Ballads broaden appeal
Source: Tampa Tribune
By Curtis Ross
Teenagers are a notoriously fickle fan base and bands appealing primarily to junior high students run the risk of being flashes in the pan.
So the Backstreet Boys targeted a more stable demographic . those teenage fans' parents.
The fab five, like fellow Orlando act 'N Sync, is a staple of the soft adult contemporary format favored by radio stations such as WWRM, 94.9 FM.
Ballads such as ""Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely'' and ""I Want It That Way'' ensure that adults in the Backstreet Boys' concert audiences aren't there just to chaperon the kids.
Writing about a recent concert, New York Daily News reviewer Jim Farber noted that ""three quarters of their 21-song show... ""centered on mid-paced material with killer choruses.''
Farber called the show ""an expertly crafted piece of pop.''
Which is not to suggest the Boys are putting on an easy-listening show. Dance tracks such as ""Larger Than Life'' and ""The Call'' . the latter from the group's most recent album, last year's ""Black and Blue'' - figure prominently.
And the presentation itself is anything but quiet.
According to Frank Scheck, writing on Billboard's Web site ( www.billboard.com), ""the show . with its in-your-face pyrotechnics, elaborate video displays, myriad dancers and flashy set design . is designed to mesmerize even the shortest of attention spans.''
The show contained ""an intricate light show, pristine sound, Grammy-caliber presentation and enough fireworks to make Kiss blush,'' according to Mark Brown of the Rocky Mountain News. Gene Stout of the Seattle Post called it ""a production worthy of a George Lucas sci-fi blockbuster.''
It seems fitting for a band formed in Orlando, home of Disney World and Universal Studios. But the Boys are taking pains to prove they live in the real world, too. Several of the group's members have established charitable foundations, including Kevin Richardson's Just Within Reach: An Earth Foundation.
Richardson's environmental concerns are reflected on a song from ""Black and Blue,'' ""The Answer to Our Life,'' penned by Richardson and fellow Backstreet Boys Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean.
Back