Lena Park [Forever] (Special Album)

Intro
3:30 AM
Last Time
It’s A Misunderstanding
One Summer Night 97′
First Snow
What Should I Do?
The Longing In Me
Ambitous You
Baby’s Groove
We Are Friends
Outro

The album start off with the intro Intro. Its a message machine (I thought it was an alarm clock at first), some lady speaks in Korean and Lena sighs.

The first full-length track on the album is 3:30 AM. I did not expect a song with time for a title to be so good, this is actually one of my favorite Lena songs. It has such a sweet, comforting and loving vibe to it that makes you give way to a smile, because you are just so in love. I really got that vibe from the arrangement. Lena’s vocals are gorgeous and I definitely loved the chorus, its mild, but it just seems to pop out at you. It also makes me think of the early 90’s, the video would have been lovely. This was a good start to the album.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo Last Time. This is one of those songs I never really listen to, but its obvious that that is going to change. Its hard to dislike a Lena Park song she’s one of the best singers I’ve ever heard Asian or otherwise and that in the end is what makes me love songs by her I wouldn’t normally like. This song is a bit slow, but the nice and rather sorrowful drum arrangement and Lena’s great vocal performance (especially the note she hits towards the end) makes it not even matter in the end.

The next track on the album ups the pace with It’s A Misunderstanding. I really love this title and this track. This is definitely one of those guilty pleasure like songs, because the arrangement is so pepped up, so light, so carefree and it makes you just want to abandon your common sense and get up and dance. Lena’s vocal performance however is in stark contrast with the arrangement, I mean it just gives me such a sad vibe when I hear her singing over it. I mean I don’t think this was the songs intention, but despite its happy-go-lucky nature it comes across as very depressing to me. I love the chorus, its such fun, especially the: ‘ah’ notes Lena hits at the end of both of them. Ah, this is one of my favorites, I never get tired of listening to it.

The next track on the album is the mellow One Summer Night 97′. This is one if not the first song by Lena I heard, and its such a good track. Its so laid-back and makes me think of the 90’s, candy penny stores and frozen kool-aid cups. I love the steady guitar thrumming of the arrangement and Lena’s vocal performance sung all in English good English just brought it all home: ‘each time i think of you, my heart would beat for you, you are the one for me’

The next track on the album is the disjointed First Snow. WTH? I honestly don’t get this, especially since it sounds exactly like one of her other songs which I can’t place at the moment, but be ensured this is the worst version of it. The arrangement is stagnant, but appropriately slow paced, though you get the impression that this song is going to be up-tempo when it starts. Lena’s vocals are good, but I hate how she sounds so awkward against the music, its just so strange and then the backing vocals were like all kinds of pointless, they clashed so much. I don’t understand what the point of this was, but way to ruin a potentially good track.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo What Should I Do?. This song isn’t very interesting, the arrangement is minimal, but in a odd way it does go with the whole flow of the song. Lena’s vocals are nice, but she sounds very awkward against the arrangement and I don’t too much like the backing vocals. This song is also pretty slow. I don’t know its not bad, it’ll probably grow on me.

The next track on the album is the piano-driven The Longing In Me. This song is pretty acoustic and I’m wondering if its live, because there was clapping at the beginning and it just gives off that whole live feeling. Lena’s vocals are gorgeous, especially at the end when she hits that note.

The next track on the album is the mid-tempo Ambitous You. I kept thinking of Mariah Carey while listening to this, I can’t really think of which song by her this reminds me of, but probably none. The arrangement is rnb, but pretty tame, I still liked it in a sense. Lena’s vocal performance was nice, though when isn’t it? This plays like a song you should be able to dance too, but it never really gets to that point. Its solely Lena’s vocals.

The next track on the album is the rather sensual Baby’s Groove. This song is heavy in the rnb as well and though it does just as much as the previous track, it does manage to be more interesting. I really love when Lena says: ‘oh, baby baby’

The last track on the album is the odd We Are Friends. This is one of those songs I should like, because its not bad, but I just can’t like, because I just don’t like it. It started off interesting with the guy talk/rapping and the arrangement is pretty laid-back and nice, plus Lena’s gives a pretty decent though mild vocal performance. This song just doesn’t do much for me and I really hate how uninspired the, ‘we are friends’ part of the chorus sounds.

The last track on the album is quite possibly thee most pointless outro I have ever heard. Its called Outro and consists of Lena saying: ‘ok i’m out of here’ just… what? Purposeless.

-GRADE: B
Rating: ** stars

Lena Park’s special album Forever has some good songs on it, but its not as good as I originally thought it was. This use to be one of my favorite Lena albums, I thought it was just so good, I still do in a sense, but as it stands the first half is good, like ‘3:30 am’ to ‘one summer night ‘97′ and then the album becomes pretty dull an uninteresting. I still think its a pretty good album either way and I wouldn’t mind her doing a second special album.

Lena Park [No Break] (3rd Korean Single)

No Break
Without You

Lena Park’s 3rd Korean single starts off with the a-side No Break. I was a bit wary when this song first came out, mostly because of the title, not because it feat. Crown J. I thought it just wasn’t going to be good, which is shocking, because I normally love everything Lena associated. The arrangement is guitar-based, subtle. There’s bass as well, its pretty mellow, nice on the ears and goes with the whole flow of the song. I loved Lena’s vocals, no surprise. I really like Crown J, I mean he’s cute, funny, speaks pretty good English, dresses really nice and has a good rap voice for a K-rapper, so yes I liked his parts as well. This was a good collaboration and a pretty good song.

The next track on the single is its b-side Without You. This is without Crown J and though the a-side had a bit of flavor because of Crown J.’s inclusion, I think I kind a like this one more, if only because Lena’s beautiful voices just shines.

-GRADE: B+
Rating: ** stars

Lena Park’s 3rd Korean single No Break is of course a good single. I thought the collaboration between her and Crown J. was a good one and the song with just her seemed even better. I’m actually really hoping she’ll do a collaboration with Alex from Clazziquai.

Lena Park [another piece] (First Japanese Album)

Plastic Flower (Japanese Version)
FALL IN LOVE
In Dreams (Japanese Version)
Someone (Japanese Version)
ANN (English Version)
Love Come Back
Ugly Duckling
Cut
Your New Girlfriend
Lazy
On The Way To The End
Shake It Up
Mother In My Mind
Puff (Japanese Version)

The album starts on off with the Japanese version of Plastic Flower. This was a good version, but it honestly can’t hold a candle to the Korean version.

The next track on the album is the sweeping ballad FALL IN LOVE. I can’t help but think this song is just not as powerful as I remember it being, but I don’t know, it has been a while since I’ve listened to this. Its one of my favorite Lena Park songs, and I believe she has a Korean version of this and maybe that’s the one I’m thinking about. The main arrangement was the piano and it brought a lot of atmosphere. Lena’s vocals were good as well, she put a bit of emotion into this, but I can’t help but think she was holding back and not singing this song through with her full ability, it made it very weak in my opinion. It was like I was waiting for a climax that never came. Still, its a good song.

The next track on the album is the Japanese version of In Dreams. I didn’t too much like the flow of the Korean version, but it did have more of an emotional impact than this one, which seemed empty, uninspired and strangely composed. I also didn’t understand the backing vocals either, they really took away from the song, and it just played like a big gaping hole. The best version I ever heard of this song was a live, absolutely incredible vocal performance from Lena.

The next track on the album is the Japanese version of Someone. Finally, a translation I can get with. It seems a bit out of place, because of the light rnb-ish flow of it, but it had a nice pace. It seemed a bit awkward to me, but I guess that’s to be expected. Lena’s vocal performance was good. Nice.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo ANN (English Version). This song seemed very brief to me, and not all that interesting. I still found that I liked it. The arrangement was minimal, which suited this song, and Lena’s vocal performance was nice, not anything impressive, but nice. This song is an all right listen.

The next track is the down-tempo Love Come Back. Its the Japanese version of Will Love Come. As I’ve said before, her vocals sound very weird, which is why I like when they do all new material instead of translating their songs, because what sounded great in Korean does not really sound all that great in Japanese. Its still a nice listen though.

The next track on the album is the inspirational-sounding It’s Gonna Be Okay. This is the Japanese version of Life’s Discovery. Nice arrangement, nice vocal performance, but just like I said in the previous track, it just doesn’t sound right in Japanese.

