Review of No Strings Attached
By Jeyun Choi
They’re back, and this time, they’re bitter.
While the first album was comprised of nice, catchy tunes
about wanting girls who didn’t want them, their follow-up album is full of
songs that tell those same girls to shove off, in the nicest way possible of
course. They’re a little rougher, a little tougher, or at least, they’re
trying their damnedest to prove it to us, and at the very least, they’ve
decided to take off their rose-colored glasses for part of the album. But it’s
hard for anyone to do a 180 degree turn from what he used to be, so sometimes,
it’s hit or miss.
Compared to their self-titled debut American album, the fast songs on this album
do reflect a somewhat “tougher” sound. The first single from this album,
“Bye Bye Bye” is like a transition song that is moving them toward their
desired path to separating themselves from the rest of the boy band pack. Like
the songs from the first album, it has a strong beat, a catchy hook, and a very
pop sound, but it also has a stronger percussion and R&B sound. And the
second single, “It’s Gonna Be Me,” is like another baby step in amputating
their appendage with the boy band label stuck to it. It still has the
distinctive pop-infused, boy band, Max Martin-written sound (the man who also
happens to have written hits for the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears). But
like “Bye Bye Bye,” it sounds as if the boys have been burned and they’re
not going to take any more; perhaps this is merely a result of the criticism and
legal troubles they’ve faced, and now they’re pissed. “It’s Gonna Be
Me” is about a girl who is taking too long to decide what she really wants,
which of course, is the ‘N Sync boys, and, instead of whining to the girls how
much they’re hurting and wanting the girls back, they’re telling the girls
off and standing up for themselves. You can almost hear the straining chords of
Twisted Sisters’ “We’re Not Gonna Take It” playing in this part of the
soundtrack of their lives.
The other fast songs are hit or miss. “Digital Getdown,” a song about
cybering, is almost humorous, but still, it manages to be catchy, and after a
few more listens, it even starts to grow on you until it seems to become one of
the better songs on the album. Many of the others are the same way. They get
stuck in your head, become familiar, and grow on you. However, on songs such as
“It Makes Me Ill,” produced by the same man who brought us those catchy hits
“No Scrubs,” “Bill, Bills, Bills,” and “There You Go” by TLC,
Destiny’s Child, and Pink, respectively, the boys seem to be trying to hard to
be “rough.” They sound out-of-place using this slang and these words, and
it’s almost too embarrassing to listen. It is during these songs that you wish
they would go back to those “nice” songs they used to sing. If these songs
are released as singles, I think Rosie O’Donnell will be too shocked to invite
them to perform on her show.
The uncomfortable sensation is once again lifted with the play of those familiar
slow songs, those sweet, sensitive, still-wearing-the-rose-colored-glasses
songs. “This I Promise You,” written by Richard Marx, who apparently
hasn’t fallen off the face of the earth and is keeping busy by writing and
producing for others, captures the sensitive boy band sound while allowing the
boys to play with some more range and ability. Other slow songs run along a
similar vein, and the guys who normally don’t sing lead (for those who care,
Justin and JC always do) are given more opportunities to do so (but not Lance
because he sings bass), and prove their own worth in the group as well.
The album as a whole is fairly good, with some token
bad/cheesy/embarrassing-to-listen-to songs. But all in all, if you’re a fan of
pop music that’s tinged with quite a bit of R&B, it’s a good bargain
(especially if you get it at Wal-Mart). Maybe it’s not a great investment,
since we don’t know how long the boy-band phase may last, but for a temporary
moment of guilty pleasure, No Strings Attached will more than fulfill
that job.
Mood:
TRL
Hear it?:
Buy the CD
