Zion T – ‘OO’ Album Review

This post is by guest writer Jara Rowe.

The ever unique Zion.T released his second EP, OO, at the beginning of February. This is his first release under his current label, The Black Label, which is a YG subsidiary. Zion.T named this album after the look of his signature glasses. He solidifies his smooth and sophisticated urban music style with OO by blending hip hop, R&B, and jazz meticulously well. These eight suave and original tracks even received praises internationally from Billboard.

Track 1 – 영화관 (Cinema)

The track, and album, are introduced with the sound of film rolling, which is quite appropriate for the title Cinema. The light guitar strums, and maracas gives Cinema a hint of Latin vibe. This, combined with jazz elements, puts Cinema in the bossa nova genre that suits Zion.T’s soft vocals and mild styling very well. Cinema has a lively melody, many great elements, and genre switches to suit any person’s taste.

Track 2 – 노래 (The Song)

The Song opens with simple and light piano chords followed by jazzy snaps. There are many elements in The Song that make it a distinctive masterpiece: rhythmic hip hop drum beats, splashes of pipe organ, and Zion.T’s rap skills. The quirkiness of the track allows Zion.T’s unique color to truly shine through.

Track 3 – Comedian

Comedian opens with laughters that set the tone of the song. This is the shortest track on the album, but it’s just as impactful. The jazz feel continues prominently throughout, but Zion.T reveals a more baritone vocal. The kick snare mixed with the electronic synths gives this a soulful vibe that suits Zion.T equally well.

Track 4 – 미안해 (Sorry)

With a nice kick drum and rich bass guitar, Sorry is a soul-filled number. Zion.T teams up with Beenzino to channel a relaxing vibe. Beenzino shows a lively and fun rap that fits the atmosphere of the song nicely and acts as a nice contrast to Zion.T’s silky vocals.

Track 5 – 나쁜 놈들 (The Bad Guys)

Putting the listener in a jazz club, The Bad Guys immediately catches one’s attention with a soulful piano and unique humming. This mellow track has a great use of guitar and rhythms, and contains a perfect mix of modern day hip hop elements. Zion.T changes up his delivery a little and focuses more on talk singing. The Bad Guys is an easy listen that is great on a chill day.

Track 6 – Complex

Complex features the one and only G-Dragon and opens up with an outdoor scene. Once the rich synth kicks in, it hooks the listener’s attention right away. As the song continues, the hip hop feel builds up with tempo pauses in both the singing and the instrumental. Complex mellows out during the bridge, but shows an interesting trap section later on, keep you on your toes.

Track 7 – 바람 (2015) (Wind)

OO closes with a distinctive track that is unlike any of the others. Wind is the most ballad-like track on the album. This stripped down song against simple acoustic guitar allows Zion.T’s vocals to become the focal point. He doesn’t use his usual sleek vibrato, but changes to a heartfelt narration. Wind is the perfect way to end the album since it shows a different side of Zion.T that’s never been heard before.

Track 8 – Cinema (Inst.)

Not reviewed.

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