I asked for one extra week from my editor in order to make sure that I wasn’t being way too judgmental about the latest release from one of today’s biggest bands, Backstreet Boys. Well, I can say that I didn’t need the extra week; my initial judgement was completely accurate.
From the start, “Larger Than Life” tries to be just that, but falls off quickly. These guys have grown larger than life, but that doesn’t mean they should just cruise through an album without putting some quality into it. “I Want It That Way” is as cookie cutter as every song that the Backstreet Boys have ever performed. There is nothing that distinguishes this from any other song. But then again, why screw with a winning formula? Well, probably because the girls who love them are getting older and they are still serenading twelve-year-olds.
“It’s Gotta Be You” sounds very familiar, but is still distinct and hooky enough that it is certain to be a hit single. Its high energy, pop-bursting power offered me the one time on this album that I actually felt I was hearing a legitimate hit song. “I Need You Tonight” is a slow dance that sounds like it was written for some Disney cartoon.
“The Perfect Fan” ends the album with a tribute to all of their mothers. It is sweet and will have you going ‘aw’, but the song doesn’t have any real zip. It carries on in the same monotonous stroll that most of the album had already introduced.
Doesn’t anyone remember when the New Kids On The Block ruled all the land? So why aren’t these guys learning from their predecessors? You’d think with a new management team and a couple years to work on new material that they’d put out an album to be reckoned with, but they end up putting out a completely stale, lifeless release. They’ll still sell millions of albums, but the only losers are the fans.
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