| Obvious, Compact Disc [CD] Plus One christianbook.com RELEASE DATE: 2/26/2002 LABEL: Atlantic Records GENRE: Pop/Adult Contemporary SPECIAL EFFECT(S): Gold-plus selling favorite new artist returns with a dynamic batch of immediate, weighty pop songs and ballads--10 of them solely or co-written by the group, which is growing gracefully. PRODUCER(S): Guy Roche, Matthew Gerrard, Peter Zizzo, Klaus/Jeeve & Miklos Malek, Tedd T, Bernie Herms, Peter Kipley, Howard New, Gabe Combs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let the boy-band debates fizzle, and pay more attention to the blooming fundamental artistic attributes of Plus One, displayed clearly on the group�s anticipated second album, Obvious. While living on airplanes and at photo shoots for the past two years, the quintet strengthened its vocal and creative chemistry, but also bulked up on lyrical candidness and spiritual bedrock. The results make this new project even more recommendable than The Promise, a debut adored by nearly a million people. Out of the box, Obvious goes six for six, spitting out an airtight light-in-the-darkness, Michael Jackson-meets-NSync rant on �Camouflage� and coupling punchy percussion with smooth Take 6 vocals on �Use Me.� The clever modern production heavily relies on R&B flavors and frenetic programming, but it knows when not to get in the way, especially on sure-hit �Let Me Be the One� and the cathartic �You.� New ground is tread on �Under the Influence,� an irresistible marriage of groove, melody, and Nate Cole�s charming crybaby voice, and �I Don�t Care,� Plus One�s first foray into true dc Talk influenced rock and rap compulsions. The second half of Obvious is less consistent although still ripe with meaty invention. Most noticeable, the fact that Plus One co-wrote, produced, and even played guitar (Gabe Combs) throughout the project is testament to the group's increasingly clear shot at longevity. Here's to outliving the hype and concentrating on the music. David Schrader |