NO AUTHORITY"NO AUTHORITY"
(Maverick, 2000)
"Don't Go"
No Authority were a four-member boyband whose brief career started promisingly by being signed to Michael Jackson's record label, MJJ Records. Their first album, which was filled with smooth, heavily R&B-influenced pop ala Boyz II Men, was a commercial disappointment, and the group disappeared for almost three years, during which time one member left and was replaced, and the band retooled their sound, coming back with a wider variety in their songs; their R&B ballads were still there, but alongside an assortment of more upbeat dance-pop tracks as well.
Sure, there are a good number of fun uptempo songs on the album, but for some reason I had to choose one of their "old-school No Authority" (for lack of a better term) ballads to upload, 'cause even though it's not my favorite type of boyband song, they did it well. I think it's the ascending, anticipatory piano motif that grabs me. The broadening of their sound didn't seem to help their careers any -- even though this album yielded perhaps their best-performing single, "Can I Get Your Number" -- nor did MJJ's hop from Sony imprint Work Records to Warner-owned Maverick. But then, the veritable saturation of boybands in the pop market at the time could just as easily be blamed for No Authority's getting lost in the crowd.
I've found a few tidbits on what the former members of No Authority have been doing since their 2001 breakup: Josh Keaton has been working as a voice actor in Hollywood as well as making music with brother-in-law James Lee Dallas (of the boyband Youngstown); Eric Stretch has made a name for himself on Broadway and elsewhere on the stage; and Tommy McCarthy has been working on a solo recording career.
"Hit me with the seven digits!"
ReplyDeleteHa ha, that's the only song of theirs I knew, I think--I like that they also did songs like this...it makes for a nice...balance, or counteracting force. I can't think of the right words--more "grown up" sounding isn't quite right, but adjectives are failing me at the moment. Less in-you-face aggressively cheesy, maybe (though I love punchy upbeat cheese too!) ;)
I used to work at a label that Josh was with. He is ridiculously talented. Not only the best singer I have heard, but an incredible actor and voice over actor.
ReplyDelete* A little note on "No Authority" - Ricky and Eric both started rumors about him when he left the group. He left because they did not him want to do a TV Show. The other boys were very jealous of his second career and his other successes. He was willing to work on the TV show and the group. As we know now 12 years later that these boybands were scammed by terrible managers and contracts. Thank goodness Josh Keaton left when he did.