Leading a disc off with a slow song is always risky move that almost never pays off. This is one exception. The Boys manage to get away with pulling the first single from the disc, Incomplete, into the lead spot without hurting themselves. This track does exactly what this entire disc is supposed to be doing: showing a more mature Backstreet Boys, perhaps even showing us that these "boys" are now "men." The song is lyrically similar to many of their prior tracks, but the lyrics seem to come from a place of greater wisdom than shown on prior discs.
Crawling Back To You and Just Want You To Know continue with a similar vibe lyrically, pretty much talking of loves lost and wanted back. Typical boy band stuff, which is a disappointment from a group that should be able to write about so much more than just women. Just Want You To Know is very reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone musically (Lyrically, however, as already stated, it's a completely different side of the Clarkson song, and it's not pulled off nearly as well as Clarkson's song).
The disc seems to be stuck in a rut musically. Along with being a disc that was supposed to show us these mature men, it was supposed to give us the "rock edge" of the Backstreet Boys. Problem is, said rock edge cannot be found anywhere on this disc. This is very much a pop disc. Musically it might be a small step above the Boys' previous release, Millenium, but that's about it. Songs like Climbing The Wall and Lose It All continue this mid-tempo crooning about love. They're good songs, but they're just disappointing compared to what was expected of this disc.
And the few times that the Boys attempt to branch out a bit, they fall flat on their butts. Weird World is pretty accurately described by it's title, minus the World. It's just a very, very weird song that's completely out of place on this disc and continues to bring down a disc that's already struggling to stay afloat. Poster Girl and My Beautiful Woman are just plain boring.
Overall, this definitely no Backstreet Boys Version 2.0. This is the same old same old. The music is slightly better than previous releases most of the time, but all the songs are stuck in the same pace musically and in the same frame of mind lyrically. A few songs may be able to spark your interest, but there are really no stand-out tracks. Aside from Incomplete, there is barely a hint of the "new-and-improved" Backstreet Boys. The Boys get some credit for at least trying to put out a "more mature" sound, and they deserve some credit for their vocal abilities, but Never Gone is a pretty big letdown if you're looking for anything other than typical boy band stuff.