the plinky sounding backbeat alone. The thing that immediately stands out to me about this song is how mature Jonghyun's voice was, even back then. Meanwhile, Taemin and Minho barely have any lines at all. It's got a classic mid-2000s R&B vibe. The bridge is notable for bringing in something almost like a rap, and then it leads into the most enthusiastic iteration of the refrain. After that is the fun adlib part that ends the song. It's overall very cute and memorable.

2. In My Room - A slower song begins with Onew's silky smooth vocals, which even back in 2008 were super soothing and easy to listen to. Jonghyun joins in next. His voice is more "varied" sounding, modulating up and down with sophistication. We hear some pretty harmonies in the chorus, but to me SHINee's harmonies aren't super well-developed at this point. I don't even know if Taemin or Minho were involved in the recording of this song whatsoever. Key has some lines in the verse after the chorus. His voice has always been very rich and robust, almost "thick" sounding, but he blends well when it comes to the chorus. This song is easy to remember because of the line "you're still in my room," which, if I remember from reading the English translation, refers to the feeling of a lingering presence after a break up. It also has a sort of latin guitar vibe that's memorable. I think the song showcases the vocal talent of Onew, Jonghyun, and Key, even on this first album.

3. Real - I love the drama of the piano and strings in the opening, followed by the super synth notes. I love the way that Jonghyun's vocals burst into the song. Onew's staccato lines are upbeat. The chorus sounds super cheerful. It reminds me of the TVXQ song Balloons at times. Key and Minho finally get a rap verse. I always wish they were a bit longer, but I love the sound of Key's rap so much. Taemin gets something of a rap later in the song, which is a rare feature. Jonghyun still shows off his vocal ability, even in a more peppy song, with an impressive long, high note. The song almost has an abrupt end, but it suits the pace of the whole piece.

4. Love Should Go On - It's notable that Minho and Key basically open the song with a rap verse. Once again, Taemin's lines are more of a rap style, which is likely because back in early 2008, the boy couldn't sing. This song features some cringey English, which was a common feature of older K-Pop songs. "All about you; you are my girl!" is exclaimed with enthusiasm, but it doesn't sound particularly cool. "Love forever, last forever," are lyrics in the refrain. The song is fun, but not in any way lyrically inspiring, at least for English listeners.

5. Replay - Boom Track - I love this bass heavy remix of Replay. In fact, because I love a good trap remix and a heavy bass line, I might actually prefer this to the original. It even has some of that blown-out speaker, dubstep sound. Back in the day, I loved watching live performances of this version of the song because of the incredible dance breaks. I think that makes this song iconic, since SHINee quickly gained the reputation of being quite adept at handling difficult and complex choreography; this song was just the beginning!

Later that year, in August, they released their first full-length album, The SHINee World. October 2008 saw the release of the repackage of that album, which was entitled AMIGO. This album had fifteen songs, including some remixes of songs on the mini-album. The total length of the album is over 57 minutes, which I think is pretty impressive. Often, even with albums featuring a higher number of songs, the album isn't that long because the songs are short. I feel like you get your money's worth with this one.

1. AMIGO - This song went a bit harder than Replay, with that heavy, synthy bass sound persistent in the background. This song is easy to remember for the way that "AMIGO" is shouted in the chorus. Key and Minho's rap verse at the midpoint of the song is pretty powerful, which suits the rhythm of the song on the whole. The song is catchy, but doesn't really do the best job of showcasing Onew or Jonghyun's vocals. Every line is almost spoken rather than sung.

2. Forever or Never - Aside from some auto-tuned vocalizations from Onew, Key actually gets the opening lines to this song. It's got this kind of sneaky sound all throughout the first verse, but then I think the chorus has that classic SHINee harmony. I feel like this song's key point is the auto-tune, but it is used sparingly and judiciously, mostly for adlibs. Jonghyun still gets to belt out some authentic sounding notes. Minho's rap is put through some kind of filter, which I dislike. He didn't get many lines back then, so anything that would muffle his voice isn't my favorite. There are song lines at the end that sound like a woman, but that's just Jonghyun's incredible falsetto. I always remember those lines.

3. Love like Oxygen - The music video for this song had some interesting choreography featuring chairs, but vocally, the most memorable thing is how Onew, Key, and especially Jonghyun all tap into this jazzy, deep, gravelly sound. Taemin also finally gets the chance to sing an actual line in the song. The plunky bass in the background is fabulous, matching the vocal tone. Minho and Key's rap at the end of the song is fairly lengthy as well. The song concludes with some rhythmic chanting and adlibs, which are quite fun.

4. Love Should go on (Plugged by DJ One Shot) - Some of the cringiness of the original version is alleviated in this version, which is more electronic and harder sounding and seems to feature fewer embarrassing English lines. Minho's rap is once again put through a filter, which makes it sound like he is on the phone. I don't hate it. The vibe of the song is definitely more upbeat. There's a lovely acapella break toward the end, which works very well considering SHINee's note-worthy harmonies and Onew's soothing vocals. Overall, though, it's quite similar to the original version.

5. Replay - This is the exact same version as on the mini. I normally don't like when songs are recycled from mini-albums onto other albums, unless it's a greatest hits compilation album. However, in this case, I think it was wise to include the song again since it was their debut song and this was their first full-length album. Replay needed to be cemented in the public consciousness. The song is good enough that it bears repeating.

