However coy she might be in her public statements, Britney Spears leans more than a bit toward the provocative on In the Zone. Less concerned with aiming at... read more

However coy she might be in her public statements, Britney Spears leans more than a bit toward the provocative on In the Zone. Less concerned with aiming at the mainstream radio dial than in the first days of her career, she and her collaborators make this as street and club ready a record as possible. The opening duet with Madonna, "Me Against the Music," is worthy, but the bigger superstar's presence serves almost less as a performance than a key to Britney's intentions: as Madonna did on albums such as Erotica , Ray of Light, and Music, she's out to bend current trends to her needs. R. Kelly, Moby, and Ying Yang Twins all provide stirring moments that draw on everything from Bollywood to Southern hip-hop, while one of the most impressive tracks, "Touch of My Hand," joins the proud tradition of Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop." She still lacks a fully formed artistic vision of her own, but Zone, with its many get-free anthems, puts her much closer. --Rickey Wright (hide)

OhmygodtheBackstreetBoysrule!!!!!! OK, with that out of the way, let's review The Hits--Chapter One, which is one-stop shopping for the hunky pop group's three American albums--their 1997 self-titled debut,... read more

OhmygodtheBackstreetBoysrule!!!!!! OK, with that out of the way, let's review The Hits--Chapter One, which is one-stop shopping for the hunky pop group's three American albums--their 1997 self-titled debut, 1999's Millennium, and 2000's Black & Blue. The first disc really shines with "As Long as You Love Me," "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," and "All I Have to Give," capturing the Backstreet Boys' essence: sunny pop under the influence of blue-eyed soul. "I Want It That Way," from the second album, is an undeniable classic, while "The Call" has a deliciously frenzied sexual urgency and a strong, danceable beat. But the other tracks are uneven with the oddball fan-appreciation anthem "Larger Than Life" surrounded by somber, predictable ballads. The new single, "Drowning," is same-old same-old: lazy moaning over a drum machine. The Hits--Chapter One might be an optimistic name for this '90s retrospective. The future is cloudy for chapter two. --Courtney Kemp (hide)

The 2CD The Essential Michael Jackson takes you on a journey from budding star, to iconic legend and allows you to immerse yourself in the musical and emotional... read more

The 2CD The Essential Michael Jackson takes you on a journey from budding star, to iconic legend and allows you to immerse yourself in the musical and emotional development of each track defining the story of a global superstar.

Michael Jackson needs no introduction, as part of the Jackson 5 he helped make up a remarkable musical family and one of the biggest pop phenomenons of the early 70s. The Jacksons' infectious brand of funky soul and now iconic stage presence reached out globally and made them and Michael international stars.

As the success of the band grew, Michael branched out with his own solo career first launching with "Got to be There" and then "Rockin' Robin". The momentum started to grow with the release of more successful singles and, as the hype surrounding the Jackson 5 slowed down towards the late 70s, Michael continued to develop and grow as an artist. With the release of Off the Wall, an immaculately crafted set of funky disco-pop, smooth soul, and lush, sentimental pop ballads, Michael cemented his place as a global star. The 1980s were a career-defining period with his instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power Michael Jackson was unstoppable. The 1982 album Thriller became the biggest selling album of all time and combined his musical genius with an exceptional and ahead of its time music video epic. Bad (1987) was released with enormous public anticipation and spawned another succession of hit singles with "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror." (hide)

Putting aside the Girl Power phenomenon--really, what were the chances five scantily-clad birds flashing their knickers with kung-fu kicks wouldn't make it in the music industry?--the Spice Girls... read more

