Innosense was an attempt by teen pop impresario
Lou Pearlman to create a distaff version of his success with
the Backstreet Boys and
*NSYNC. (
Justin Timberlake's mother managed the group, which according to legend briefly included a young
Britney Spears in its formative days.)
Innosense were far less commercially successful, but their sole album has its moments as an example of turn-of-the-millennium teen pop. The ghost of
the Spice Girls, obviously, hangs over the entire album, especially on gimmicky tunes like "www.fan-ta-see," where the five singers trade lines mid-verse. The problem is that while the girls are entirely competent singers -- there's not a
Victoria Beckham dragging them down, though neither is there a
Melanie C. whose pipes overshadow her bandmates -- there's not much on the way of actual personality in these grooves. The songs are catchy -- the slinky dance groove "Say No More" is particularly nice -- but the vocals and production are utterly anonymous, making
So Together a pleasant but entirely disposable listen.