Song Review: Nam Woohyun (Infinite) – Devil

My favorite K-pop group, Infinite, has had trouble picking great songs over the past few years. I’m not sure if it’s a lack-of-A&R situation or a lack-of-great-material-to-choose-from, but while the guys are mega talented with so much star power, I just don’t trust them when it comes to picking title tracks that best suit their potential. Listening to the highlight medley of Nam Woohyun’s latest sixteen track (!) opus, I feared history would repeat itself. Title track Devil sounded like one of the least interesting songs on an otherwise strong project. I have to believe this is a case of concept over music, where Woohyun (or somebody close to him) wanted to attempt this sort of sultry mid-tempo and simply picked the song that most closely matched that brief. To be fair, this has never been my favorite style of track, so Devil faced an uphill battle even before I heard it. But even within the realm of sultry mid-tempos, the song is quite dull. Woohyun has one of my absolute favorite voices in K-pop, capable of doing incredible things. The melodies here don’t let him flex much at all. I appreciate how the tempo kicks up halfway through Devil, but even here it doesn’t commit to an...