The Backstreet Boys, in Earnest

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 19, 2099 Source: Washington Post, Sunday, May 16, 1999; Page G14 Submitted By: Shuilee@aol.com They're Back--and Sticking With the Aching Romanticism That Won Fans' Hearts By Richard Harrington Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, May 16, 1999; Page G14 Backstreet Boys will be Backstreet Boys on "Millennium," the much-anticipated follow-up to their 10-times platinum American debut. The album will arrive in stores Tuesday, along with battalions of young female fans who have waited an interminable two years for new product from the boy band that kicked off the new wave of teen pop. Their last album, 1997's "Backstreet Boys," was actually a best-of drawn from two albums released in Europe. That album is now closing in on 30 million sales worldwide, and is still producing Top 5 singles (the recent Full Force-produced "All I Have to Give"). So it's hardly a surprise that "Millennium" (Jive) doesn't mess with the formula that's made everybody rich: R&B-flavored dance-pop ditties with lite-rap flavoring alternate with smooth slow jams, earnest lead vocals are juxtaposed with textured harmonies, and most of the songs vacillate between sweet romantic connection and aching solitude. Most of "Millennium" was recorded in Stockholm and masterminded by writer-producer Max Martin, who has also churned out hits for 'N Sync and Britney Spears. It's Martin who penned BSB's breakthrough hits, "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" and "I'll Never Break Your Heart." Naturally, hearts beat fast throughout the new album, sometimes literally, as in the yearning "Back to Your Heart," but more often as a launching pad for dreams ("It's Gotta Be You"), desires ("I Need You Tonight") and, occasionally, disasters ("Don't Wanna Lose You Now"). The only major change is that the Boys--Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A.J. McLean and Kevin Richardson--have co-written four of the new album's 12 songs, including one that should have been released last week for Mother's Day: Littrell's "The Perfect Fan" is a charming valentine to his mom and apparently to stage mothers everywhere ("you were always there for me/ pushing me and guiding me/ always to succeed"). Unfortunately, the well-intentioned song gradually sinks under the unneeded weight of an orchestra and gospel choir. Much more representative is "I Want It That Way," the band's new single; it's an infectious mid-tempo ballad that suggests regrets over a breakup, with an uplifting chorus hinting at relief and renewal. Also in the dance/pop vein: the frothy "Larger Than Life," the rhythmic entreaty "It's Gotta Be You," a taut "Don't Want You Back" and the supple, sensual promise "(I'll Be) the One." For some, the core of "Millennium" will be the romantic ballads that suggest both vulnerability and availability (the latter crucial in the fantasy world of adolescence). So we get the anguished misery of "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" and the second-chance machinations of "Don't Wanna Lose You Now," in which Howie D proclaims, "I wish that I didn't need you so bad/ but your face just won't go away." And then there are the Spanish-guitar-laced "No One Else Comes Close," a ballad of unwavering fidelity; the lush "Spanish Eyes"; Kevin Richardson's airy acoustic ballad "Back to Your Heart," which addresses losing in love and praying for a rematch; and "I Need You Tonight." The last is a slow-burning ballad produced by John "Mutt" Lange (Def Leppard, Shania Twain) and it noticeably breaks up the Max Martin assembly line polish. (To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call Post-Haste at 202-334-9000 and press 8171.) Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: Shawn Submitted by: Michael Pollitt Submitted by: Antony Submitted by: Ann Submitted by: Monika Submitted by: Mary Comment on this item. Next Item: Millennium Review: The Toronto Star Prev Item: Backstreet.Net reader Jenni Reviews Millennium