Musical style and themes

The predominant musical genre of the group is contemporary R&B.[3] The group's early hits like "Replay" and "Lucifer" veered toward R&B and dance pop,[144]while singles such as "Get Down" and "Jo Jo" explored other musical styles such as hip-hop and dance.[158][159] Shinee's third album is significantly influenced by funk rock, electronic music and rock.[160][161] Billboard columnist Jeff Benjamin compared Shinee's songs like "Punch Drunk Love" and "Aside" to the sounds of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, while tracks like "Beautiful" and "Runaway" combine "unique electronic production elements over sugary boy band harmonies to create year-round pop music".[161]

Shinee as a group is known for their experimental sound and various genres with every new release[162] like the group's fifth extended play Everybody which title song is classified under the complextro genre.[163] Jakob Dorof of Tiny Mix Tapes stated that "Everybody is proof positive that, even in a culture industry designed to minimize the role of real musicianship, talent will find its way to the top." He also remarked that "Close the Door" highlights the experimental and versatile nature of Shinee's music which frequently charts into unfamiliar territories.[164]

With the release of their fourth Korean album Odd Shinee return to their old sound while experimenting with new genres like deep house. The album featured an array of styles including the two singles, the electro-house "View" and Rocky Horror-inspired funk track "Married to the Music."[144] Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum of MTV IGGY praised the title song "View", describing it as a great, laid back summer jam even though "the song fools us into thinking it's an uptempo ballad before reaching its techno peak at the chorus."[165][166] Jeff Benjamin on the other hand praised "Odd Eye", which is written and composed by member Jonghyun, Benjamin states the groups "return to the R&B side of Shinee with feathery vocals, tight harmonies and member Onew's falsetto howls acting a centerpiece to this grooving opener" but he also adds "despite initially debuting with a R&B sound, Shinee is arguably most exciting when experimenting".[167]