Nearly 5 years after their last studio album, the Backstreet Boys mark a resolute return with their 5th disc June 14 on Jive Records. The 12-song “Never Gone” reflects the adult ideals of a quintet that broke music and concert sales records the world over, moving more than 73 million albums (30 million in America ) since their introduction in 1997.
Certainly, pop culture remains on a first-name basis with the five singers that comprise BSB: Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson. When they scored in the U.S. with the debut platinum single “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”-followed by such radio staples as “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” “All I Have To Give” and the No. 1 (in 18 nations) “I Want It That Way”- the Backstreet Boys grew to personify an unprecedented and celebrated youth-driven era in popular music.
As teen idols, they sold more than 13 million copies each of their first two U.S. albums, “Backstreet Boys” (1997) and the No. 1 (in 25 nations) “Millennium” (1999). “Black and Blue” followed (2000), moving 8 million copies, and then “Hits: Chapter One” (2001), another platinum triumph. Along the way, the group logged12 top 40 hits, 8 of those reaching the top 10.
Today, nearly a decade since their initial success-and following a healthy 3-year breather-each group member admits that they needed time to catch up, grow up and gain some perspective on the whirlwind of fame.
“We had been touring pretty much non-stop for 7 or 8 years and we were almost living in a bubble; we had lost perspective on a lot of things,” Kevin says. “You need to take care of yourself and rest and be able to reflect. This time off gave us a chance to recharge our batteries and step away and see what has happened in our lives, what we have accomplished and to be thankful for the opportunities that we have had and thankful for each other.”
Brian became the first Backstreet Father during the break, Kevin took on Broadway and London ’s West End with a starring role in “Chicago,” Nick put out a solo project and Howie continued his efforts with the Dorough Lupus Foundation after the loss of his oldest sister Caroline in 1998. AJ McLean worked through personal demons with a well-publicized stint in rehab.
“I’ve been sober for 2 ½ ,” AJ says. “I appreciate my family more, these guys more and myself more. Life is great. It’s worth living again.”
“Never Gone,” which BSB spent more than a year recording, accomplishes the formidable task of moving beyond pop idol notoriety to reflect what is happening in the group’s lives and in the world. The project features intensely personal, upfront vocals, coupled with production that spares drum loops and synthesizers for a mature, live, more rootsy vibe. Don’t worry-the pandemic hooks and velvet harmonies are still there, behind lyrics that tell universal stories of hope, loss, redemption and love.
First single “Incomplete,” released in April, proves Backstreet Boys’ enduring relevance; in its first week out, the ballad was most-added at radio. By the end of May, the song was climbing the top 10 on Billboard’s mainstream top 40 chart as well as the top 5 of Top Digital Downloads. The accompanying video clip reached No. 1 on AOL and garnered rotation on MTV, VH1 and MuchMusic.
Title track, “Never Gone,” is among the most moving songs on the album. Written by BSB’s Kevin Richardson with Gary Baker and Steve Diamond, the harmony-drenched ballad pays tribute to the death of Kevin’s father. It is produced by Mark Taylor.
“That song has really been important to each one of us,” AJ says. “In addition to the loss of Kevin’s father, I lost both of my grandparents, Nick his grandmother and Howie his sister. We’ve all experienced great losses, so this song really touches us personally.”
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