Dear O-Town: This Is What I Think About O2
Written: Nov 12 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well, my review will stop you from spending your hard, earned cash...
Cons: What the critics said about you guys - it's all come true.
The Bottom Line: Close your eyes. Soon all of this will be a memory for the general public, their fans, and most of all, Clive Davis.
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| kristinafh's Full Review: O2 by O-Town |
Dear O-Town,
When Lou Perlman teamed up with MTV to do Making of the Band about two years ago, I didn't get into the episodic boy band drama. That means, I never saw your auditions and I never saw you become a "band".
I first got a glimpse of you when you put out that horrible single, Liquid Dreams. The lyrics were cheesy however, I have to hand it to the guy that wrote it. He wrote it so that it actually had some hook in it and there were days when I couldn't get the darn thing out of my head. I won't even mention the stupid video. I'm saving the embarrassing stuff for later.
So here it is, two years later and today, you released your sophomore effort. Well, should I say, you finally released your sophomore effort. The release date has been pushed back a few times. Wonder what was up with that?
I was shocked that I didn't receive a promo version of this because - well - it's the kind of stuff I get sent to review. When I don't get it - well - it makes me suspicious, ya know?
Something also suspicious is that your first single, These Are The Days was supposedly released. Weird thing is - I haven't seen it on MTV and I haven't heard it once on the radio. What's up with that?
No matter, I decided to be fair and listen to this cd just like I would any other cd.
Shall we talk about your tracks boys?
If you don't me generalizing things, I'd like to point out what you did that really screwed yourselves over.
First, you wrote almost all of your songs. I hate to break it to you but your writing sucks. And wait, on top of that, did you have to use Rich Cronin from LFO as one of your co-writers (and lord help us, producers)? Big mistake boys.
Alright, shall we talk about The Joint? dj can you play as a favor for me. get down get down. burnin' up the dance floor. burnin' up the dance floor.. Wow! Um, I'm not even sure what to say about your lyrics but I sure can find the words to sum up the music that backs it up. It sounds cheap, like a B side of a one hit artist. You're not R&B artists (or the Jackson 5) and your voices don't have the variety of range that you need in order to transition from one genre to another.
Whoa! I've never seen as many writing credits as I did on Make Her Say. Let's see (counts manually)...15 writers! So the first time I listened to it, I was intrigued. Were you going for the 80's new wave thing or wait...you were going for the hipsta-gang-rappin'-thug thing that Nelly does? Whatever. One thing I will say is that the production is slick but with three producers, one would think that something positive would happen.
Second, I understand that a sophomore album is difficult. That's why with the cloud of doubt that has been cast over you by the critics, you shouldn't try to do a 180 because basically, no matter what you do, you're not going to please the critics. By doing a 180, you're going to end up alienating the fans. And guess what? I think that you succeeded with this cd.
What was the deal with These Are The Days? Did you have this dying wish to sound like Bon Jovi for a reason? Jacob, I think that this is you singing the opening and while I think that you have one of the best voices of O-Town you should just probably try to find your own vocal niche. Admittedly the song is fine but then again, none of you wrote it. I bet my bottom dollar that Papa Clive commissioned this for all of you after hearing your own material. You can tell it's a canned type of ballad. Was almost surprised that it didn't have Diane Warren's name on it.
Okay, I hate to break this to you. None of you are hip-hop artists.
Take a deep breath. I realize that this is a difficult thing for you to come to terms with. Still, what you did with sampling Wham!'s Careless Whisper was uh - something that I'm sure that Weird Al will add to his next album. I know that you admire people like Nelly and Justin Timberlake and that's okay. I admire people like Cindy Crawford and Madonna but that doesn't mean that I think that I can emulate them.
Third, in order to capture the attention of any audience, you have to have some sort of hook. And that means both musically and public relations wise. Jacob, I think that you getting married to your high school sweetheart (Janie) put a huge dent into the PR think tank. Don't get me wrong - it's your life however, part of the appeal of a "boy band" is the fact that teenage girls can fantasize about taking you to the side of the stage and giving you the night of your life (and then, of course, marrying you, wearing their Cinderella wedding gown).
Now the whole "hook" thing in the musical way...With your last cd, you had a common theme running through it and as cheesy as some of the tracks were, they made sense as a group. I'm sure that's because the cd was aimed at a particular audience. With this cd, you're all over the place. One time, you want to be Bon Jovi, another time, it's Johnny Rzeznik, and another it's Nelly. Was that done to try and get more people to listen to you? Let me tell you. This is not a good time for half-as*sed experimentation. You should have just rode the crimson wave guys.
There is one redeeming factor. I Showed Her is a decent ballad and it actually fits in with the material that your fans expect from you. Sounds like Dan and Trevor are singing most of it and that's a good thing because you guys have some great depth in your vocals unlike say - Ashley. I noticed that it's not written by any of you *gasp*. Wonder why Papa Clive didn't release this first? It's much better than These Are The Days.
So guys, I think this is it....Literally. I really think that Papa Clive will be re-thinking his ties to you and MTV will be dropping you like yesterday's monogrammed sweaters. My advice to you - go back to your lives and try to make something of yourselves. Don't think that you can do a solo career right now. The environment just isn't accepting at this point and time. Try back in five years.
All my love,
Kristina
Recommended:
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kristinafh
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Member: Kristina Frazier-Henry
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 1344
Trusted by: 1169 members
About Me:
Cannot breathe. Missing Barbara.
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