No Strings Attached [20th Anniversary Edition] in Bloomington, MN

Prior to the release of their second album,
*NSYNC
split from their manager in a bitter dispute and signed with
Jive
, the kings of
teen pop
. For
, the move provided them with an opportunity to, in the immortal words of
George W. Bush
, "define themselves," to prove that they were an independent unit -- hence the title
No Strings Attached
. To cynical critics, they very well might sound the same as ever, yet this really blows away their previous record. That much is clear from the storming lead single
"Bye Bye Bye,"
a piledriving dance number with the catchiest chorus they've ever sang. However, the album isn't really just singles'n'filler; it actually is well sequenced and fairly balanced, much like
the Backstreet Boys
'
Millennium
or
Christina Aguilera
's album. Like those records,
pulls away from the standard
dance-pop
formula, strengthening it with harder street beats,
electronica
flourishes,
ballads
with some grit, and well-crafted
pop
tunes. Nobody is going to mistake this for
Fatboy Slim
,
Beck
, or
TLC
-- it's still lightweight
. Yet, it's very good
, managing to not only work well within its limitations, but to push it slightly while retaining its breezy, hooky identity.
still can seem a little ordinary, lacking a truly charismatic punch a la
Britney
Christina
, yet they do deserve credit for shaking things up a little bit, since it's resulted in an effervescent, ingratiatingly cheerful album that's a vast improvement on the debut. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine