"We're just going to make the best record that we can and hope that everybody likes it," says eldest brother Ike. "We're doing it, not as quickly as possible, but we're definitely wanting to get it out." It's no wonder. Since Hanson dominated the record charts three summers ago, the music world has become crowded with other teen and teen-appealing acts such as 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and The Moffatts. With so much competition, it's anyone's guess which act will top the charts this winter!

Still, the brothers from Oklahoma aren't worried about the competition, they're just concerned about making good music. This spring, Ike, Taylor and Zac spent a couple months back home in Tulsa to work on new songs. After writing more than 25 new tunes, the trio pared them down to 20. In June, they headed for Los Angeles' A&M Studios to begin work with producer Ric Ocasek, who earned his own platinum records back in the 80's as the lead singer of The Cars. He's since become a very sought after producer.

For Ike and his brothers the goal is to keep the fans they won with their earlier albums while expanding their audience. "I definitely think that always your goal is to do something different, make a record that no one has made, but at the same time, keep similarities so that you don't leave people thinking, 'Wait, what is this? This is a totally different band,'" says Ike.

Is there a lot of pressure on Hanson to repeat the success of their earlier CDs? No, says Ike. "We're really just going forward to do the best record that we can. We're not feeling any pressure at the moment. We're just saying we're going to do this record and do it to the best of our ability and hope that everyone responds really well to it. And that's the way that we did the first record. No one, especially us, would have thought it would have done as well as it did, and we're just continuing to think that way."* * * * *