Backstreet Boys Hits: Chapter One CD

Though it may seem as if the Backstreet Boys have been around forever, it's only been since 1995, as evidenced by the pictures from their first-ever photo shoot featured in THE HITS CD booklet. Mirroring their artistic development through the years, the hairstyles and clothes may have changed, but the group's essence, catnip to teens for over half a decade, remains the same--pure, unadulterated pop.

These 13 tracks are proof, if any were needed, of the group's undisputed mastery of late-'90s pop and their ability to morph, with chameleon-like ease, between the hip-hop-lite of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," the ABBA-style pop of "Quit Playing Games," and the tearful balladry of "I Want it That Way." Credit is also due to their Svengali, the Sweden-based pop wizard Max Martin, who masterminds most of these cuts and gives them a depth and musicality lacking in the work of many of the Boys' peers.

The Backstreet Boys were the first and best of the boy bands of the great teen pop bands of the late '90s/early 2000s, even if 'N Sync eventually usurped their title of "the biggest boy band." Their reign seemed long, but it really wasn't -- only three albums before the bottom started to fall out with 2000's Black & Blue. If everything had gone right, Black & Blue would have ruled the charts for about two years, but about a year after its release, the group and their label unleashed The Hits, Chapter One, a sure sign not only that Black & Blue didn't perform to expectations, but they were worried about the shifting tastes of their audience. Instead of reviving interest in the group, the collection instead felt like it was closing the door on their period of dominance (and it initially sold that way, too, barely making a dent on the charts). Even if it is a bit of an inadvertent last will and testament, it's a hell of a summation of the group's glory days, offering definitive proof that the group wasn't just the best of their breed (boy bands, that is; thrushes like Britney, Christina, Mandy, and Jessica are not taken into account here), but that their best moments transcend their era -- and there's really no other way to describe such lovely pop tunes as "I Want It That Way," "As Long As You Love Me," and "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," three songs that would have sounded perfect in any era (and their vocals would have worked in any era, too). Those are just the ballads -- the dance-pop numbers may be more tied to their era, but "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" and "Larger Than Life" are infectious pop nonetheless. If the rest of the singles that fill out this 13-track collection aren't quite as good as those five songs (although "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" is), they nevertheless are well-crafted, and those aforementioned singles are among the best mainstream pop of its time -- which is not only reason enough for this collection to exist, it's reason enough for pop lovers of any age or generation to have this as part of their library. [The Canadian release cuts "One" but replaces it with "Get Down (You're the One For Me)" and "We've Got It Going On"] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Canadian edition of the quintessential boy band's greatest hits album includes 3 tracks not found on the U.S. version: "We've Got It Going On", "Get Down" and "Larger Than Life".

Personnel: Esbjörn Öhrwall, Henrik Janson, Jojje Wadenius, Max Martin, Peter Svensson, Chuck Anthony (guitar); Stockholm Session Strings (strings); Toni Cottura, Bülent Aris (programming).

Audio Mixers: Chris Trevett; Full Force; Jean-Marie Horvat; Kristian Lundin; Max Martin; Rami.

Audio Remixer: Rodney Jerkins.

Recording information: Battery Studios, New York, NY; Cheiron Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Franciz & Lepont Studio, Bergshamra, Sweden; Medley Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark; Parc Studios, Orlando, FL; Polar Studios, Stockholm, Sweden.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Andrea M. Majied; Susan McCall.

Arranger: Full Force.

Backstreet Boys: Kevin Richardson, HowQ (12/01, p.152) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Slamming choruses and emotive ballads...this will always fill the airwaves..."