‘N Sync: No Strings Attached

‘N Sync—the boy band at the height of its powers challenging for preeminence—came out swinging on No Strings Attached. In 2000, the field was stuffed with poseurs, 5-boy clusters of meticulously groomed troubadours wearing matching costumes and doing choreographed little dances as together. After the dross was scooped, ‘N Sync and their arch-nemeses the Backstreet Boys remained the powerhouses of pop. No Strings Attached is clearly a cut above most of the drivel in the teen bop category, but even if it weren’t, it sold lots and lots of copies, and there’s something to be said for that.

Rating: * *

Jonas Brothers: Lines, Vines, and Trying Times

Disney’s popular Jonas Brothers want to make music that people will take seriously. But the subject matter—“you and me forever” and “did I break your heart” type stuff—is geared toward teens, and not the ones with menacing piercings. The slick production makes anything earnest coming through the speakers sound calculated and contrived. The guitars are big and dramatic and Nick tries to give his voice a rough, impassioned edge. This falls flat especially on the “toughest” track on the album, a duet with rapper Common. To the Brothers’ credit, the album doesn’t suck, and they wrote it themselves.

Rating: * * *