Any Repair needed? Yoon Jong Shin (윤종신) Monthly Singles - Repair 2013 (Part 1)

This year, Yoon Jong Shin (YJS) is putting out monthly singles with the concept 'Repair' where he takes some of his old songs and adds some new flavour in it. Hmm, like repairing his old songs? hehe! The concept is not bad as it allows the younger audience to become more familiar with his music.  Only YJS can come up with such concept though and it cracks me up.

Do you think the "repairing" is for the better or for the worse? Should he have left the original song as is? 

Here are my thoughts:

Repair 1월호 - '사랑의 역사 (History of Love)'

This is a song that YJS wrote for Jo Sung Mo in 2009. There really isn't any difference between the two songs, other than one is sung by the original singer, and the other by the composer. Both have nice vocals but YJS is much more distinctive.

Verdict: Both are good overall (but I prefer YJS)
____________________

Repair 2월호 -  01 - '내일 할 일 with 성시경 (Doing Tomorrow with Sung Si Kyung)'




Original song can be found in YJS's Vol. 11

This remake is sung completely by Sung Si Kyung and well, it's okay; not bad but not spectacular either. Sung Si Kyung has a nice, gentle voice that is very fitting for ballads such as this song. However, I'm biased because I really enjoyed this song by YJS when I first heard it back when YJS released Vol. 11 in 2008. After listening to both songs, I still enjoy YJS's original one as it is more easy listening and his vocals is strong and distinctive.

Verdict: YJS's original song in Vol. 11
_____________________________

Repair 2월호 -  02 - '거리에서 with 윤종신 (In the Street with Yoon Jong Shin)'




This is a very popular song that YJS wrote for Sung Si Kyung. YJS mentioned in many interviews that his wife was the inspiration for this song. YJS's remake is surprisingly a nice touch to the original one as it has a bit of pop/soul feel to it especially near the end, and his ad-libs are done very well.  The original song by Sung Si Kyung is more gentle and consistent. 

Verdict: Both. Sung Si Kyung's for those who enjoy ballads. YJS's for those who enjoy ballad/soul/pop.
_________________________


Repair 3월호 -  'No Schedule with 김연우 (Kim Yeon Woo)'



Original song can be found in YJS's Vol. 10

What!!! Nooooo! "No schedule" is one of my favourite YJS songs!! No remakes!! The original is pop/R&B and YJS delivers the song perfectly. The remake by Kim Yeon Woo is....okay. Kim Yeon Woo has a very gentle voice which is more fitting for ballad, which this is not.

Verdict: YJS's original in Vol. 10
__________________________

Repair 3월호 - '이별택시 with 윤종신 (Parting Taxi with Yoon Jong Shin)'



Original song by Kim Yeon Woo, composed by YJS. 

The original song is well sung and Kim Yeon Woo hits the high notes very well. YJS's cover is nicely done but it seems that Kim Yeon Woo expressed the song a bit better.

Verdict: Kim Yeon Woo
___________________

Repair 4월호 - '부디 (Please)'




Original song can be found in YJS's Vol 4

Now, why would he even try remake this? This is like one of his classic and it's beautiful as is. I was listening to the original again and it still blew me away. The original song delivers the emotions so well, and YJS truly shine in the 1995 version. This is something I felt the remake lack. Sure, YJS still sang it well, but it seems like he tries to hard to be relevant.

Verdict: YJS s original song in Vol. 4.
_______________________


Repair 5월호 - '너에게 간다 with 김범수 (Going to You with Kim Bum Soo)'



Original song can be found in YJS's Vol. 10

Oh no! Not again! Vol. 10 is honestly his best album, so there is no need for any remakes!!! I can see why he chose Kim Bum Soo to sing this song as the original is a slow R&B/pop track, but the remake is more pop/ballad with hint of R&B near the end. I won't deny that Kim Bum Soo has nice vocals and he can sing but he sounds a bit forced in some parts. Now, the original song is amazing - YJS delivers the song very well with lots of emotions, and you will never get tired of listening to it.

Verdict: YJS's original song in Vol. 10