This Is Us

Performer: Backstreet Boys
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Since their mid-2000s reunion, the Backstreet Boys have been acting like adults so it's not entirely a surprise that they've decided to shake things up on THIS IS US, their third album of the comeback and second since becoming a quartet. Teaming up once again with Max Martin and working with a host of modern hitmakers such as RedOne, the group takes a left turn back toward the rhythm-heavy, harmony-laden dance-pop that made their reputation a decade before. Never mind the name of the album -- the group is tellingly quite willing to fade into background, letting the producers do their work, just content to sing the hooks. It's a sharp move in two ways: BSB never had as much on-record charisma as *NSync; their best trait was how they could sell a hook without affect, and that returns here. Of course, it helps that they have a bunch of those hooks here, too -- hooks that aren't quite as galvanizing as "I Want It That Way," but easily eclipsing those on the pedestrian UNBREAKABLE, helping the band seem modern without seeming pandering. It's a move that the New Kids on the Block couldn't pull off on their tawdry, sex-obsessed comeback, and it's one that the Backstreets seemed incapable of doing just a few years ago, but on THIS IS US, they sound like they're at their peak -- which is no guarantee of a hit, but it sure makes for a better album than they've produced in quite a while. Since their mid-2000s reunion, the Backstreet Boys have been acting like adults so it's not entirely a surprise that they've decided to shake things up on This Is Us, their third album of the comeback and second since becoming a quartet. Teaming up once again with Max Martin and working with a host of modern hitmakers as RedOne, the group takes a left turn back toward the rhythm-heavy, harmony-laden dance-pop that made their reputation a decade before. Never mind the name of the album -- the group is tellingly quite willing to fade into background, letting the producers do their work, just content to sing the hooks. It's a sharp move in two ways: BSB never had as much on-record charisma as *NSync, their best trait was how they could sell a hook without affect, and that returns here. Of course, it helps that they have a bunch of hooks here, too -- hooks that aren't quite as galvanizing as "I Want It That Way," but easily eclipsing those on the pedestrian Unbreakable, helping the band seem modern without seeming pandering. It's a move that the New Kids on the Block couldn't pull off on their tawdry, sex-obsessed comeback, and it's one that the Backstreets seemed incapable of doing just a few years ago, but on This Is Us, the group sounds great for their age, and they sound like they're at their peak -- which is no guarantee of a hit, but it sure makes for a better album than they've produced in quite a while. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Entertainment Weekly - "Credit goes in large part to au courant producers such as T-Pain, Red One, and Max Martin....The strong vocals certainly don't hurt either." -- Grade: B Billboard (p.32) - "In any style, A.J., Nick, Brian and Howie can still slay high notes and whisper come-ons with equal aplomb."

Every decade has a teenybopper band that takes the charts by storm, and the late 1990s saw the emergence of the Backstreet Boys. Picking up exactly where '80s teen stars New Kids On The Block left off, the quintet hit it big with flashy outfits, slick dance moves, and a mixture of bubblegum pop and heart-tugging ballads. The band split in early 2001, but reunited three years later and began releasing commercially viable--if not platinum-selling--albums again.

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