6. ROMANTIC - Honestly, it's kind of a bog-standard mid-2000s ballad. Taemin got to sing some lines in this song which were a bit more complex, though, which I think indicates some improvement from him, even in the few months after their first mini-album release. The chorus features the lyrics, "Still I have Romantic in my heart," which makes no sense whatsoever. Unfortunately, even though the harmonies and vocals are lovely, that bad English is the most notable part of the song. Jonghyun ate up the bridge, of course, as he usually did. The extended bridge is definitely the best part of the song. It's not a bad song by any means, especially not vocally, I just don't enjoy the back track as it's so generic sounding, except for this kind of bubble popping or water drop sound effect, which doesn't seem to represent anything.

7. Love's Way - This echoing synth sound in the back track is pretty memorable, along with the "oh!"s that feature in background of the chorus. Vocally, I don't find there to be very much interesting going on for the majority of the song . Minho's rap verse is great, though. And when Key takes the second half, I love the nasally sound of his voice. One of Jonghyun's most dramatic adlibs gets some autotune treatment, as well as the final vocal runs , which is fun. Auto-tune was definitely becoming more popular at this time.

8. One For Me - Key's vocals in this song stand out to me, as he has that bombastic, bold sound. The harmonies on the chorus are nice. I like the breathy vocalizations after the chorus as well. Minho actually sings half a line, which is rare for SHINee's early days. However, a recurring issue for me is that a lot of the more ballady R&B songs on this first album are kind of generic sounding and are difficult to distinguish.

9. Graze - This song stands out slightly, because of that latin guitar sound that it has. Minho's vocal tone in all of his rap lines and in his rap verse is quite manly sounding. Key also has a rap in this song that is entirely in English. It's not super complicated or clever lyrically, but it is grammatically correct, which gets a thumbs up from me.

10. Last Gift (In My Room - Prelude) - I don't know why they didn't put this song before the In My Room remix on this album, but I suppose that's neither here nor there. The first thing I notice about this song is that Taemin gets the opening lines, which is odd. Minho also gets to sing another half of a line here and there. This song is slower and sadder sounding than all of the R&B style ballads on the album, heavily featuring piano, which is the only way to really distinguish it. I like the line that says, "I don't know why I can't move on," because not only does it sound good in English, but it's sung in a beautiful harmony. Key's vocals stand out to me once again for how soulful they are. He really captures the feeling of a broken heart in how he sings his lines and keeps a song which doesn't otherwise interest me from being kind of boring.

11. Best Place - They use the English words "Best Place" in the song repeatedly, but I suppose due to Korean pronunciation, it sounds more like "Best of Place." The breathy vocals of the pre-chorus are soothing. I like Minho's lines in the background: "love drive us crazy." That's probably my part of the song, and unfortunately all of Minho's lines are buried in the background. The song fades out in the end, just as it does in my memory much of the time. It's not a bad song by any means, but, again, not super distinct.

12. Y Si Fuera Ella - This is a Jonghyun solo song. It's very slow and deliberate sounding, with a nice build up to the more dramatic vocals later in the song. It's hard to believe that this guy was just 18 (in international age) when this album was released. Jonghyun's voice and vocals were super mature with great, high range. His vocals developed even further past this point as well, making his performances in later stages truly insane! While I prefer upbeat, bassy songs to ballads like this, Y Si Fuera Ella is an undeniably beautiful song and I can listen without complaint thanks entirely to Jonghyun's talent and passion. You can argue that the electric guitar in the instrumentation is a little cheesy, but honestly, in this case, I think it just adds to the grandeur of the song. The song concludes on a more relaxed, sweet note. Overall, it's a favorite for me from this album.

13. Four Seasons - I really do enjoy the vibe of this song. It's relaxing and pretty sounding. The line "I'll wait for you," sounds so earnest and kind. The low-key rap verses from Minho and Key fit right in with the overall feeling of the song without distracting or feeling out of place even though the song is very understated. That's not to say that the vocals are uninspiring or boring, just appropriately restrained. Though, like many of the songs on the album, it's not particularly noteworthy or memorable, it's just nice to listen to.

14. In My Room - Unplugged Remix - This version of the song is definitely different from the one on the mini. I think it's less latin sounding and more orchestral. I prefer this version, but it may be because I've listened to it more, due to the fact that I owned the AMIGO repackage of the first album and not the mini. I'm definitely more familiar with this version, at any rate.

15. The SHINee World (Doo-Bop) - This song went so hard in 2008. It is reminiscent of the Replay -Boom Track Remix, with the heavy beat. Honestly, the song is kind of embarrassing sounding, with strange English lyrics sprinkled throughout and everyone rapping. I don't know Korean, but I can tell that the lyrics are mostly self-referencial, which seems like a strange choice for a group that, at his point, had existed for less than six months. The "dibidibidis" portion at the end of the song is the most iconic part, and not in a good way. To be clear, this weird, embarrassing song is a favorite of mine, not only on the album, but in SHINee's whole discography. For long time fans, it's super nostalgic and fun to listen to.

I listened to that first album on repeat in ninth grade, so much so that I'm surprised that the disc didn't wear out from overuse. There's not a bad song on it, but for me, there are much better SHINee albums out there with songs that better showcase their vocal talent and versatility. I understand that this was just the beginning, so in many ways they played it safe. I'm looking forward to continuing my trek through SHINee's albums to hear more of the range of what SHINee is truly capable of!