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UNDERNEATH
(3CG)
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It takes guts for a band to turn their backs on Island/Def Jam Records and risk releasing an album on their own indie imprint. It’s even gutsier when that band are Hanson, a trio of pretty-faced brothers whose boy-band TRL style of music is even more ephemeral than the fashion trends they helped inspire. So the out-of-the-box success of Underneath underscores just how far the one-time MMMBoppers have come since their teeny-bopper days. In addition to sporting designer threads and Hollywood hairdos, the now post-pubescent rockers boast lush, layered arrangements, flawless vocal harmonies, and even (at times) mature, insightful lyrics. It’s made that much better by Greg Wells’s top-notch production. The album is less tolerable on mellower tracks like the slow-tempo "When You’re Gone" and the closing "Believe"; still, these lapses into tired, sappy rock are overshadowed by the catchy and energetic "Strong Enough To Break" and current radio single "Penny and Me." Just how much staying power Hanson may have is anyone’s guess. But they’ve already gotten farther than most people had any reason to expect.
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