Millennium Review: ABC Music

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 20, 2099 Source: ABC Music Submitted By: PhatKhat0@aol.com When the Backstreet Boys released their self-titled debut a couple years back, they pretty much had the teenybopper field to themselves. Hanson and the Spice Girls had primed the pump, it seemed, but it took the Backstreets to produce an honest to goodness bubblegum gusher. That debut is now nearly eight times platinum in America and has sold an astonishing 27 million copies worldwide. That kind of success breeds imitation, of course, and the Backstreets can't help but notice that the pop scene is suddenly crowded with all manner of new kids on the block — quite literally, in the case of recently hatched solo artists Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight, plus 'N Sync, Boyzone, 98 Degrees, Latin firecrackers C Note and Ricky Martin, and on the distaff side, Britney Spears. Given that the Backstreets should be bubblegum's grizzled veterans by the release of their second album, it's surprising to hear how few chances they take on Millennium. Instead, the new album revels in exactly the same elements that made the Backstreet Boys sizzle with testosterone-fueled dance rhythms and boyish charm. It's not that there's nothing to like on the new album — "I Want It That Way" is as dreamy a ballad as you'll hear this year. But it's hard to listen to the opening track, "Larger Than Life," with its bouncy beats and sterile metallic guitars, or the grinding "Don't Want You Back" without thinking of the anything-but-dangerous early '90s output of Michael Jackson. The only real risks taken by the group on Millennium are behind the scenes. Brian Littrell (the group's Kentucky cousin) and Kevin Richardson (the one with the eyebrows) co-wrote several of the album's 11 songs, including the standard-issue come-back-baby number "Back to Your Heart" and "The One," a Europop trifle that sounds like an outtake from their first album. The Littrell-penned "The Perfect Fan" is hardly the romantic ballad the B-Boys' rabid followers would have hoped for. It's not about the guys' ultimate dream date, plucked straight from the front row and whisked backstage to a waiting limo: It's a song thanking their mothers for raising them right and being there when they needed them. It's nice to know the Boys love their moms, but guys - next time a Hallmark card will suffice. - Daniel Durchholz Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: nikelir Submitted by: pasparty Submitted by: Carol Clark Submitted by: Eugene Submitted by: Dirk Submitted by: Antony Submitted by: John Submitted by: William Comment on this item. Next Item: Millennium Review: Vibe Magazine Prev Item: Amanda Reviews Millennium