NICK CARTER"I'M TAKING OFF"
(Sony/Japan, 2011)
When you have to wait nine years for an artist to release their next album, especially if you loved their previous one as much as I loved Nick Carter's solo debut, "Now Or Never", it's nearly unavoidable that you'd raise your hopes and expectations to absurdly high levels. I got off on that album so much because it was such a departure from the squeaky-clean pop he'd been doing with the Backstreet Boys, and also because Nick's raspy, ballsy voice seemed tailor-made for good ol' guitars-and-drums rock. He was ready to burst out as the next Bryan Adams, and I could totally see it happening and was all set to follow him along for the ride ... but the album's sales fell flat and he put his solo career efforts on hold.
Unfortunately, much like McFly's latest effort, shifting gears from rock to R&B has also removed most of what made Nick's previous album so distinctive and enjoyable. He's even tamed his voice back to the milder and more inoffensive timbre heard on his Backstreet Boys recordings. While there's certainly nothing wrong with that in itself, since pop-R&B is of course BSB's home turf and calls for a smoother voice than rock, it essentially makes this sound like nothing more than just another Backstreet Boys album -- only not as good, since it lacks the vocal synergy that A.J., Brian and Howie bring to the group. Has rock somehow gone out-of-style in recent years? The synths and beats of R&B have always seemed colder to me than the warm and organic sounds of guitars and drums.
Lest you think I totally hate this album, I have to say it does have a few good moments, and it's already begun to grow on me a little. Several of the songs have fun grooves and good lyrics, particularly the energetic "Addicted", the power-ballad "Falling Down", the initial single "Just One Kiss", the fine ballad "Great Divide", and the title track. And then there's also the fact that it is, after all, Nick Carter's unmistakable voice which, though it lacks the grit and attitude of its rock persona, is still perfectly pleasant to listen to. If you still love Backstreet Boys, you'll love this album ... but if you're looking for more of the energy that made "Now Or Never" so special, you'll be disappointed.
Buy it from Nick Carter's official site
Buy it on CD from Amazon
Buy it on CD from ImportCDs.com
I'm sorry you feel disappointed with it, after wanting to much to enjoy it! I'm a little similar to you in that I don't think it's going to stick with me as a whole in a long-term, end-of-year-lists way but I do have a few tracks that jump out. I've got quite different favorites, though, maybe no surprise since I love a good synth ;) "Addicted" is a song we can agree on, though--there's something special about it.
ReplyDeleteYou're right to point out that it seems like rock and guitars have gone out of style recently, which is such a shame. I love a great dance song, but I also love a good rock song and, with record labels seemingly far less interested in signing pop-rock artists at the moment, it seems like far fewer of the latter are being heard. I wish I knew of a site that focused on introducing up-and-coming rock artists with pop appeal (as opposed to hardcore rock).