Millennium Review: St. Petersburg Times

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: May 25, 2099 Source: St. Petersburg Times Submitted By: tommygirl@poboxes.com Is it so wrong to like a catchy tune from a group of guys who sing perfectly polished pop? Millions of young women say, heck no! and so do I. Millennium, the second effort from the Backstreet Boys, is extremely listenable, even for adults (at least those who are young-at-heart). Millennium's strongest track is Larger Than Life, an ode to the group's legion of screaming, crying, pulling-out-hair female fans. You can dance to this CD. You can neck to it, and you can sing to it. What else do you need from a manufactured boy group? And it just wouldn't be a Backstreet Boys album without the power ballads. There are plenty of them, starting with the first single, I Want It That Way, and spread throughout seven more times. Trouble is, that's too many times for the slow stuff. More movers and fewer sleepers would've been a better mix for Millennium. Vocally, the group could benefit from not trying so hard. Not every note needs to sound like it's the last one they'll ever sing. And not every Backstreet Boy needs a solo on every song. And the CD could have done without the schmaltzy Greatest Fan [Note: The writer made a mistake here. It's actually The Perfect Fan.], which was written by Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell, who went home to Kentucky and enlisted the vocals of his high school choir for this song. The good news here is the guys have grown up a little bit since their self-titled debut album. Their voices are stronger and the songs are better. I'd take them over 'N Sync any day. Pamela Davis, Times Staff Writer Comment on this item. Next Item: Australian Millennium Review: Damo Prev Item: Millennium Review: The Baltimore Sun