Saturday, May 17, 1997

Hanson is bad for the teeth

If you - or your kids - are into teen bubblegum pop, forget the Backstreet Boys. They're not even boys, fer Chrissake.

Hanson is the real thing.

Isaac, 16, Taylor, 13, and 11-year-old Zac Hanson write their own songs, play their own instruments and deliver excellent vocals that range from Little Stevie Wonder to Little Mikey Jackson.

Framed in a rich variety of bouncy pop grooves a cut above the usual fluff, the songs resonate with real teen themes. There's the sense of loss evoked from a missing yearbook photo in Yearbook; advice on savoring life's precious moments because "In an MMMBop they're gone"; the unexpectedly mature With You in Your Dreams ("If I'm gone when you wake up please don't cry") or Lucy ("The day I left Lucy, a tear fell from her eye.").

Some of it is a little maudlin, but the personalities of these Hanson brothers come through a lot more convincingly than the Backstreet Boys' professionally groomed, trademarked images.

This "fluff" has surprising substance. There's only one thing that might stop these bright new talents - puberty.

Track Listing 1. MMMBop 2. Thinking of you 3. Weird 4. Speechless 5. Where's the love 6. Yearbook song 7. Look at you 8. Lucy 9. I will come to you 10. A minute without you 11. Madeline 12. With you in your dreams		Album rating