(Scroll down if you want to skip my nonsense and just read my thoughts on the album)

So after announcing their second world tour and hinting at the possibility of their much anticipated comeback and long-awaited, constantly delayed second full album; the girls have finally made their grand return with their second studio album, CRUSH.

"It has been a long time coming, but we're here now". Truer words have never been spoken!

Not only does this album solidified their status as a top tier group in the Kpop industry, but it also marks their transition into multi-talented and greatly matured artists.

The juggernauts known as 2NE1 have actively been making waves over the years, showing their influence in the international market with consistent single tracks, eye-catching videos, promotional activities; and special appearances on TV shows, concerts, fashion shows, etc. The only problem was that they had yet to really release anything redefining. Because this second album had been in the works for over two years after IATB and YG, being the perfectionist he is, wasn't ready to release it until he felt it was satisfactory to everyone in the company - including himself, the girls and producers - 2NE1 was only really able to give us a taste of what they had to offer with the release of I Love You, Falling In Love, Do You Love Me, Missing You and the many collaborations they had been a part of. These releases showed their potential and proved they weren't going anywhere anytime soon, but still... it wasn't an album and not only Blackjacks and YG stans, but avid Kpop fans everywhere felt deprived.

Where the heck was our album!?!

We all know that I Am The Best really heightened everyone's standards and what to expect of them, and it made sense that they wanted to make sure to meet everyone's expectations, but still; The deprived feeling was there. Sure we got our fix with the four releases, and God only knows that the huge drought and lack of activity in 2012 was torturous, but it wasn't enough.

To be honest, I personally felt a lot more fulfilled in 2013 with their back-to-back comebacks. But I was simply fulfilled; not satisfied.

In early 2014 we were met with promises of a 2NE1 comeback+full album upon the announcement of their second world tour. But knowing the King of Trolls, Papa YG, these promises would most likely end up empty. So hardly anyone got their hopes up. I think everyone had the same thought at that point: We'll believe it when we see it.

And see it we did. This time around YG was not trolling at all.

Soon, more information was dropped, even a date confirmed - though again, you can't always be too confident about it - and we finally started getting the idea that maybe, JUST MAYBE, we weren't being trolled and that this album was finally going to happen.

After some perfectly executed media play, interviews, date changes to conform with 2NE1's leader, CL's, birthday; and teaser pics, we finally got what we wanted...

2NE1's SECOND FULL STUDIO ALBUM, CRUSH.

And boy did it not disappoint one bit.

 --- And so the review begins ---

1. CRUSH (Composed by CL & Choice 37 / Lyrics by CL / Arranged by Choice 37) - Reminiscent of the legendary I Am The Best, CRUSH pays homage to the girls roots and badass, bombastic image. The song undoubtedly has that signature 2NE1 flavor to it accompanied by a heavy bass and energetic melody: so much so that you would think it was written by Teddy himself. Though this time around, that's not the case. This powerful song was composed and written by none other than the fierce leader, CL. One of her three songs on the albums, which proves to be one hell of an album opener.

The girls alternatively sing the catchy "They Love Me" hook with Bom starting it off with "hot", Dara following with "cold", Minzy bringing it in with "real" and CL closing it with "Kill"; further emphasizing the similarities with the previously mentioned, IATB, when they would alternate between the line Naega Jeil Jal Naga during the chorus.

One thing about thing song that I really loved, besides the sick beats and amazing breakdown towards the end with the highly addictive "Nolza hey hey hey Nolza!" chant, was definitely how CL was able to bring so much dimension to the girls voices. It was as if I had never heard them sing before in my life. In my six years of being a Blackjack, it felt like I was finally listening to the real THEM.

Bom especially stood out to me the most in this song. Oh lord, that girls vocals right from the very first verse just gave me chills all over. I couldn't even function properly after that. Then Dara surprised the hell out of me, especially since besides CL's awesome "I got 21 big brotha's. To me you ain't big brotha" line, Dara has one of my favorite lines in the song with "Valentine's Day every day". I don't know why but I'm in love with both lines but I am, and now thinking about it, it kind of shows off the contrast in their characters a bit.

2. COME BACK HOME (Composed by Teddy, PK & DEE.P / Lyrics by Teddy / Arranged by Teddy, PK & DEE.P) - The first title track in the album, Come Back Home, is a song that can make you tear up right at the very first listen. Black jacks especially are able to feel right at home with the familiar and very much improved voices of the quartet, making you appreciate the song that much more after having gone so long without a proper comeback.

