LFO are best known for their hit, “Summer Girls”, and its catchy chorus: “New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits/ Chinese food makes me sick/ I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch/ I’d take her if I had one wish/ But she’s been gone since that summer.” But they’ve got more in them than just one single.
“Girl On TV” follows their hit single, and their new member Devon Brain showcases a very soulful voice. “Cross My Heart” sounds too much like LFO’s Trans-Con predecessors, NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. The song goes nowhere and the chorus is weak. “Can’t Have You”, stolen from the Bee-Gees, has what is probably the catchiest chorus on the album. “West Side Story”, one of the best tracks, flows much like “Summer Girls” and actually sounds a bit like it. “I Will Show You Mine” tries too hard to be cute and sexy at the same time, but really does neither.
As with every other artist in the pop world, LFO has bought a song written by Diane Warren. “Your Heart Is Safe With Me” just doesn’t work and might be the least accessible song on the album. The last two tracks are also written by another artist, this time coming off well, as writer/producer TQ adds some street flavor to what is a mostly white-boy affair. “My Block” bounces and pushes Devon and the others to sing with some real emotion. “Forever” is a little shocking since TQ is known mostly for writing about brutal truths and showing a harder edge, but here he gives the sweet touch a chance and LFO knocks it out without a hitch.
LFO are at their best when Rich is rapping and the chorus is jumping. Though Devon has a very powerful voice, the ballads are weak. LFO just can’t pull the ballads off. They try too hard to make everything sound epic while it’s nothing of the sort. The one thing about LFO is that they have made one hell of a feel-good album. And there’s surely nothing wrong with that.
+ rae gun
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