The vocalists on this debut album are four high school-age male singers, but the album's auteur is songwriter/producer Rodney Jerkins who, with a posse of associates, contributes almost all of the material. Jerkins makes No Authority sound closer to an R&B/hip-hop act than such competitors in the boy band business as Backstreet Boys, which would be a good thing if they could pull it off. But while Jerkins and company are able to keep the backup harmonies smooth, the lead singers are mediocre and rapper Danny Zavatsky is anemic. The songs are the usual beat-driven pleadings for teenage love and understanding, but none of them stand out. The lead-off track and first single, "Don't Stop," with its opening line, "Don't stop till you get enough," is a nod to MJJ label head Michael Jackson; and the album concludes with a cover of DeBarge's 1982 hit "I Like It," which has the unfortunate effect of throwing the songs before it into the shade at the same time that it reminds you there are vocal groups who could sing rings around these teenagers. (This is a "CD Extra," containing multi-media content that can be accessed with a computer, including brief biographical information, photographs, and a rehearsal video of the song "Girlfriend.")
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