Opening up like a soothing lullaby, easing your way into the song, the beat immediately picks up into a very beautiful trap infused reggae rhythm that will have you swaying along as the beautiful vocals of CL and Minzy serenade you in the first verse. Dara's soothing vocals then take over the bridge leading into the chorus where Bom takes the reigns. When you thought that nothing could get better, you suddenly hear CL's voice repeat the phrase "Come Back Home" leading into an amazing dubstep-trap drop where Dara takes full control of the catchy hook, "Come baby baby, come come baby".

This song is definitely title song material, granted almost every track on this album is, but there's something very captivating about Come Back Home. It has a very ethereal sound to it and it really shows of their vocals immensely. More so than any other comeback song, including Missing You, which I thought did a great job in that department.

This is the kind of song that appeals to the masses. It appeals to those who know nothing about music to music enthusiasts who can appreciate the interesting fusion of sounds and genres.

3. GOTTA BE YOU (Composed by Teddy & PK / Lyrics by Teddy & Masta Wu / Arranged by PK) - One thing I found pleasantly surprising about this album was how they decided to experiment with the R&B genre this time around. A lot of these songs are great club tracks, but rather than energetic dance tracks, they have more of a slow-grind kind of a feel to them. Gotta Be You is a perfect example of this. So glad that this track featured lyrics by Masta Wu, who to everyone in the K-hiphop scene is a legend. Like Teddy, Masta Wu has the golden touch and is a brilliant mind when it comes to writing or producing music.

CL starts this track off right with her rapping which makes up most of the first first leading up to the bridge which is where Minzy takes control. From there, Dara croons the hook "It's ain't over 'til it's over", building up to the chorus which is belted out by none other than Park Bom. Again, this song is worthy of it's title track status with its infectious beat and catchy lyrics. 

It has a great balance of hip-hop and R&B and reminds me of something Usher would do. But not NOW Usher... I'm talking about old Usher. Usher in his prime, Usher. Let it Burn, Usher. That Usher... sorry. Anyways, back to business.

Again, Bom stole my heart with her voice in this track, thought Minzy, CL and Dara don't stray that far behind with Dara managing to belt out the last note of the song. The first for her and us. 

I'm honestly the most impressed with the distributions of parts this time around. Some shine more in specific songs, obviously, but they all have an equal chance to show off what they're made of. I love it.

4. IF I WERE YOU (Composed by CL & DEE.P / Lyrics by CL / Arranged by DEE.P) - One of my favorite tracks on this album and the second track composed and written by none other than the Queen Leader, CL. Again, this is a beautiful slow-grind type of R&B/Jazz track which I can totally see being sung in one of those 1930's clubs with the band in the back and the girls standing in front of those awesome old school mics and wearing flapper dresses. Yes, I can picture it all already. YG, get that done just for the hell of it. I imagine it would be visually stunning having the girls dressed up like pin-up dolls.

But back to the track, because of her range, CL definitely stole the show for me in this one. But before I go into that, let me talk about Dara's sweet vocals which sound soooo good here. It reminded me of her part in Hurt, and she really adds to the different dimensions in the song by lightly cooing in your ear as if she were whispering softly. Though not a strong vocalist, Dara is still a very special vocalist. You don't need to have a booming voice to be a good singer, and she proves this by still managing to captivate you with her bell-like voice.

Minzy and Bom to me showcase their consistency by alternating parts. Minzy's alto voice always adds a nice flavor to these types of songs, like she did with Missing You and I like the BomZy combination in the chorus.

(Before I go on, did anyone get that one sound in the background during the chorus that kind of sounds like a very traditional instrument? I could swear I've heard it before in one of the ending songs in Inuyasha. Sounds stupid, I know, but I've heard it there. I just don't know what that instrument is called, but I love the addition.)

Now, onto CL who shows off that there's more to her than just her unmatchable rapping skills. Being a full vocal-demanding type of song that this is, I was amazed that she was able to produce something so beautiful. Not only this one, but the three CL-composed tracks are some of my favorites in this album. Not only is she a creative mind for being to produce outside of her normal comfort zone, but the way she was able to direct the girls and bring out their individual colors shows how well she knows and understands them and their capabilities. Her own especially, as she completely owns the genre and even showcases her exceptional and sultry falsettos at the end of the song.

5. GOOD TO YOU (Composed by Teddy & Choice 37 / Lyrics by Teddy & GDragon / Arranged by Choice 37) - The first and only song that features GD as a lyricist, Good To You or Good Girl, is a beautiful R&B song with a soft piano accompaniment. This song reminds me of my all-time favorite 2NE1 song In The Club, and really has a nice emotional feel to it and the very basic and simplistic instrumental matched by the melody emphasizes the vulnerability in their voices. Especially when the lyrics are something almost every girl can relate to.

