The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 403

One of the many recurring themes and/or thoughts I have shared in quite a few blog posts I have written about G.O has been that you can set any song in front him and he will be able to sing it. And not just sing it, he will feel it. Or better yet, absorb it by allowing it to mix and mingle with his own history, experiences and emotions. So then, it does not surprise me that he gave a Celine Dion song a try. No, it does not surprise me at all.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 402

Just tell me how . . . how I can rid my heart of this pain? Just tell me how, how did I not see the love right here in front of me? Just tell me how, how it is that I have only seen you as a friend? Just tell me how, how is it that I love you now? This seems to be the running theme of Tykeys’ gospel-infused R&B song, 말해버려 [Just Tell Me], one of my absolute favorite cuts on the incredibly rich and neo-soulifric Ty Project No. 1. Every song on this wonderful album that features G.O’s expressive and impassioned vocals is a Vocal Virtuosity moment and I am thrilled to have the time to expose all of them before he concludes his military service.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 321

As time continues to move further away from the year 2007 – a year that I am going to deem remarkable in and of itself simply because the world formally met G.O and his gorgeous vocal artistry that year, I continue to hold on to every note and every lyric seared into tape then expertly produced in the form of Ty Project No. 1. I cannot and will not let go. The music is too good and the vocal synergy between G.O and Baek Su Kyung far too perfect to store away and forget. As such, I choose a moment, almost ten years old now, for this 321st day of G.O’s service, a vocal virtuosity moment where he and Su ripped into Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You on Nam Kyung Yeon’s radio show back on 2 June 2007.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 205

He may have been all of about twenty years old when Tykeys dropped their album Ty Project No. 1 in February 2007, but the makers, creators, producers and writers, knew full well that Byung Hee was vocally fit to handle a song or two on his own. He was given two on the album. I will give each equal time here but for this 205th day of G.O’s service, I feel like being wrapped in the gentle and warm embrace of 내가 아니라도 [Even Though It’s Not Me].

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 36

On the eve of his enlistment, G.O spent about a half hour in a chatroom at MBLAQ’s Daum Cafe saying good-bye to his A+ while simultaneously drenching them with his ever-present gratitude. He also said something that gave us all pause. Something probably none of us never in our wildest of dreams would think he would ever say: After two years time, I may not return as an active singer. Unfathomable, right? Well, if after two years he still has some reservations about returning, I would ask him to reflect on the evening of May 29, 2007, and maybe rethink that statement.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 24

A good song will always stand the test of time. This is something that G.O understands explicitly. His penchant for tender ballads written and recorded well before he was even a glint in his parents’ eyes is proof that the soul that resides in him has most probably been here before, and has felt love and loss, often.

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