May 24, 2001 12:16 PM
4388 Views
I did write an earlier review of the group O-Town. At the time I did not own the album, and I feel that I unfairly judged the band. Yet I still hold the same viewpoints of their beginning, their live performances of uptempos, and Jacob Underwood. Easter Day I received O-Town's album in my pink and white basket along with tons of candy. I had asked for it, after seeing them perform their single, All Or Nothing on MTV's TRL @ Your House on Saturday. They have made a huge improvement on vocals. I am probably the master at recognizing lip synching, and they were actually not lip synching but still sounded great. I'd have to say that if I were to choose a 'favorite' (because I have nothing better to do with my time), I would choose Dan.
After seeing the last few episodes of the Making The Band series from the first season, I saw Dan Miller bloom and fit perfectly into the puzzle. Ikaika did not make up the O-Town puzzle, Dan did...and so perfectly! (But Ikaika was a very talented young man, and has now created a group with Mike, Bryan, and himself [plus another guy who was not part of Making The Band at all], called LMNT. I have yet to hear any music by them.)
First, the guys...
Jacob - Jokingly called 'Justin' by fellow bandmates and friends that deal with J Records for being the Justin Timberlake of the group, Jacob is an arrogant, yet very strong willed young man. However, I cannot stand his attitude. Talent-wise, he can sing very well in uptempos (Every Six Seconds!), but sounds like nails on a blackboard in ballads. Equivalent to: Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys (not in personality), Justin Timberlake of Nsync.
Trevor - I really like Trevor's attitude, and I believed from the start that he had the drive to be something wonderful. Now he is part of the very popular O-Town. I also 'fancied' him because he openly admitted to enjoying Backstreet Boys music. On the first Making The Band episode, he told Lou how he went to a BSB concert and got to touch AJ's hand. He was so psyched about it, and it just made me smile. Trev seems like a really nice guy with a lot of potential talent.
Equivalent to: Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys, Joey Fatone of Nsync.
Erik - Attitude, attitude, attitude. laughs Erik has an abundance of talent and his fame is well-deserved. If I were him, I would stand up to the vocal coach too (that guy irritates me)! Erik really made Making The Band dramatic and interesting. You always have to have the guy in the group who isn't going to take any junk from anyone. He and Jacob are those guys.
Equivalent to: AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys.
Ashley - Is there anything as perfect as a boy band member named Ashley Angel? I don't think so. Ashley is an extremely talented boy who can not only sing, but write and play guitar also. I favor him, second to Dan. But Ashley seems to be a pushover, too sensitive without a lot of personality. He also has that annoying baggage of a girlfriend, Shelley. What a ditzy girl! ''Material Girl!'' Equivalent to: Brian Littrell of BSB, Justin Timberlake of Nsync, Lance Bass of Nsync.
Dan - He joined the group as a spare of the moment type of thing when Ikaika dropped out. At first I thought: ''he doesn't deserve this, he didn't work the whole time like the rest did.'' Because he only did two days of auditions, when Lou Pearlman told him he was in. But I saw him work harder than any of the guys. He put the drive back in the rest of the O-Town boys when they were becoming deflated. They sort of quit trying once they knew they were in the group. Dan has an amazing barritone (spelling?) voice that I melt over. He is the best member of O-Town!
Equivalent to: Brian Littrell of BSB, JC Chasez of Nsync.
My Favorite Tracks
2. Every Six Seconds
If there ever was an amazing uptempo beat, this would be it. It is just irresistible. The lyrics can be cheesey at points, but the beat makes up for it instantly. Surprisingly, I like Jacob's vocals most in this track, as well as Dan's of course. I am hoping this will be one of their singles, considering the video should be pretty interesting.
6. Shy Girl
I like this song because I can relate to it a lot. The lyrics really are me! ''Standing with the wallflowers, wishing you'd have stayed at home. You kick yourself for coming when you're standing there all alone.'' Although, lately I've been more of a dancer myself. laughs There are really nice vocals, very light and sweet. The chorus has a cheesey line: ''like a mermaid out of water, feeling out of place.'' But I can tell the guys mean well.
7. All Or Nothing
This is my favorite track on the album. It is a beautiful ballad with amazing lines. Dan, Erik, and Ashley sound absolutely wonderful. It has the power ballad type feel that reminds me of the BSB's The Perfect Fan, Westlife's Swear It Again, and definitely Nsync's That's When I'll Stop Loving You (they are like Nsync clones). Those are all songs I hold dear and love very much. It shows talent rather than how well they look dancing around. O-Town really surprised me with this song. It is their 2nd single off the album, so look for the video. This song alone made me want the album!
8. Sensitive
Or otherwise known as ''The Ode of Ashley Angel (Shelley).'' I love techno, modern, pop-py sound that this song showcases, as well as Ashley and Erik's vocals. When they sing the line ''how can I help you if you don't want me to?'' it launches my senses into overdrive, whoever sings that line is spectacular. They are all vocally pleasing in this track.
10. Take Me Under
Jacob wrote this song, which you can actually see being recorded in the studio on one of the Making The Band episodes. It is was interesting to watch a song be recorded like that. The song has strong sexual meaning, but the beat is great and so are the vocals. I like it a lot.
11. All For Love
This is the song that every person who watched Making The Band should know at least the chorus too. I love the beat, perhaps the lyrics aren't exactly creative or original, but it has a very 'danceable' melody. The chorus is catchy and enticing. Great for a song they put near the end of the album. However, the vocals aren't as good as on the others.
The songs I didn't list...
The other tracks I did not list, well, weren't worth it. They tried to incorporate lots of R&B into their tracks like Sexiest Woman Alive and Girl which just makes this boy band boring. The Painter is probably the dumbest song I've ever heard, and you don't want to hear it. Just trust me on that. Love Should Be a Crime is a song that would suit a band like BBMak better, and Baby I Would (another Making The Band friendly song) just rubs me the wrong way since Jacob opens it up screechingly.
