Through the first half of the '90s, teen pop pretty much laid low, apart from
Take That's dominance in England. They went virtually unheard in America, clocking in their only hit in 1995 minutes before they broke up, but they had enormous influence in the U.K., paving the way for
the Spice Girls,
All Saints,
the Backstreet Boys,
Boyzone -- and
Five. Like
Take That,
Five is British and walks the line between rap-influenced dance-pop and adult contemporary ballads. Both sound a little calculating, but
Take That had genuine charisma, which is something
Five is still striving to achieve on their eponymous debut album. Charisma is something that could have carried them through the stretches of mediocre material, but it's not needed for the big guns -- "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)," "When the Lights Go Out" and "Got Da Feelin'." All three are expertly constructed singles that are delivered professionally by the group. They're infectious, catchy, perfect for the radio. They do leave a lingering impression that any similar boy band could have cut them and been equally successful, but this trio of singles show that, given the right producers and songwriters,
Five is capable of turning out teen pop every bit as irresistible as
*N Sync, even if they can't compete with
Take That,
the Backstreet Boys, and
the Spice Girls (which the rest of the album proves). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine