When 98° released its self-titled first album in 1998, the group was hardly stigmatized as a boy band. The group not only was discovered by Boyz II Men and signed to the prestigious Motown Records, former Motown CEO Andre Harrell reportedly sent 98° through a grueling talent boot camp in Harlem that lasted several months.
98°
Revelation
Universal Records
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But once the band was set to release its hit second album, 98° and Rising, it was caught in the midst of the Backstreet Boys and °NSYNC mania and was conveniently categorized by the media as another boy band.
With its latest album, Revelation, 98° is venturing further away from the R&B genre toward the pop territory. While the group's undeniable vocal talent is still intact, the material that it has to work with this time is unfortunately middlebrow. Originality is completely absent from Revelation. By the end of the album, 98° has nearly exhausted every pop musical cliche with its unimaginative lyrics and melodies.
The group has abandoned hip-hop producers like Poke and Tone of the Track Masters to follow the footsteps of BSB and °NSYNC by commissioning Swedish Europop producers such as BAG and Arnthor of Murlyn Music. Worst of all, the group chose to write many of the songs on the album.
"Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)," the album's first single, is a song that aims to cash in on the recent Latin craze. Although the track's lyrics are not nearly as bad as those of a Ricky Martin song, the only thing interesting about this song is the accompaniment of Spanish-flared guitars.
There are a few decent tracks on the album, but they don't really help to undo much of the damage. "I'll Give It All" is arguably the best track on the entire album, but unfortunately, it is an interlude that lasts only 39 seconds. "The Way You Do" and "Never Giving Up" are two of the album's highlights, but they are buried toward the end.
Knowing the potential of these boys, it is sad to see them completely selling out.
