With an album titled the Eternal Essence of Music, the listener’s expectations can’t help but be set high.

After 2 years, Korean R&B star Wheesung (휘성) is back with his highly-anticipated 5th album, Eternal Essence of Music, which is his first release since signing with a new record label (Orange Shock).

To no suprise, it has immediately shot to the top of the charts.

Eternal Essence of Music obviously has already had and is destined for more commercial success, but how does it deliver musically? Based on my past experience listening to Wheesung (I have all of his albums), I can only expect that it’s amazing.

To start things off, the first track hit me like a ton of bricks. “Love Hero” begins with a woman speaking in English over the music. It’s beautifully romantic and sets a perfect tone for the rest of the album. This first song throws the listener head first into a world of emotional and smooth slow jam love.

Once things get going, Eternal Essence of Music really distinguishes itself. The expected heartfelt soul ballads are very well placed between upbeat love songs and party tracks.

Wheesung is one of the best male vocalists out there. This 5th release does a wonderous job of showcasing his vocal ability and talent. His wide vocal range, flowing crescendos, and ability to change pitch are most notable. Wheesung is an amazing singer and it can’t get much better than this.

I have only had a chance to give Eternal Essence of Music a few listen throughs and some tracks already stand out. “Love Hero”, “사랑은 맛있다♡” (Love is delicious♡), “어쩌다 보니 비밀” (A Sudden Secret), “Savannah Woman”, “벌” (Punishment), and “이별 앞에 서서” (Stand In Front Of Separation) are all pretty different but equally enjoyable.

This is an immediate candidate for my favorite album of the year and it will be spinning on my playlist for a while for sure.

The lead-off single for Eternal Essence of Music is “사랑은 맛있다♡” (Love is delicious♡). It’s definetly got a pop vibe going on and while it’s good, don’t be fooled, the rest of the album is actually pretty different. The song is extremely upbeat and can’t help but leave smiles behind. On top of that, the music video for “사랑은 맛있다♡” is really cute and pretty much eclipses the actual song. It’s a good time.