Putting aside the Girl Power phenomenon--really, what were the chances five scantily-clad birds flashing their knickers with kung-fu kicks wouldn't make it in the music industry?--the Spice Girls really do mean something: great singles. There's not a dog in their whole back-catalogue. They kicked off their career with "Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1"--that's the pop equivalent of an Olympic gold in the triathlon. They're all here on Spice, along with the live favourite "If You Can't Dance"--one that Geri always looked particularly picked-upon whilst singing--and that irresistible champagne effervescence of pop history in the making. The only mistake they made at this point in their career was not releasing the slinky R&B track "Naked" as a single; and if that's because the video plot automatically suggests itself as too obvious, it's not as if that curtailed any other facet of their career. --Caitlin Moran (hide)

Yes, it's another group of five young white boys making dance-influenced pop that makes the girls scream. Not only is the makeup of this group familiar, their sound... read more

Yes, it's another group of five young white boys making dance-influenced pop that makes the girls scream. Not only is the makeup of this group familiar, their sound is almost a clone of fellow teenybopper dreams the Backstreet Boys. It's probably not surprising, considering that they share the same manager (who had all five members of '80s preteen scream machine New Kids on the Block as the best men at his wedding, natch). The resemblance is a little too close for comfort, however, with almost every track here mirroring one on the Backstreet Boys album. From the radio hit "I Want You Back" and the sugary harmonizing on ballads like "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You" to the one step forward, two steps back approach to sex appeal on "Giddy Up," 'N Sync--or their producers--have crafted the perfect balance of catchy pop ditties and swoon-inducing slow jams. --Rebecca Wallwork (hide)

The duo's 1988 debut, released a year before they topped thetopped the U.S. charts. Contains 13 tracks, including four of their top five smashes: the #1's 'Baby Don't... read more

The duo's 1988 debut, released a year before they topped thetopped the U.S. charts. Contains 13 tracks, including four of their top five smashes: the #1's 'Baby Don't Forget My Number' & 'Girl I'm Gonna Miss You', the #2 'Girl You Know It's True' and the #4 'All Or Nothing', plus 'Too Much Monkey Business' (Maxi Version) added as a bonus track. A Hansa/ BMG release. (hide)

After buying into Bush and Alanis Morissette, Hanson is just what we deserve--Silverchair by way of the Partridge Family, the first pretty-boy fake alt rock group that doesn't... read more

After buying into Bush and Alanis Morissette, Hanson is just what we deserve--Silverchair by way of the Partridge Family, the first pretty-boy fake alt rock group that doesn't pretend to be anything but. If only for truth in advertising, Hanson deserves our admiration. But as it happens, Middle of Nowhere, the debut album from Tulsa brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary Hanson, warrants attention for other reasons as well. At their best, as on "MMMBop" or "Thinking of You," Hanson makes perfect '90s bubblegum, Jackson Five vocal interplay offset by slick power pop guitars and sharp hip-hop production care of the Dust Brothers. Even the more questionable material, such as the cheesy ballads "Weird" and "I Will Come to You," is--at worst--music for, about, and by kids sixteen and under. Such songs are not only more palatable coming from a 13-year-old than from a post-grad, given the age of the writers, the lyrics are actually pretty darn sharp. Granted, these lads had help with both the songwriting (including veterans Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil on the weakest track) and instrumentation (a full cast of session men) on Middle of Nowhere. Still, as young writers and musicians with an indisputably authentic three-part harmony, Hanson is as real a band as it needs to be. Real enough, at least, to be a perfect antidote to MTV's other poster boys, Marilyn Manson. --Roni Sarig (hide)

There's a cynical adage that argues if you stand still long enough, history will eventually catch up with you. It's tempting to say that about Barry Manilow, an... read more

