Track One-Bye, Bye, Bye
Okay so we’ve all heard this song about a million times already, and I can honestly say that I could listen to it a million times more, a billion even. LOL! It’s a great track and the dance beat is amazing. The beginning starts off like a symphony piece then the beat hits you like a bullet train. The lyrics are catchy and easy to remember and the song transitions from verse to chorus to verse to chorus to bridge without missing a beat and the somewhat beatless moments (Justin’s small solo) just sets you up for the hard beat that follows. The hook remains in your head days after and you find yourself humming the song while in your car or riding the bus. My favorite part is when JC sings “Bye, Bye Baaayyybbeeee!? The ending doesn’t leave you disappointed like some songs, it has a definite end and it is in your face. It’s a great song with great dance choreography, and the video rocks!
Track Two-It’s Gonna Be Me
I LOVE THIS SONG! It is my favorite uptempo song. It’s got a great beat and a great chorus. You can feel the end of each line they sing and it makes you wanna dance even when you’re sitting at a computer at work (like I’m doing right now). Especially JC’s verse where he sings “Too blind (too blind) to see. It rocks! The chorus just flows and the lyrics are really great. The bridge is mixed up just enough so that it’s different but it still has the same basic feel of the song. I love the harmony they do when they sing, “It’s gonna…gonna…gonna…gonna," and then Justin sings “It’s gonna be me! He sounds amazing…very edgy, very definite. It kinda has a Brit-esque quality, but Justin does it so well it works for the song. He does the same thing at the end of the song and he sounds great again! I’m so glad they are releasing this as a single. I can’t wait to see the video and the dance moves.
Track Three-Space Cowboy
Okay, this is one of the songs I didn’t really like when I first heard it, but after listening to the album about 100 times it’s definitely grown on me…hahaha! When I first heard the song I thought it was too loud, but I really started getting into the “Why-yi-yi-yippie-yi-yay-yippie-yi-yo-yi-yay. Now I just have to learn the rap by Lisa “Left Eye Lopes. Hahaha! The beginning monologue-ish part where JC is talking and he sounds like he is talking over a walkie-talkie or something is a little annoying because the breathing is louder than his voice so I have to strain to hear what he says, but I must say the idea was very innovative and cool! Like at the end, he says, “Riprock, AG, end of transmission. They’ve had enough," and you hear like an electronic disconnection. I thought that was a very cool idea and it worked for the song. The second voice over Justin does during the chorus is incredible…it gives the song more edge. I just love the way they sing, “Take a space ride with the cowboy, baybay"; the baby part especially. This is still not my favorite song, but it’s growing on me and JC wrote it so that’s another plus.
Track Four-Just Got Paid
This is a cover song. I think the fact that they had Teddy Riley (the original songwriter and producer) produce this track gave this cover more credibility. When I first heard the clip of this at Sam Goody I didn’t like it that much. But the more I listen to it, the better it sounds, kinda like SC. The highlights of this song are, first off, you can totally hear Lance! I love any song that you can hear Lance! YAY! Secondly, I really like the rap that Justin and Chris do together. Especially the last line when Chris and Justin sing “I just (just) got (got) paid (paid), uhh (uhh)." I also like the part where JC and Justin go back and forth singing, “Tell me where the party is." I also like the harmonies they do in this song, which are abundant and hype!
Track Five-It Makes Me Ill
The first time I heard the clip of this song I was a little surprised. It was definitely not like any NSYNC song I’d ever heard, but after I listened to the clip the second time I really got into the song. The lines are delivered with such precision and definition. I think Justin and JC did a great job on this song! It is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. My only complaint is that they sing the lines so quickly I can’t sing along without being a little behind. Ya I know I’m just slow li' dat. LOL! The chorus has a rhythm all it’s own you sorta get sucked into and the bridge contrasts the entire song because it has this mellow-groovy feel. “It makes me ill ‘cuz she used to be my girl, my girl." I love the line, “I only hate on him ‘cuz I want you." The ending is a lot of fun too, it sounds like JC and Justin were having fun messing around in the studio.
Track Six-This I Promise You
I LOVE-LOVE this song! My friend and I call it the sad song…hearing the guys sing this song makes us wanna cry. Seriously, watching JC sing this song makes me teary; he is so passionate. Justin’s little melodies in the beginning sets the whole feel of the song and he does it so well. I think Justin sounds amazing on this song! The lyrics are incredible. I read a review somewhere that said “I Want It That Way" is a better single than “TIPY." All I have to say is that person must be deaf and stupid because the melody for “TIPY" is haunting in a good way, and the lyrics are so sweet. And they make sense, which is a lot more than anyone can say about “IWITW." The bridge with JC singing “Over and over I fall" is inspiring. I literally feel myself almost defy gravity; it takes me to the clouds. The instrumental break is pretty, and it sets the last chorus up perfectly. It makes the ending even bigger. Justin’s ending is incredible, like his beginning. Awesome song all the way around, and I’m sure it will be a single!