The next track on the album is the pretty forgettable Ugly Duckling. Its the Japanese version of Hated Duck. I really hate repeating myself, so just refer to the previous two tracks. This song had a nice up-beat-ness going for it, but I just found I didn’t care for it.

The next track on the album is the rather dramatic Cut. Its the Japanese version of In The Beauty Salon. This is a song that somewhat translated well. I love the slow build-up in the beginning, which prepares you for the climax, or somewhat climax. I found my interest wandering when she really got into the song, because it sounded awkward and a bit long-winded. Lena hits a pretty nice high note, and the song goes out with a good feeling.

The next track on the album is the airy Your New Girlfriend. This is the Japanese version of What A Pretty Girlfriend. I really like the Japanese title, though of course the Korean version does the song more justice. I liked Lena’s vocals and the casual way she sung this song, it was nice up against the mellow and mood-setting arrangement. This song reminds me of letting go of someone dear, and even though they are with someone else, you’re happy for them.

The next track on the album is the jazzy Lazy. This is the Japanese version of Lazy Bones. It does have a very lethargic air about it. The arrangement is pretty laid-back and comfortable. Lena’s vocals are pretty darn great in this song, especially considering that high-note she hits.

The next track on the album is the shocking On The Way To The End. I say shocking, because this translated well, or it could be because: ‘damn, Lena Park can sing!’ This is the Japanese version of The Road to Parting. Lena really did this song justice, towards the end when she got into the song and was hitting those high notes with such precision and power; blew me away.

The next track on the album is the up-beat Shake It Up. This is the Japanese version of Make Noise. The arrangement is a bit lukewarm, but I suppose it gives off a party like air, if you like dull parties that is. Lena’s vocals were good, because they always are. This song is all right, for those that like songs like this, but I find it pretty forgettable.

The second to last track on the album is the dull Mother In My Mind. This is the Japanese version of My Mother. This song just didn’t seem to end fast enough. The arrangement is pretty bland, and Lena’s vocals though good just did nothing for me. I felt such a detachment listening to her sing, because it felt so uninspired. What a boring song.

The last track on the album is the Japanese version of Puff. I like how experimental it is, and that’s about it really. It translated well, I’ll also give it that, but I couldn’t help but think, ‘meh!’ once it was over. Still, its a rather interesting end to the album.

-GRADE: C
Rating: * star

Lena Park’s first Japanese album another piece was more like a cover album than an actual album. I really don’t consider this an album at all, and I really wish that Lena would have recorded all new songs, and maybe I would have actually enjoyed this album. Its just very lazy to me. Why would I want to listen the same songs in another language? I mean what difference does it make? Its still the same song no matter how you sing it. I mean like they say: ‘a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet,’ and in this case, ‘a song by any other name is still the same song,’ thank goodness COSMORAMA had all new material, that was a good album. another piece not so much so. The two new tracks, FALL IN LOVE and ANN were pretty good though.

Lena Park [Come To Where I Am] (Sixth Korean Album)

Funny Star
Writing of Tears
It’s Different
The Heart is First
The Other Side
Hey Yeah
Trust Me
Break-Up is Evil
Absent-Mindedly
A Moment
Smile
Everyday Prayer

The album starts off with the pretty mellow Funny Star. When I first listened to this song, I loved it. When I listened to it again I found that I was bored with it, now I love it all over again. Its just such a simple song, that invokes both contentment and contemplation. The arrangement sounds very sunny, and just so ordinary, I really liked it. Lena’s vocals seemed to mimic that, she didn’t do much with it, and I think that’s what made this song shine so in the end. Its was a really nice start to the album.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo weep-fest Writing of Tears. This was a pretty stale ballad from Lena, which was a disappointment, because normally her ballads are really good. I can’t remember the arrangement, it was pretty forgettable. Lena’s vocal performance was good in the beginning, and then as the song progressed I don’t really know what happened, but I felt such a disconnect from her in this song that after a while I just stopped caring about it completely and was waiting for it to be over. This song played longer than it should have, which compared to the not sad arrangement and Lena’s unsympathetic and lank vocal performance, it just made this song unbearable.

