C-REAL debuted last year with their song No No No No No and I was a big fan of it. It was a soft R&B number with sweet vocals, and the 5 members of C-REAL were dubbed as 5 mini IU's - another K-Pop artist I'm a big fan of.
This week, they returned with their new single Joma Joma and their second mini album Love Diary. It's definately different to No No No No No but I can't help but feel that it's a step back for C-REAL. Although their first single was insanely cute, it still had a grown-up feel to it. But somehow, Joma Joma seems quite childish. The girls have been dressed in a very young way (school uniform-like, if you will) and the whole tap-dancing element to the song makes it overall a bit kiddy-like. I thought their first mini album was really strong and although the members were obviously very young, they could still compete with the older, more mature K-Pop Idols. But this time round, I feel they've gone back a step and released something 'safe' instead of trying to mature.
All of that said, I still think it's a good song. I don't think it's a song that I'll be blasting out of my car when I'm driving, but for a short and sweet song - it does the trick. I really like the rapper of the group who gives C-REAL the edge that they need. The other songs on the mini album are pretty good - 맘에 든다고 has a computer-game vibe to it but works surprisingly well.
Overall, I'm not dissapointed with this comeback. However, I am not blown away or overly impressed either. I think these 5 girls are exceptional vocalists and I do see a bright future for them, but I hope - for their sake - that their next release will be something with a bit more subtance and with signs of growth.
3/5
