Song Review: Cho Yong Pil – It’ll Be Okay

What does one do during a severely underwhelming month in K-pop? Return to the classics, of course! And there’s no performer more classic than Cho Yong Pil. The 74-year-old legend has returned with his first album since 2013’s very good Hello. It’s also his twentieth work. Remember, he was largely active at a time when “comebacks” weren’t a thing — especially multiple comebacks in a year.

It’ll Be Okay (그래도 돼) catches Yong Pil in fine form. His voice is as strong and affecting as ever, instantly recognizable. And musically, the song feels like a natural extension from Hello — almost as if no time has passed at all. It takes a classic rock approach, underlining warm melodies with hearty production that grows and deepens as the track goes on. It’s melodically rich and builds to a suitably cathartic chorus. Cho Yong Pil can attract attention on his own, but It’ll Be Okay is smartly arranged to squeeze every last bit of passion from its structure. I love the fullness of the instrumental, from the resonant percussion to the dramatic guitar. Like Yong Pil himself, there’s something very timeless about the way the track unfolds.

Grade: B