Rapid Review: FIESTAR's "Black Label"

 Welcome to another Rapid Review! This week, we dive back into our look into early third-generation K-pop with FIESTAR. This is my first ever listen to them … I think? Like I’ve said, my friends gave me a lot of suggestions, and it’s very possible they got lost in the shuffle.

FIESTAR debuted in 2012, along with other artists I’ve talked about here like VIXX and EXID. Looking back now on that year, it feels like a double-edged sword. While a lot of great groups debuted around that time, it also took them one to two years to really make it big. Some didn’t even get their footing before they disbanded.

While this six-member team debuted in 2012 under Kaoko M, they didn’t release their first EP until 2015. Before then, they periodically released singles, such as “Whoo!” with Eric Benet. They disbanded in 2018 with only two albums and about nine singles. It’s really heartbreaking to see how stalled they were.

Review

This is a surprisingly hard album to review. I try really hard to not compare other artists to each other unless I have to. It’s not fair to anyone to, especially with how small and competitive K-pop has gotten over the years. I attempt to take on each review as its own thing. However, there were so many moments where one song would sound like another, more popular song. I’m not going to name names, but “Hello” reminds me of three other songs.

And while similarities are bound to happen, FIESTAR’s songs aren’t strong enough to stand alone. I should walk away, humming another artist. I shouldn't be singing another song while listening to theirs. The raps also got a bit repetitive. While the album only has six songs, the rap-verse often came in at the same time.

This isn’t a bad album, reader. It’s just not strong enough to stand by itself. I personally give this album a weak seven. It has interesting moments and the ladies are good singers, but it’s not a “Must-listen” album to me.

High Points

So Tight, Cold

Low Points

Turn Off the Lights, Hello, Today

In Conclusion

An unspectacular album that has some bright points but ultimately reminds me of other strong artists.

(Editor's note: Originally published on MACGMagazine on July 27, 2020)