Millennium Review: The Sun-Sentinel

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 20, 2099 Source: The Sun-Sentinel (South Florida Newspaper) Submitted By: Jessica Ortiz Sound Judgement - Backstreet Boys on the right road Written by Greg Kot Unlike many of their teen-group peers, the Backstreet Boys make blue-eyed soul of engaging subtlety on "Millennium," their follow-up to 1997's self-titled breakthrough smash. The lithe melodies, many of them written by Swedish producer Max Martin, are packed with references to earlier classic styles: the finger- snapping cool of doo-wop vocal groups, acoustic guitars that suggest everything from flamenco to Babyface ballads, the electro-funk of Zapp and the Gap Band, and the Euro-pop of ABBA. "Millennium" runs out of gas about two-thirds of the way through; a handful of cardboard-cutout songs done without Martin's involvement are emblematic of everything wrong with teen pop. But the opening sequence is irresistable: the mildly aggressive, early '80s funk of "Larger Than Life;" the shift from a hush to a haunted midtempo plea on "I Want It That Way;" the canny blend of acoustic guitar and strings that drapes "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" in melancholy. What makes the Boys more than tolerable is that they sing with such an assured grasp of what used to be called soul music. Whereas groups such as Jodeci and Boyz II Men turn songs into vocal competitions, the Backstreet Boys almost underplay their fine voices. This gives ballads such as "Don't Wanna Lose You Now" an almost hymn-like quality, and "Millennium" stands as a graceful antidote to almost every album vocal showboaters such as Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey ever made. Comment on this item. Next Item: Amanda Reviews Millennium Prev Item: Millennium Review: Amazon.com