3. BACKSTREET BOYS - "Millennium"(Jive, 1999)
There are two kinds of music listeners: those who admit this was a good album, and those who refuse to admit it. This is the album for which the Backstreet Boys will forever be remembered, and rightfully so. Not only was it a phenomenal commercial success, but also a critical one, garnering five Grammy nominations including Album of the Year, as well as Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the outstanding centerpiece single "I Want It That Way". The pop perfection is definitely not limited to the chart-topping singles, as Max Martin and the other producers and songwriters seemed to take painstaking care to make every track worth listening to over and over again ... particularly "Don't Want You Back", "Spanish Eyes", and a major favorite of mine, "It's Gotta Be You". Their glory days may be behind them now, but this is a peak they can and should always be proud of.
2. ONE 2 ONE - "Imagine It"(A&M, 1992)
Here's the pitfall to doing a "favorites" countdown that isn't based on tangible criteria: when you love two albums so much, for different reasons, that you keep teeter-tottering them back and forth between the #1 and #2 spots, as I did in this case. Sure, you can make it a two-way tie, but that's cheating. But calling this my #1 favorite pop album of the '90s is good enough for me. How can I possibly put into words how much I love this album? I'll give it my best effort. Louise Reny's voice is as warm and comfy as your favorite sweater, and every one of the songs is a different sublime slice of pop heaven. I know every track almost note-for-note, and I'm still pissed to this day that they never made a follow-up album. And the icing on the cake: they thanked the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in the liner notes ... how can I not love this album with all my heart?
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