There's a cynical adage that argues if you stand still long enough, history will eventually catch up with you. It's tempting to say that about Barry Manilow, an artist whose stubborn, quarter-century dedication to old-fashioned song craft and musical melodrama has earned him few critical praises but a loyal worldwide following in the millions. When a cult of 20-something would-be lounge lizards tried to cash in on Manilow's shtick in the 1990s, they distanced themselves from its emotional potency with telling dollops of irony and retro-hip cynicism--anything to keep from looking too sincere. This album serves up the high points of Manilow's long, successful career, rightly focusing on the long string of '70s hits that built both his legend and record label. They're a body of songs whose solid craftsmanship is undeniable, but it's Manilow's sincerity that crucially sells them--indeed, he didn't write "I Write the Songs," but who could doubt him? It's an odd tribute that much here--"Mandy," "Looks Like We Made It," "Copacabana," et. al.--has become the palette for a popular entertainment spectrum that somehow encompasses endless hotel piano bars on one flank and TV sketch-com parody on the other. Good to remember that kitsch, by definition, requires a deep and lasting impact on the culture. Manilow hasn't just embraced the "K" word; he's reveled in it with a smile--how could one frown through "Bandstand Boogie" and "Copa" anyway?--and elevated it to something approaching the transcendental through his sheer, joyous force of will. And if his latter work has been unabashedly nostalgic, how could anyone be surprised? --Jerry McCulley (hide)

Don't look for a richly illustrated, critical essay-packed hagiography with this 40-track, double-disc overview of the Bee Gees recording career. In typical, telling fashion, the Brothers Gibb have... read more

Don't look for a richly illustrated, critical essay-packed hagiography with this 40-track, double-disc overview of the Bee Gees recording career. In typical, telling fashion, the Brothers Gibb have eschewed such exercises in ego inflation and simply let the best of their remarkable body of music speak for itself. Through it all, their familiar voices lock together in the sort of transcendent, seemingly genetic harmony that few singers since the Everly Brothers (early Gibb inspirations) have managed. Beginning with the plaintive 1966 hit "New York Mining Disaster 1941," this set traces the Gibbs' journey from successful Beatles-era balladeers to '70s white R&B gods and the undisputed kings of disco (we're reminded here that their shrewd metamorphosis began with "Nights on Broadway" and "Jive Talkin'"--long before the mega-success of "Saturday Night Fever"). But even as that dance craze faded, again threatening to turn the Bee Gees into pop anachronisms, the Gibbs simply stepped out of the limelight for a while, turning their talents to MOR hit-making for the likes of Samantha Sang, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, and Dionne Warwick. Those hits ("Emotion," "Heartbreaker," "Islands in the Stream") are featured here in modern rerecordings by the band, along with the Streisand-Barry Gibb duet, "Guilty." And if the Gibbs haven't had much of an American chart presence in recent years, they remain superstars throughout the rest of the world, a richly crafted pop music presence that simply won't be denied. --Jerry McCulley (hide)

After buying into Bush and Alanis Morissette, Hanson is just what we deserve--Silverchair by way of the Partridge Family, the first pretty-boy fake alt rock group that doesn't... read more

After buying into Bush and Alanis Morissette, Hanson is just what we deserve--Silverchair by way of the Partridge Family, the first pretty-boy fake alt rock group that doesn't pretend to be anything but. If only for truth in advertising, Hanson deserves our admiration. But as it happens, Middle of Nowhere, the debut album from Tulsa brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary Hanson, warrants attention for other reasons as well. At their best, as on "MMMBop" or "Thinking of You," Hanson makes perfect '90s bubblegum, Jackson Five vocal interplay offset by slick power pop guitars and sharp hip-hop production care of the Dust Brothers. Even the more questionable material, such as the cheesy ballads "Weird" and "I Will Come to You," is--at worst--music for, about, and by kids sixteen and under. Such songs are not only more palatable coming from a 13-year-old than from a post-grad, given the age of the writers, the lyrics are actually pretty darn sharp. Granted, these lads had help with both the songwriting (including veterans Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil on the weakest track) and instrumentation (a full cast of session men) on Middle of Nowhere. Still, as young writers and musicians with an indisputably authentic three-part harmony, Hanson is as real a band as it needs to be. Real enough, at least, to be a perfect antidote to MTV's other poster boys, Marilyn Manson. --Roni Sarig (hide)