Magic Man

Effortlessly cool and slickly polished, Jackson Wangs sophomore album Magic Man is a huge step forward for the erstwhile K-pop star, toying with genres with confidence and ease. Jetting from the bombastic opener "Blow" -- a rock-dance-R&B hybrid thrill -- to the blues-rock funk of "Cruel" and "Champagne Cool," Wang makes bold attempts with unexpected styles and the payoff is big. The hardened hip-hop "Go Ghost" blends neon production with raspy bars, while the shimmering, Weeknd-esque synth-bop "Drive It Like You Stole It" adds style and sexiness to the mix. "All the Way" taps into pensive alt-rock textures in a manner similar to Post Malone, tortured vocals and all, just as on album-closer "Blue." Despite the wide-ranging production and seemingly disconnected genres, the set is held together by Wangs delivery and charm, a crowd-pleasing statement of intent that finds the musician testing artistic limits and succeeding. ~ Neil Z. Yeung