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"Don't call them a boy band. The only thing Hanson has in common with the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and the like is frequent appearances in Tiger Beat magazine. Of course, Hanson didn't ask to be idolized by teenage girls, and the trio's major-label debut album, "Middle of Nowhere," sounded nothing like the music of contemporary boy bands, either. This follow-up finds them moving even further from boy-band territory. The young Oklahoma-born siblings took three years to follow up the success of "Middle of Nowhere" and its hit single, "MMMBop." A lot happens in a teenager's life in three years. Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson and their fans have changed since 1997, and you have to wonder whether they've grown together or apart. "This Time Around" makes it clear that Hanson has grown in the direction of 1970s FM-radio rock. Album opener "You Never Know" and first single "This Time Around" wouldn't have sounded out of place between Stories' "Brother Louie" and Billy Preston's "Will It Go 'Round in Circles" on the radio in 1973. Make no mistake, though, they would have been just as massive as those two were. Hooks are timeless, and Hanson fills these songs with more than you'll find in your average bait shop. Aside from the catchy tunes, Hanson's most obvious claim to greatness is in the throat of Taylor Hanson. He has a classic rock 'n' roll voice. He growls, sneers and croons with the confidence of someone far beyond his 17 years. A distinctive vocalist, no choreography, instruments played by the people pictured on the cover, and no one trying to prove their street cred. Doesn't sound much like a boy band, does it?" |