Another thing to listen out for is the similarity between it and Black, which explains GD's unavoidable involvement in the track. It's not really the melody but more so the fact that it has a very bleak and lonely feeling to it. Even the opening has that echoing beat which is repeated throughout the song, further emphasizing the emptiness the lyrics try to evoke.

Minzy opens up the song with her deep and glorious vocals before transitioning into CL's dynamic ones. Bom then splits the hook with CL, who croons the words "Cause I'm too good to you", while Bom whispers and alternates between the deep lines, "You love her but her kiss is a lie" and "You kiss her but your love is a lie". CL ultimately closes the song with one of her most beautiful raps yet, showing her versatility and that she doesn't always have to be a hype rapper to get her message through. 

In this track, Minzy and Dara stood out for me. Dara has my favorite part in the song, the chorus, while Minzy's voice cannot be overlooked for one second. such a beautiful alto voice is a very rare one to find in Kpop, especially a voice with so much control. 

6. MENTAL BREAKDOWN (MTBD) (Composed by Teddy / Lyrics by Teddy & CL / Arranged by Teddy) - Definitely the album's wild card. The moment MTBD came on, the initial reaction for everyone was probably the same: Ho-Ly . At least that was mine, after the first drop, though my mouth dropped as well and I remained pretty speechless even by the time it was over. This track happens to be the talk of the town and for good reason. MTBD is all kinds of amazing and it shows CL's real potential as Korea's rap queen. (She even manages to reference lable-mate, TOP's Doom Dada, in the second half of the song right before the hook, and does it with ease.)

This track goes hard and borders between dark and light with it's witty lyrics and grimy trap beats. As expected, this was a step up from the quirky and somewhat lighter yet equally hard first solo track, The Baddest Female. Teddy and CL decided to take it up a notch of course and decided to do things the bigger and badder way with incredible bass and trap heavy drops that will leave you breathless. Once you've finally recovered from those drops though, you will want to immediately start dancing like a crazy person, and no one blames you. The sound is sick, her flow as she raps is next level and in all honesty, CL has just raised the standards to an unmatchable level when it comes to being a female Kpop rapper. Because there isn't quite any other like CL.

Two key points in the song is the ever catchy "Karma, karma, karma is coming for you. What you gonna do when it comes for you?" and the repetition of the line, "How beautiful is this life? How painful is this life?" at the end of the song.

Again, no one nails there first solo single and though TBF was somewhat successful, it's undeniable how much more amazing MTBD is. Because experience is what allows a person to experiment with their sound and identity. And CL nailed it with this one. THIS is CL. THIS is the baddest female at work.

Before I go on, I feel like there are some thing I need to help clear up for some people. A lot of people had different things to say regarding this solo, even before the album was actually released and it was announced that she would be having a solo track in it, but this is something I felt needed to be explained since it's causing some misunderstandings as to why the other members didn't get any (though I'm pretty sure they don't mind because odds are they do discuss these things). When 2NE1's first studio album came out, both Dara and Bom released their own solo tracks and had them placed in the album which came out soon after, while Minzy and CL did Please Don't Go, one of my favorite tracks til this day. Now, had this album come out in it's original release, we probably would've had TBF instead, but since that had been out for a full year it would be pretty redundant to put an old track into a brand new album. So they did what anyone else would do, they recorded a new track. To be fair, CL deserved it. She's worked hard and without an album she managed to do very well with TBF upon its release. But now, the question is: then why didn't Minzy get a solo? Simple. This question had already been answered to us a few months ago during the AON press release. Minzy will most likely have her solo debut this year and so they're saving her solo track for when that happens and then probably do what they did with TBF and have it as a single release for her to promote freely. Bom was already in talks to realease her own solo album and Dara is kind of the only one who's up in the air since she wants to act more than anything. There's no need to get your in a bunch, people. Learn to relax because I doubt the girls care even half as much as you do.

7. HAPPY (Composed by Teddy / Lyrics by Teddy / Arranged by Teddy) - Despite the name and amazing up-beat rock sound, Happy is actually pretty sad when the lyrics are taken into consideration. "I'm not happy but I hope you're happy" is constantly sung by Bom during the chorus, expressing the sorrow of a girl in love that needs to find a way to move on and be happy for her ex-lover despite not being happy herself.

It's a very mature way of looking at things in that perspective, and again you realize that 2NE1 aren't little girls anymore. It isn't just about love and heartbreak but also about dealing with love and heartbreak, because no one really talks enough about that. It's either "I'm so in love" or "I'm so miserable" but never "I'm miserable without you, but I hope you're doing fine". 

