Girl band 4Minute take no chances with their second 'mini album' Hit Your Heart: the rising stars of the K-pop world stick to the same sounds that made their single Muzik so hot. The album is filled with dance tunes and a blend of Korean and English lyrics.
Opener Who's Next (featuring Beast) introduces the layers of heavy beats and synthesized sounds that dominate the album. The pace continues. In Invitation, the girls urge 'everybody, anybody, move it, move it, let's go' - their call to dance is hard to resist. Bababa is another fun number that uses the nonsense title as a hook, a technique that has worked well for Lady Gaga.
The success of the songs lies in fast rap and repetition - but this is also the album's downfall. No track stands out from the rest. The English lyrics are limited to catchphrases, but after a while they become tedious. The songs are so heavily synthesized that that there is little chance for the girls' voices to shine.
An abrupt change in approach saves the album from being a disc of likeable but forgettable tunes. The last track is a keys-driven number with drums and gentle strings. The result is surprisingly tender as the girls croon 'I will pray for you every night.'
The album shows promise: the girls seem prophetic when they sing 'I am gonna be famous'.