Throughout her historic career, BoA has tried her hand at just about any K-pop sub-genre you could imagine. Having started in the industry so young, she still feels like a contemporary to many of this era’s groups despite being one of K-pop’s most respected elder stateswomen. New title track Crazier is her first in over a year and leads off a full album.
For Crazier, BoA opts for an anthemic rock sound. I guess she heard this is a popular genre these days! This isn’t the first time BoA has gone rock (not even close!), and the song’s assured confidence carries that experience. Crazier swaggers right out of the gate with a chorus that feels designed to be sung back by thousands. And speaking of singing, the track offers plenty of space for BoA to belt out powerful refrains. My favorite BoA songs tend to see her belting with so much intensity you almost feel the need to shirk away in response (the incredible Girls On Top immediately comes to mind). Crazier borrows some of that energy, though it’s funneled into a far less prickly song.
That would be my main critique of Crazier. It’s strong and assertive but the arrangement feels overly polished and safe. At its best, a song like this can really rough up the listener in a satisfying way. My feathers feel gently ruffled by Crazier, which goes against its modus operandi and ends up making the track less impactful than it should be. It’s still a strong return for BoA, but a slightly more daring approach would have kicked it over the edge.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