The next track on the album is the mellow It’s Different. I was very surprised by this song, its pretty interesting. I love how smooth and laid-back the arrangement is, it makes you think of dancing close with the one you love. Lena’s voice is really lovely in this song, especially during the chorus, ‘you and i, oh you and i’ where the song really shines.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo The Heart is First. This is a really beautiful ballad from Lena. I mean the arrangement wasn’t so much sorrowful, as it was enchanting and really makes you think of a deep love that just consumes you. Lena’s vocals were gorgeous, I love how she chose one light tone and kept it throughout, with enough going for it to keep your attention, and absorb you fully in such a lovely song.

The next track on the album ups the pace a bit with The Other Side. Its a little spunky with a nice fresh and sort of jazzy arrangement, I just loved the trumpet, horns?, saxophone? Lena’s vocals were really nice is this song, she sounded a little funny, but all in all it was a good vocal performance and a good song.

The next track on the album is the light Hey Yeah. I really like the title, its just so ‘hey yeah’. The chorus just like in the previous song was very fresh and nice on the ears, I enjoyed it. I loved Lena’s vocals, how they were a bit slow and paced during the build-up, maybe to build up intensity and then how it rose and she really got into the chorus, it was just really refreshing to hear such a positive and clean song. ‘They’re just words on white paper, (hey yeah)’.

The next track on the album is the somewhat inspiring Trust Me. This song sounds very inspirational, but I think that’s because of how sweeping the arrangement sounds. It sounds very clear also, if that makes any sense. I liked how Lena’s vocals packed a lot of strength, like she not only wanted you to hear it with your ears but with your heart as well. I didn’t like how the song seemed to go on forever, with no possible end in sight. I hate when songs sound like that. I mean I want the song to be long, without feeling that its long, because it just drags the enjoyment level down. This is still a good track.

The next track on the album is the bland Break-Up is Evil. I couldn’t wait for this song to end, and that’s never a good sign. It was just so long-winded, it really was. I mean, it was like Lena was putting all this emotion into her voice and it just sounded so unnecessary and pointless, and just made me lose interest. I thought the chorus was good, but after a while even that becomes tedious. This is just an irritating, and forgettable track.

The next track on the album is the moving Absent-Mindedly. For a song with a title like that, I was not really expecting it to be so heart-breaking. The arrangement is a very moody piano piece, that is very fitting especially when Lena’s voice rises somewhat during the chorus and she cries out. Yes, cries out. It was really quite poignant, and really made this song stand-out.

The next track on the album is the long-winded A Moment. This track definitely had the potential to be a good song, but despite the nice arrangement, Lena’s voice surprisingly ruins this song for me. I mean she sings in such high tones, and then we have the backing vocals, and they clash together to just make everything sound just so impossible. I mean I can’t connect with this song on an emotional level, because even though it has a high level of emotional intensity, it just does nothing for me and goes completely over my head.

The second to last song on this album is the up and down Smile. It started off on such a great note: ’smile… just smile for me, cause we will never be again, you’re dead to me…’ Great. Then out of nowhere, the slow atmosphere of the song heightens and she starts yelling: ’smile!!!!’ and though I saw it coming, I didn’t see it coming and it just took me by surprise and nearly ruined the song for me, because I was kind of hoping it would stay at that same slow pace. Its still a good song.

The last track on the album is the beautifully moving Everyday Prayer. This song is sung all in English, and such good English. The calm unobtrusive, but oh so touching arrangement accompanied by Lena’s gorgeous and emotional vocals. Just love. I mean this song really makes you think, about, I don’t know, someone you love, but who you feel as if you’ll never be good enough for them. ‘Let me choose the path that pleases you…’ what a touching ending to the album.

-GRADE: B+
Rating: ** stars

Lena Park’s sixth Korean album Come To Where I Am is pretty good, though compared to her fifth album On & On its a definite step down. I mean that album was so good, I’m dead set towards saying that’s my favorite album from her period. This wasn’t a bad album, its a really good listen once you take the time to actually sit through it. I mean when I first listened to this I liked it, the second time I didn’t too much care for it and now I’m sort of in the middle. She has some very memorable tracks on here, such as: The Heart is First, Hey Yeah, Absent-Mindedly and Everyday Prayer. They were very good songs, and really made this album stand out more than it once had in my mind. I disliked–I believe this is the only thing that I disliked–is the fact that Lena was a bit tame and or overly excessive, vocal-wise, on this album. I mean some songs just came across as very mediocre and boring, and others came across as impossible or too long-winded. I actually could have enjoyed Writings of Tears, Break-up Is Evil and even Trust Me had they played better. In the end Come To Where I Am is still a good album from Lena, she never really disappoints in my opinion.