Track Seven-No Strings Attached
I really didn’t know what to think of this song when I first heard it. It didn’t stand out to me the first few times I heard the CD, but now I really like it. It has a rock influence and the lyrics are above decent. I’m just surprised JC decided to make NSA a love song since they were talking about it meaning their freedom. You can tell JC loves to feel the beat, it has a heavy beat, but the reprises are still light and airy, which I think shows their versatility as musicians. This song is very high in general, which is my only complaint because you can’t really hear Lance in any of the choruses. It’s a great song and I think JC is an amazing songwriter. I wonder if they will open the tour with this song…it would make sense considering the tour it called “No Strings Attached."
Track Eight-Digital Get Down
When I first read the lyrics to this song I was so curious to hear what it actually sounded like. I know they’ve gotten some criticisms about the lyrics to this song, but they are far tamer than other songs out there. Just because NSYNC is stereotyped into the “Boyband" image, I don’t think they should be crucified for writing a few risque lyrics, especially when the same standards aren’t expected from artists like Limp Bizkit or Eminem. They are breaking free from their tyrannical management, the suffocating boyband stereotype as well as the rigid fans who refuse to let them grow as artists. Massive props to the boys for taking a risk and sticking to their guns…sorta…hahaha! I love the beginning with Justin singing “Baby, baby we can do all that we want. We’re getting nasty, nasty. We’re getting freaky, freaky." The lyrics are actually quite ingenious…hahaha! There are a lot of digital, electrotype sounds and altered voices which is cool and kinda goes with the whole “Digital" part of the song. I think it does become a little cluttered at times, but the idea shows originality and creativeness. My favorite part is when JC sings, “I see you on the screen I get to freakin'." I love the way they digitally alter the “freakin'" part. It kinda reminds me of Max Headroom…okay, that probably went past quite a few heads. He’s an old TV show character and he used to be on the old Pepsi commercials. Nevermind!
Track Nine-Bringin' Da Noise
This song reminds me of the 5ive song, “Slam Dunk the Funk," but better…hahaha! Okay so I’m biased. This song has a great dance beat and I can see this as an opening song to their show or something like that. It is very high energy and I can imagine their dance moves for this song is going to be “off the hook" as Lance and Justin say…lmao! The chorus is repetitive, but with a song like this I don’t think it matters much. It will do its job, which is to get the crowd roaring and with simple repetitive lyrics the crowd can sing along and have fun with the guys. There are a lot of electronic noises in this song, which I think are superfluous and unnecessary. I don’t think JC had to put in all those extra electronic sounds, but it’s still a good song. It will definitely get me on my feet.
Track Ten-That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You
This is another very sweet ballad. They sound really good, although I still like “TIPY" a little more. The vocal arrangements for this song are incredible, they are far more complicated than “TIPY" and I think they did a great job on them. It sometimes makes the song sound a little busy, but I still think it’s a great song. The harmonies in this song are incredible as well. The guys prove again that they are incredible artists and like Justin once said, they “can actually sing." JC and Justin sound fantastic together. My favorite part of the whole song is near the end when JC and Justin sing "(pause) That’s when I’ll stop loving yyyoooooouuuuuu!" They sound absolutely magical together. The ending was a little abrupt with the bass drums pounding, but it’s such a great song anyway! I can’t wait to see them perform this song in concert!
Track Eleven-I’ll Be Good For You
Okay, the first time I heard this song I was like, WHAT??? LOL! It definitely has a 70’s groove vibe going. I’ve actually grown to really like this song. With that said, when I hear this song the image that came to mind: A roller rink with people rollerskating (not in-line skating) to this song, with a disco ball spinning above the middle of the rink. Is that a scene in “Boogie Nights?" lmfao! It has a very mellow, feel-good vibe going that makes this song infectious to listen to. Justin sounds really good too. The vocal arrangements are pretty impressive as well. It changes and moves forward all the time. It’s a great job for Justin’s first song.
Track Twelve-I Thought She Knew
100% Improvement! I heard their demo version and although they were good then, you can really see how much they’ve grown musically. I think they sound great. I’m glad they sang it a capella because you can hear Lance really well. I love it when I can hear Lance…I get all excited. I guess it is because it is as close to a solo as Lance will ever get since he’s the bass. I am really impressed with Joey’s solo…that boy can sing! He should have more solos. The vocal arrangements are good too, I think it shows that each guy can sing and that Justin and JC don’t really need to cover for the others because they all have slightly different parts and they sound amazing! I’m glad they decided to put this song on the album even if it’s old school NSYNC.
NSYNC has done more that just take this album to the next level, I think they've taken it up 5 levels. It is definitely an album that will help destroy the boyband stereotypes. Most of the songs on this album do not sound like your traditional boyband bubble gum pop, and I really hope it gives them the respect from their critics and fellow artists that they rightly deserve. I think Justin described their music perfectly, “Dirty pop." It is original and it is NSYNC.
