[#31] Jay Park - "So Good (Feat. Common Ground)"

From: "Evolution"
Released: September
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Entries: First appearance
Other notable song(s) from 2014: "EVOLUTION", "비밀", "Welcome"

I've never really been the biggest Jay Park fan -- his music, for the most part, seems either very generic mainstream R&B if not borderline arrogant/culturally appropriative. But it just so happened this year that on the off chance that I did get around to listening to one of his releases, "So Good" impressed me.

"So Good" caught my ear initially because I like the whole motif of the song -- it's light-hearted, no-frills, melodic fun. And more so because it was actually well-produced, with a tight, dynamic arrangement. But the more I listened to it, the more I realized that I also like "So Good" because it's slick. In being light-hearted it's also very slick -- the keyboard line adds character to the verses, and the arrangement of the chorus is such that while it still contributes to a great sonic contrast (between the chorus and the verse), it literally doesn't hit you over the head with anything. The melody is spaced out so you're not bombarded with a repetitive chorus, but the chorus as a whole still has spunk because the instrumental is packed with everything from a soaring trumpet line to "ooh ooh"'s.

All in all, "So Good" is the spunky kind of slick, which is a surprise to hear from someone like Jay Park who usually overdoes it with everything. But "So Good" is a balanced, musical execution of a well-composed song. I've listened to this at least a couple of dozen times since it came out.