Customer Reviews

Against All Odds

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being from UK, i dont hear a lot of news and stuff on Take 5 but i remember meeting them in England Feb '99 thinking how cute they were. I had never heard any of their music but i bought their two singles "I give" and "Never had it so good" and i grew to like them. They were 100% pop which take 5 would probably laugh at now especially if you compare it to this great album. They have matured in age and in music and i like it! The feel of the album has, is everything - pop, strong r'n'b, rap and rock. This is my thoughts on it (go' on read it!)

track 1) "shake it off" - this was their first single from this album (released in US). This song was'nt as good as i thought it would be but it does grow on you and you end up jumping to it with "1,2,3 throw your hands up high....!" true party tune! 7/10

track 2) "Hottie" - written by Missy Elliot featuring Timberland. This is a great r'n'b tune which Missy said was "excellent" and she couldnt have done better herself. This track includes vocals from all members. 9/10

track 3) "Bounce" - Written by Tilky (member of take 5, if u didnt know!) and what a tune it is! This features a heavy rap from Tilk and this song has a big bass. In other words you will be boucin' to this after 1 listen (honestly - its addictive!) 9/10

track 4) "Girl next door" - This is one of my faves on the album. The original of this is track 13 (ballad version). This beat reminded my of the one in Jordan KNight's "Give it 2 u". The voice distortion can be a bit repetitive but this is a fab song and you just gotta dance to the remix in the middle of it! 10/10

track 5) "Save the best till last" - this is a soft ballad with a good feel to it. You gotta have a listen yourself cos I dont know what to say about this song but its really smooth with good vocals from Stevie. 10/10

track 6) "Perfect Sense 2 me" - Gr8 vocals from TJ. This song is about (i think) a young boy going out with an older woman (not in her 50's but u know what i mean!) and its comparisons between what they like and how different they are. People r saying their relationship wont work but they r compatible and "makes perfect sense to (them)" etc etc. It a cool song with a catchy chorus which i find myself singing a lot of the time. 8.5/10

track 7) "Missing An Angel" - I thought this would be a ballad but it starts off like an r'n'b track with a good beat then it becomes really poppy! But thats good! Peeps may think its mushy and cheesy - "everytime i c ur face, eveyrtime i hear ur voice, (.....) heaven must be missing an angel" etc etc. This is a good song but defintely not single value! 7/10

track 8) "to make you love me" - i think Ryan takes the lead on the beginning of this which is cool cos he never sings n-ething! This song is a pure pop tune which i can imagine N'SYNC singing especially with the funny lyrics "i would kiss all your tears away....." LOL. It has a cool but short bridge and is a feel-good song. 7.5/10

track 9) "Water" - This is my least favourite song because it has sound effects of..........ummm......waterwaves and droplets in the background. It uses guitars in it and its a ballad with a base beat to it. If u listen to it a few times, you might like it cos its a calm song and an easy listening chorus. 6.5/10

track 10) "can i come over" - i think this was their 2nd/3rd single (dont actually know!) but it is fantastic! This is another fave of mine. It is a soft ballad and has brilliant BRILLIANT, u hear, vocals on it especially at the end where the music stops. Tilky hits some high notes on here and they sound perfect! These guys have talent! 11/10

track 11) "Never in my life" - this is the tune with the rock in it. It has a guitar and drum sound to it at the beginning which gets deeper mid song and at the end. Stevie sings some high notes in here which sound great and the chorus is addictive. 10/10

track 12) "Do That" - This is my absolute favourite on the album. I listen to it every second of the day. Its a mix of pop and r'n'b and you have to dance to it. Its got a infectious chorus "Swing my way, Do that, do that, do that" (its all in the title!) The only bad thing about this is its only 3 minutes and 13 seconds long - not long enough! 11/10

track 13) - ballad version of "girl next door" - you can hear their voices a lot clearer here and it comes across as a real slushy ballad but i prefer the remix (track 4). The remix makes it sound like a completely diferent genre of music and a different sound. Still, its the same song but a lot of echoing! 9.5/10

track 14) - "Never far away" - This song is a feel good tune, really cool. It has loads of stops in the songs and you dont know when to tap your foot unless your familiar with it! The chorus is a smooth but upbeat poppy, r'n'b feel. Cool vocals from TJ and Stevie and Clay come in midway with a few vocals which is great because you can hear how their voices have matured. Ryan talks in this song towards the end, his voice is very VERY deep and it reminded me of Kevin form BSB in his early days (like "I'll never break your heart") but its all good! 9.5/10

A perfect end to a brilliant album!

