'N Sync: No Strings Attached

I really didn't want to like 'N Sync. I resisted the boys' matching shirts and dashing good looks for two years. And then came "Bye Bye Bye," the first single off of No Strings Attached. Who can stand up in front of his peers and state boldly and truly that he or she doesn't hum along when the song comes on the radio? And who doesn't know at least one of the boys' names?

No Strings Attached's opener, "Bye Bye Bye," sets the pace. It is one of several songs that present the boys in positions of control; they reject lyrics that present them as lovesick boys at the mercy of their lovers' whims. No Strings seems to be a classic album of reinvention; 'N Sync has finally departed from the insipid themes of earlier hits like "I Drive Myself Crazy" and "God Must've Spent a Little More Time on You." The boys are older than their past music suggests (J.C. is 24!); No Strings, with its electronic sound and more mature subject matter, finally catches up to the boys' ages (especially "Space Cowboy," featuring TLC's Left Eye). With a new label and new manager, 'N Sync is out to prove to the critics that it is not a mere music industry puppet.

No Strings Attached is one of the quintessential pop albums, leaving the Backstreet Boys' Millennium far behind. It has all of the elements that made New Kids On The Block great: a leaflet brimming with pictures of Justin, Lance, J.C., Chris, and Joey, a great mix of upbeat songs and ballads sworn to make teenage girls weep, and lyrics like, "I've loved you forever/ In lifetimes before/And I promise you never/Will you hurt anymore/I give you my word/I give you my heart/This is a battle we've won/And with this vow/Forever has now begun." This is good stuff. Forget the social stigma attached to appreciating 'N Sync. This is pop music at its best. (Jive)

—Aislinn Goodman

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