Review of 'N Sync
By Jeyun Choi
While the boys of ‘N Sync say they can be differentiated from other boy
bands by their “edgier” sound – more R&B, more “funk” – they are
still obviously and overwhelmingly all about the pop music. The fast songs, the
dance songs, are fun and easy to listen to, regardless of the fact that the
lyrics are simple, at best, and I won’t say what, at worst. However, some of
these dance songs are borderline cheesy and some are just downright bad – like
when the first chords of the songs begin, you automatically recognize them and
press the forward button on your CD player to quickly skip to the next one. The
worst ones are probably “I Need Love” and “Giddy Up” – the latter of
which, the guys helped to write, and the former blessed with the aid of the
musical geniuses that worked with Ace of Base (the sound of “I Need Love” is
all the more familiar for it).
The best of the dance songs were released as singles, and both “Tearin’ Up
My Heart” and “I Want You Back” epitomize ‘N Sync’s sound and image.
They’re just a bunch of fun-loving, young guys from the suburbs who want girls
they’ve lost or can’t have, and think that serenading the girls with pop
songs will get them back. But damn if those songs aren’t catchy. And the
lyrics seem so clean that parents won’t mind their young daughters listening
to them, but have enough sexual innuendos and romanticism to appeal to the young
daughters in the first place.
The guys’ better songs probably come along in the slow songs, the romantic
ballads. They can actually give proof that they’re not just some
pop-machine-manufactured group and that they can sing well. While they might not
have the vocal blessings of Boyz II Men, and Timberlake’s voice is actually a
bit on the nasally side, the sound works, and works well. The appeal of this
group is apparent when they belt out saccharine hits such as “(God Must Have
Spent) A Little More Time On You” and “For the Girl Who Has Everything,” a
song about a girl who apparently has, well, everything but the love of an ‘N
Syncer, and even on the somewhat questionable but oddly well-produced remake of
Christopher Cross’s “Sailing.” These songs are also the main appeal of the
group. While the faster songs show the girls some sex appeal, the slow songs
show the guys’ sensitive side; one can imagine some young girl’s heart
fluttering as she listens to the lyrics, while smacking some boy she likes
across the arm and saying, “Why can’t you be more like [fill in the blank
with your favorite member]?!”
So while most guys would never admit to wanting to be like Justin, most guys
would like to attract the girls like Justin. But as boy bands come and boy bands
go, ‘N Sync is doing a fair job at keeping a hold on the fickle pop industry.
Mood:
TRL
Hear it?:
Burn the CD
