Lee Soo Young

Made In Winter (Seoul Records)
by Michael McCarthy

Since her debut a few years back, Korea’s Lee Soo Young has often been called “the ballad queen,” so it comes as no surprise that she opens her third album, Made In Winter (Seoul Records, Inc., Korea), with the luscious ballad after which it’s named. Still, one can’t help but wish there weren’t quite so many ballads on the disc. She’s arguably one of the best contemporary ballad singers in the world, but her previous two studio albums also featured at least a few pop songs with a catchy beat. Then again, there are a few attempts at straightforward pop here, but they’re not nearly as memorable as the ballads, so I should probably quit complaining. It’s just that last year’s live album, 2001 Live (also on Seoul Records), consisted entirely of ballads, leaving many of her fans hoping she’d do more pop or r&b on her next studio release. That said, 2001 Live is essential for even casual ballad fans with not only powerful renditions of her biggest hits, but covers ranging from classics like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “Just the Two of Us” to No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak,” the later of which is a haunting acoustic performance.