I would certainly be an enormous understatement to say that 3-piece boy band Youngstown never attained the success of, say, the Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync. I was pretty obsessed with 'em back in the day, though -- that may have been heavily influenced by the fact that I thought lead singer DC Yeager was extremely hot, and he waved and smiled at me at their concert once. Ah, the glories of being thirteen and dumb as hell.

Anyway, Youngstown was more commonly known on the Radio Disney scene than anywhere else. Their first single "I'll Be Your Everything" was on the soundtrack to the '99 Inspector Gadget movie starring Matthew Broderick, and its video was in frequent rotation on the Disney channel that summer. I saw it, figured that they were easy on the eyes and talented enough, and picked up their debut, Let's Roll.

Forget how much I adored it back in those days -- this album is nothing extraordinary by any means. In fact, it's not even average or decent. Getting right down to it, Let's Roll generally blows. Sure, there are a few gleaming moments of potential, but those moments are too few and too far between. Teen-pop is usually great or horrible. Must I even begin to elaborate on what category this disc falls into?

Don't worry, I'll give the Youngstown boys credit when credit is due. Album opener "Pedal To The Steel" has a fairly addictive, crunchy groove and I dig the three-part harmonies in the catchy chorus. "I'll Be Your Everything" is a fun dance tune, and it would fit in pretty well on the Backstreet Boys' debut, although it's far more watered-down and far less fun than the majority of BSB's material. "Through Your Eyes" is a relatively enjoyable ballad that makes good use of gentle guitar and super-cheesy romantic lyrics -- "Those times you held me close made me realize / That I'm living my life through your eyes!"

"Lose My Cool" is probably the album's most innovative (?!) song, with a bizarre, clubby beat and strange sound effects. "Jamie Lee" is a really pretty ballad co-written by Youngstown's most talented member, James Lee Dallas. The song is a heartfelt ode to his mother - "Good times went too fast / though they didn't last / I will always be filled with your memories / Mama, I'll always be your Jamie Lee." But it's the nostalgic, piano-driven ballad "Early Frost" that catches my attention the most. It's a heartbreaking, breathtaking recollection of a love gone horribly wrong. Hearing it makes me (1) bawl uncontrollably, (2) wish the rest of Let's Roll bore a closer resemblance to this wonderful song.

It's unfortunate that the remainder of the disc doesn't peak my interest even the slightest bit. "Forever In Love" and "The Prince You Charmed" are practically identical in structure, with generic bubblegum pop beats and unappealing, whiny vocal work. "Don't Worry (Dance Floor)" sees the Youngstown fellows tackling hip-hop...and failing miserably. "Oh, getting my groove on / Now it's my time to play," DC and Dallas wail. The whole song swims in painful monotony. "It's Not What You Think" was the theme song to the extinct Disney show The Famous Jett Jackson (hey, I flippin' loved that show - really), and although DC doesn't sound entirely bad in it, the guys really should avoid dabbling in hip-hop. They can't pull it off, period.

Although I own many albums by boy bands that are significantly worse than Youngstown, this one fails to impress me (despite the fact that many-a-moon-ago, I was enamored with it). So, yeah: pop fanatics COULD do much worse than picking this CD up, but they could also do so much better. Let's Roll only has a few listenable songs, surrounded by hilariously cheesy attempts to pass off as a hip-hop group or a rock band. It's no wonder that Youngstown never hit it big. C'mon -- whether you're a pop music lover or not, you must admit that the likes of 'N Sync and Britney have (had?) the sensibility to create catchy tunes with hit potential. The lads of Youngstown lacked that oh-so-important trait, which singlehandedly explains why most people don't even remember their music. Aww.

Pizza, Pickles, 'N' Pop: Part 1 - Sweet Kisses by Jessica Simpson
Pizza, Pickles, 'N' Pop: Part 2 - Black & Blue by the Backstreet Boys




Recommended: No