BSB is back to play more games with your heart
Jessica Trumbull
Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The Backstreet Boys was one of the most popular boy bands of the 90's. But these boys - now men - definitely aren't stuck in the past. Earlier this month, the band released their latest album: This Is Us.
A word of warning: it's not what you'll be expecting. Their last album, Unbreakable, broke the stereotypical boy-band mould, and this newest album is a step in the same direction - the first time I heard the track "If I Knew Then," I thought it was actually Akon.
Even though the synthesizers and auto-tuned vocals aren't what I remember listening to as a pining pre-teen, BSB makes these new additions work for them.
The album opens with its single, "Straight Through My Heart," and the song's dance-club beat and synthesized melodies have me dancing around the room like I'm twelve years old again.
Another of my favorite tracks, "Bye Bye Love," features a pulsing beat and climbing falsettos reminiscent of Justin Timberlake's latest hits.
But there were a few things that felt a little bit off to this long-time fan.
For example, in the song "She's a Dream," the boys refer to the girl in question as "shorty," a phrase that felt just a bit out of place coming from a bunch of 30-somethings. And though I know they're not teenagers anymore, I still can't help but cringe when Nick sings about his "hands all over your booty" in "PDA."
Despite the album's few shortcomings, the message is clear: Backstreet's back.
Grade: A-
A word of warning: it's not what you'll be expecting. Their last album, Unbreakable, broke the stereotypical boy-band mould, and this newest album is a step in the same direction - the first time I heard the track "If I Knew Then," I thought it was actually Akon.
Even though the synthesizers and auto-tuned vocals aren't what I remember listening to as a pining pre-teen, BSB makes these new additions work for them.
The album opens with its single, "Straight Through My Heart," and the song's dance-club beat and synthesized melodies have me dancing around the room like I'm twelve years old again.
Another of my favorite tracks, "Bye Bye Love," features a pulsing beat and climbing falsettos reminiscent of Justin Timberlake's latest hits.
But there were a few things that felt a little bit off to this long-time fan.
For example, in the song "She's a Dream," the boys refer to the girl in question as "shorty," a phrase that felt just a bit out of place coming from a bunch of 30-somethings. And though I know they're not teenagers anymore, I still can't help but cringe when Nick sings about his "hands all over your booty" in "PDA."
Despite the album's few shortcomings, the message is clear: Backstreet's back.
Grade: A-
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