Lena Park [Inori ~ You Raise Me Up (祈り~You Raise Me Up) ] (7th Single)

Inori ~ You Raise Me Up (祈り~You Raise Me Up)
You Raise Me Up

Lena Park’s 7th single starts off with the a-side Inori ~ You Raise Me Up (祈り~You Raise Me Up). Its a cover of a Josh Groban song of the same name. I remember when I heard this song by him a while back, I remember feeling very moved and inspired, and also aware of the fact that he has such an incredible voice. I was so glad that out of all the singers Asian wise, Lena Park was the one chosen to cover this song. I mean her voice is just so powerful, and just went so well with the whole flow and depth of this song. I thought she did this song a lot of justice, its just so her.

The next track on the album is the English version, You Raise Me Up. What’s better than a Japanese version of one of my favorite songs of all time covered by one of my favorites singers of all time? An English version! I’m so glad Lena decided to cover this song in English as well, because she really has some good English, and just like the Japanese version, I loved it. This is such an inspiring and moving song.

-GRADE: A
Rating: *** stars

Lena Park’s 7th single Inori ~ You Raise Me Up (祈り~You Raise Me Up) is a solid single. Inori ~ You Raise Me Up is a great Japanese cover of the original song. You Raise Me Up is a lovely English cover of the original song and manages to be just as moving. This was a good single.

Lena Park [A Second Helping] (Second Korean Album)

In A Dream
Something In My Eye
I’ll Write You A Letter
Last Night
We Can Be Seen
Confession
Like Friends
A New Start After Parting
Never Again
I’ll Give Back Now
The Flower That Falls In The Wind
Ordinary

The first track on the album is the very interesting, In A Dream. This song actually reminds me of her other great song, Plastic Flower off her Op. 4 album. It starts off with a very post-apocalyptic arrangement, which really draws you into the song, because it’s something you aren’t really expecting. Lena’s vocal performance in this song is wonderful, though in truth like Faye Wong I never have a problem with Lena’s vocals because she always sings her songs so well. In this case she really delivers, her voice is very controlled and consistent and I like that, because her voice as well as the instrumental really bring out the dark undertones of this song and makes it intriguing.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo, Something In My Eye. I really love the title of this song. It makes you think of someone that’s crying, and instead of admitting it they say they have something in their eye. It’s rather sad when you think about it. Lena took the slow approach with this song, her vocals very slow-paced, no rush, but they still sounded amazing, even though she didn’t really do anything with it. The arrangement is very consistent, and I really like how it’s so basic, but still manages to capture your attention, as well as the background vocals, which were nice. A quiet, but effective song. The chorus is love.

The next track on the album is another down-tempo one. I’ll Write You A Letter is more like a ballad than the previous two, but not quite. Lena let’s her voice shine a little in this song, most notably during the chorus; hitting all the right notes, right along with the arrangement that continued to rise and fall, really bringing depth and atmosphere to this song. It’s a rather depressing song, but hopeful in a sense. I’ll write you a letter and the hopes that you’ll respond back to me with a letter of your own.

The next track is the down-tempo, Last Night. I listened to this song like three times for this review, because I couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to say about it. I’ve never really paid attention to this song during previous listens to this album, but this is a really good song. It’s a lot like Something In My Eye as it’s really slow-paced, but Lena let’s her voice bleed through enough to make the verses and the chorus very engaging and really good. It has a thirties sound to it, it really does. I mean back when there were no videos and the artists just sung live, that’s what it sounded like and the quiet yet you know its there arrangement really added to that.

Lena keeps it coming with the down-tempo tracks. We Can Be Seen is the type of song you really want to like, but you can’t because it has absolutely nothing going for it. I really like this title, and thought it was going to be a bit like I’ll Write You A Letter, but it just becomes annoying, fast. I can’t really recall the verses, but the chorus was just very irritating to me, or maybe it was because I didn’t like Lena’s tones in this song, because they just didn’t sound right. I’m a fan of Lena’s high notes, her voice is incredible, but the high note she hits towards the end of the song just sounded so anti-climactic, and only made me wonder why she even thought it necessary to add it, because it was just so pointless and grating. Then she goes aud-lib crazy after the high note and the song just becomes unbearable.

