Though they haven't achieved the same global notoriety as some of their peers, Monsta X have been steadily plugging away at the American market, releasing their fair share of English-language material. Today, they're out with a new album of this material. Of course, appealing to a market outside of your own often includes conforming to that market's tastes, and mainstream American pop isn't exactly in a great place right now.
Many pop critics have taken note of a certain type of "conservative" soft rock (*cough cough* Alex Warren) trending on American charts and I can't help but think Starship Entertainment took note of this in the brief for Monsta X's Heal. It's practically their version of Ordinary minus the religious undertones. The production whips things into a fervor with the occasional jolt of gospel-style background vocals, but most of Heal is the sort of toothless, sentimental radio rock that's designed to pacify as wide a swath of listeners as possible. The sound is elevated by Monsta X's performance, but this is not what I turn to my K-pop idols for — English release or not.
My stance with pop music has always been "make them come to you rather than kowtowing to them." This is obviously a fan's perspective and not always the most profitable approach, but I wince when I hear interesting, idiosyncratic artists record something they *think* a foreign audience might like instead of offering their own sound for those adventurous enough to explore it. It comes off as a quick cash grab, and unfortunately that's all I can really hear in Heal.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 7 |
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