Truth be told, every song on Taemin’s Act One: Never Gonna Dance Again is in shuffle mode looping endlessly as I pass these quarantine days in this current work from home environment. It has been my constant companion since its September 7th release. At this point, I should simply succumb to the desire to gush over every track and am considering it because as far as I’m concerned, each deserves its moment in the spotlight. However for now, I choose to honor Nemo because in a recent commentary, Taemin intimated that it is his favorite track on the album.
Will walking on this road feel empty like me?
In his commentary discussing the evolution of Act One: Never Gonna Dance Again, Taemin mentioned that he had been listening to a lot of 90’s R&B and that Nemo was very well situated in that genre. He said Nemo feels relaxed and calm; that is, while singing it, his voice is in a comfortably relaxed state. No strain, just an easy flow of notes, lyrics and supernal vocal improvisations.
How does he make a break up song sound so romantic?
A Shawol friend once told me that SHINee’s Jonghyun took vocal improvisations to the next level and that he was considered one of the very best in the business. I cannot help but feel that somewhere in Taemin’s gentle improvisations, Jonghyun left an imprint, one that Jonghyun knew Taemin could perhaps use as a map to discover, nurture and grow his own unique improvisational voice.
~♥~