The next track, Confession is of course down-tempo and very boring. I mean if this is a confession, I’d have to say it is one of the most tedious confessions I have ever heard. I mean this song should be forgettable, but sadly it’s remembered because its so boring. The arrangement consisted of a lonely violin piece, set against a dark atmosphere, which would have worked if only the music wasn’t so stagnant. Lena’s vocal performance was static at best. I mean she sings this song like she’s trying too hard, and it just comes off sounding very awkward and far-fetched, and by the end I just didn’t want to be bothered with it anymore. Though not only that, but the song seems shorter than its actual four minutes, and that just left me confused.

At this point the down-tempo songs are really beginning to lag, and the next track though a little more up than the previous tracks is no exception. Like Friends has nothing to offer, not vocally or arrangement wise. The entire song just seems to float along, and you’re just sitting there waiting for it to be over.

Finally we get a break from the down-tempo songs with the next track, A New Start After Parting. It’s not as up-tempo as I would like it to be, but after the severe amount of down-tempo songs, a mid-tempo one is very welcome. The arrangement is very fresh and I like that because it keeps you focused on the song. Lena’s voice has a fair amount of energy in it, making this song sound almost carefree, and it does give off that new start after breaking up with, or parting ways with someone. At the same time though, the song is long-winded, oddly annoying and forgettable.

The pace slows way down AGAIN with the next track, Never Again. I really wanted to like this track, since its not really a bad song. The arrangement is nice and touching, and Lena’s vocal performance is as usual, very good. But, the song just fails because like Confession its just really boring, and never really goes anywhere, but it does seem to go on forever. I do like this song more than Confession, but in the end it just failed to impress me, and nearly succeeded in putting me to sleep.

Ah, we finally get to my favorite track on the album, I’ll Give Back Now. This is a case where the slow and sure approach actually works, and really makes the song stick and shine. I absolutely love the arrangement to this song, as it’s so windy and rather sad in a way, but hopeful in a sense. Lena’s vocals are top-notch (especially when she starts getting into the song towards the end) and brings me back to the start of the album, where the tracks were really good, and made this album more memorable than it originally was. This is actually the only song on this album that I listen too, but after hearing the first four tracks that has changed. This is the stand-out track on the album to me, and one of my favorite Lena Park songs.

The second to last track is the surprisingly disappointing, The Flower That Falls In The Wind. The song started off very dark and made me immediately think of the great opening track In A Dream. However though the song starts out pretty strong, by the end it becomes strangely repetitive, monotonous and lukewarm.

The last song on the album is down-tempo as well, and nearly as interesting as the previous track. Ordinary tries too hard to be emotional in deep, but comes off as very shallow and weak. The arrangement consisted of a simple piano playing throughout, and though it was underwhelming it did it’s part, which is more than I can say for Lena’s vocal performance. Of course her voice was good, that wasn’t the problem, the problem was it just seemed like she was trying too hard and trying to do too much with a song that just didn’t need all those tone changes and whatnot. I really like how it ended with the piano solo, which is the only thing about this song that was memorable.

-GRADE: C
Rating: ** stars

Lena Park’s second Korean album A Second Helping is very up and down with me. I mean it started off great, and really lifted this album up high in my opinion with it’s great opening track In A Dream and then stopping dead at the throwback to the thirties sounding, Last Night. We then began a concession of lukewarm, boring and uninspiring ballads that for some unknown reason come one right after the other, with no variety and no substance. We get a break with the wonderful I’ll Give Back Now, but Lena seems to fall back into old habits and presents us with two tedious final tracks: The Flower That Falls In The Wind and Ordinary, both which did nothing but either confuse (which is still surprising to me) and bore. I had high expectations going into this album, because her debut Korean album Piece was really good. Lena took a step down with this album, by either over-singing or under-singing. A Second Helping is of course not a bad album, I mean I’ve heard worse–(Kokia’s fifth album pops hauntingly into my mind), but I was really expecting more from Lena this second time around. I mean she does have some good songs on here, but they are honestly overshadowed by the bad. This second helping makes me a little wary of the third.