At this point, 2NE1 isn't a group that needs to change their identity to conform to the masses or meet anyones standards or try to make an impression, because they already did that 6 years ago. At this point they only really want to focus on doing what they love for the people who love them, not just the general public. These songs are mostly directed to the fans who have grown up with them and are able to relate to the songs they sing, because 2NE1 is at that point in their life and career where they don't need to try to "impress" the target audience of teenagers anymore. Those are the newer idols' jobs.

So with this song, whether you got into it immediately or it took you a few listens to get into, you know that you'll be able to put your worries aside and just jam freely as you sing "I HOPE YOU'RE H-A-P-P-Y!" at the top of your lungs.

8. SCREAM (Composed by Teddy & DEE.P / Lyrics by CL / Arranged by DEE.P) - If you're a die-hard Blackjack than odds are you've already heard Scream, except now it's in Korean. This energetic and funky song was released a few years back in Japan and with CL's help saw the light of an official Korean counterpart in this album. Personally, I love it. The transition from one language to the other isn't awkward at all and I'm already getting used to the Korean version. It was my jam then, and it's my jam now.

9. BABY I MISS YOU (Composed by CL, Choice 37 & Peejay / Lyrics by CL / Arranged by Choice 37 % Peejay) - Obviously drawing inspiration from the great Stevie Wonder, CL manages to make yet another amazing track, following CRUSH and If I Were You. Believe it or not, aside from SW, this track also reminds me of something TLC would've put out back in the day. It has a very nice old-school 9o's R&B vibe to it that I can appreciate. Again, CL was able to bring out the girls true voices in this track.

Again, CL's range is further showcased in this song as she effortlessly belts out her high notes and croons her falsettos like nobodies business, while also adding a little spice with her rapping and y narration. Bom's soulful voice booms out the bridge and Minzy isn't left behind as she takes on the chorus. The chorus in this one, by the way, is probably my favorite and I like how all of the members alternate and get a chance to sing it.

Dara takes control of the verses in this track as her sweet vocals are put to use, hitting lower notes than usual, which surprisingly suits her voice. She then does it again when it's her turn to pick up the chorus and once again, I found that this song in particular gave Dara a chance to shine. Again, I think the songs CL composed really fit well with Dara the most. She's aware of Dara's capabilities and they make it work. I sincerely enjoyed her songs the most in this album.

10. COME BACK HOME (Unplugged Ver.) (Composed by Teddy, PK and DEE.P / Lyrics by Teddy / Arranged by Teddy, PK & DEE.P) - A song that can easily make you fill up with pride at the girls growth and maturity along the years. This is one of the greatest closing songs to an album I've heard and it felt necessary to have it in. 

Come Back Home is just as chill-inducing or even more so than it's original counterpart and I commend Teddy, PK and DEE.P on coming up with such a brilliantly beautiful song.

If there is one thing that 2NE1 must be credited for, hands down. is for how beautiful their ballad tracks and unplugged tracks. Their talents have no measures and know no bounds. In fact, some of my favorite 2NE1 songs all happen to be ballads: In The Club, Hurts, Lonely, I Love You, Missing You and now some of the songs on this track.

 --- Closing Statements ---

There was no vocal alterations in this album this time around. It was very raw and real. Every girls potential and vocal range was showcased and highlighted flawlessly. Along the six years with 2NE1, we've been able to see them grow into the beautiful and empowering women they are today. This unique group stand alone along a mass of idol groups conforming to the general publics standards while 2NE1 refuses to do that, and instead pushes the boundaries of how far they can go with their artistry; which is obviously very far. Each of them plays a very important role to the group and this album proved that when they're voices are combined, that is when the girls are at their strongest and sound the best.

To sum this up, I believe that CRUSH was an amazing album. Not only in regards to 2NE1, but it's probably one of the most amazing albums I've heard in a while. The consistency is there and that's something rare to find in any album. Usually there are like one or two songs that you're like "meh" and skip over them, but not this one. All of them can stand on their own and each song has its own appeal and charm.

I am so proud of them and I can fully appreciate this album even more because it's been such a long time. Too long. Unnecessarily long.

With CL now taking charge as their go to girl in composing and producing, and like what GD is to Big Bang, I hope this means that we can get quicker comeback releases in the future for the girls. I also hope this means that they can try experimenting with unit collaborations even if they're not promoted. Like how Minzy and CL did with Please Don't Go. A CL-Bom collaboration would be tops since they both have similar ranges, but a Bom-Minzy, CL-Dara or Bom-Dara would be interesting to hear too.

Make sure to support the girls on Itunes and buy the digital album and head on over to YesAsia to preorder the physical album as well. ^^

Damn...

They're already making me look forward to the MAMA's.