Epic Records definitely did its homework before unleashing B2K into the pop market. The boy band of clean-cut and suave young black men is everything a marketing department dreams about: attractive teens-becoming-men who make the girls melt with a little bit of a rugged, tough-guy attitude and flashy clothes. Of course, there are also the dance beats that are as much dance-pop as hip-hop; in fact, you might even wager a bet that the many producers and songwriters on this album had been listening to a bit of Craig David and other British 2-step pop stars. Plus, the group members are capable singers as well, which is another bonus. Overall, with the girl-magnet looks, the trendy radio-ready production, and the limitless vocal hooks, Epic Records has all the makings of pop stardom in B2K, including a market-testing hit single in "Uh Huh" that set the stage for the group's debut album. B2K, a self-titled album, gets off to a good start, jumping right into some of its best songs -- "Gots ta Be," "Understanding," and "Why I Love You" -- before unleashing the album highlight, the aforementioned "Uh Huh." From there, the album gets progressively long-winded, running through 17 songs in total, none of them overly distinct. Of course, that's the nature of pop albums, particularly boy band albums, and B2K definitely follows in the grand tradition of its predecessors: Jagged Edge, Dru Hill, Blackstreet, and Bell Biv Devoe.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo