D.O's "Empathy" Showcases The Beauty In Simple Acts

Sometimes, all you might need are a collection of ballads and simple, sweet words of love.

I have always been so fond of Do Kyungsoo (popularly known as D.O from EXO) for primarily two reasons. One being his humility showcased through ever-smiling visage and bubbly personality. Second being his versatility as an artist - being an adept musician and actor. His ability to emote is unreal, vocally and aesthetically. He really illuminates the nuances of craftsmanship in both realms and does it extremely well. Once again, he did this in his first solo album - Empathy. A series of love songs stacked upon one another, manifesting into a singular piece of treasure for listeners.

Empathy. When I first heard the title of this album, it felt like a breath of fresh air. In the midst of violence, abuse, discrimination and widespread dark times, empathy is just what we need. The word holds such a degree of power all whilst describing such a simple act. An act of love, care and emotion. Empathy. It is a word which describes EXO's music in general for me and I was in wonder of what one piece of EXO can take of this sentiment and give back as his own. The result - if to be described in one word - would be called: beautiful. Sounds of beauty reflecting the word empathy itself. Like birds chirping the mornings of spring and one looks out the window to breathe a wisp of fresh, clean air and trees' leaves gently dancing in the breeze.

The simplicity of this album lies in its contents. It talks about nothing profound nor philosophical, yet can become a piece of art which touches us infinitely. Words of endless love and care wrapped in a package of empathy, carefully rounded by ribbons of D.O's and countless other's craftsmanship and the cherry on top - D.O Kyungsoo's breathtaking control over his voice, which moulds magnificently and with such precision, into any container you give it.

D.O, in finality, shows us that a dose of Empathy can go a long way in a maze he places us in as we navigate through his sounds. The touching factor of this entire project that lays beyond the surface are not D.O's own spin on love lyrics, acoustic production or vocal techniques - it is the beauty of the project as a whole. That Empathy is a beautiful thing, a multidimensional sentiment after you shine a bright light on all its facets. Thus, we arrive at a much-needed conclusion, a simple yet profound message pulling at our heart-strings and igniting what was wet wood - more Empathy would only do good.

4.5/5 stars. Brilliant work by D.O and team.

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Listen to D.O's album on Spotify here and check out his aesthetic series of short films and clips for the project here.