Album arts & track listing: BoA - Who's back?

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Japanese BoA fans have been wondering when BoA would actually bother to release another Japanese album, after denying them one for 3 years. The details of BoA's Japanese long player have surfaced, but in light of this you could still ask the question when she is going to bother releasing a new Japanese album, because this shit right here light on new material, even by J-Pop standards. This 'new album' from BoA is nothing but a singles collection.

  1. First time
  2. Shout it out
  3. Only one
  4. Fun
  5. Message
  6. Woo weekend
  7. Milestone
  8. I see me
  9. Masayume chasing
  10. The shadow
  11. Close to me
  12. Call my name
  13. Baby you..
  14. Tail of hope

I'm surprised Avex didn't throw Japanese versions of "I did it for love", "Copy & paste" and "Hurricane Venus" on here too, alongside a 4 year old songs like "Woo weekend".


BoA's 8th Japanese studio album is titled Who's back? and as you can see from the album art BoA is looking as though she's wondering who's back too - as am I. The BoA I'm seeing on this album is not the same girl I recall taking Korea by storm with her comeback last year, but is instead the just-going-along-with-shit girl that was half arsing her music 5 years ago.

BoA returned to K-Pop in 2010 after a long hiatus exuding the type of bad arsery and confidence that one does when they've been in the game for over a decade and is setting the template for others. BoA's second comeback with "Only one" was a big deal. Not only because she delivered with a great song, but because she wiped the floor with every wig with an amazing dance routine which clearly drew the line between her and 'the rest'. Then just as hoes started wringing out the Wasabia from their wigs, BoA sent them back to the floor again with "The shadow". Her original Japanese singles and music videos however have been weak. "Only you" was a nice departure for BoA and "The shadow" was a nice amalgamation of old meets new and was the snappy pop track that most wanted from her at the time; both of which came with two of BoA's best music videos to date. But the likes of "Shout it out" and "Masayume chasing" could easily be songs which BoA released during her The face era 8 years ago. An era which I was not a fan of.

For a long time BoA was winging her album releases and not giving a great deal. With the release of Identity BoA finally showed an invested interest in song-writing as well as her image. I thought this would stick and develop. But Who's back? is looking like such a half arsed effort, that it seems as though BoA's gone straight back to square one.

Single & album reviews: Vivid | The face | Eien | BoA | Identity | Hurricane Venus