Overall, being a long term Take 5 fan i give them 100% support and i cant live without this album! All pop fans will love it and take 5 fans will 2. But i think r'n'b fans should have a listen - i think you'd be very suprised.

FAB, BRILLIANT, FANTASTIC, 100% CLASS ALBUM! GO TAKE 5!!!!! luv ME ME ME ME XXX

It's easy to be cynical about the proliferation of "boy bands" in the post-"New Kids on the Block" era. But the group known as Take 5 shows some real promise, as demonstrated by this CD, "Against All Odds." The boys in this group--Ryan, Tilky, TJ, Clay, and Steve--deliver solid performances.

"Against All Odds" is an effective mix of fast dance-beat tracks and gentler love songs. One song ("Girl Next Door") even comes in two versions: one a ballad, one a version with electronic and percussive effects blended into the vocals. The guys' voices sound great; there is a good mix of solo parts and group harmonies.

Of course, there's room for improvement. The producers have decided to use an annoying electronic distortion of the boys' voices on parts of some songs; I noticed this in particular on "Shake It Off" and on the first version of "Girl Next Door." And too many of the lyrics seem to consist of bland "boy band" cliches. But despite these flaws, "Against All Odds" contains some real magic. The guys bring an enthusiastic energy to the fast songs. And just listen to the beautiful vocal harmonies on "Missing an Angel." Take 5 is one young male vocal group that just may have staying power.

Take 5's cd "Against all odds" is one of the best new album out there today. This cd has a mix of all musical style's from R&B, to hip hop to pure pop. A must have for all listening pleasure. At first I thought, here is another album with 5 cute guys with no musical talent. Well, I was wrong. This album is ten times better then what other groups have put out. Songs like "Shake it off" , "Bounce" to " Hottie" is just a taste of the dance and hip hop songs that describe their unique style. " Save the best for last" to "Missing an Angel" and "Water" are just a few of the soft, beautiful songs on the album that complete this album and make it a perfect ten. I also really like the way the album was put together and they also have some of the fattest producers on the album. This cd is a sure taste for everyone. So, if you want to spend your money right then buy this cd from Take 5 because it is well worth it.

I bought Take5's albulm, "Against All Odds" and I was quite impressed. The guys had said that the listeners would be suprised by the mixture of types of music combined on this albulm, and I was! The beats are great and the guys are really talented. As Stevie said, "Listen to it when you go to sleep at night". Or the faster tracks. like "Bounce" and "Shake it off" are some of the best dance songs I've heard in awhile. The enhanced c.d. computer version is very cool, with the music video and intervies. Go get "Against All Odds" it's a worthwhile buy!

If the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC are the clean, well-mannered boys next door, and Five and LFO are the bad boys from the other side of the railroad tracks, then Take 5 lie somewhere in between. Imagine the smooth R&B stylings of Boyz II Men mixed with dashes of funk and techno, and you have Take 5. With "Against All Odds", this quintet adeptly carve out their own niche in boyband pop.

"Shake It Off", while a decent song, is certainly not the best of this album. I have to wonder why they chose it as a single, when there were far better songs to choose from. My personal favorite has to be "Bounce", which lives up to its title. Other excellent up-tempo tracks include the rock-flavored "Never In My Life" (which sounds like something Richard Marx might write and/or perform, even though he didn't), "Do That", and "Perfect Sense". Among the nice ballads are "Can I Come Over" (from the always skilled pen of Diane Warren), and "Saved The Best For Last".

The album isn't quite perfect, though. For instance, they could have let up on the digitized effects that were fairly frequently applied to the guys' voices. Plus, a few of the songs are plagued with cheesy and/or unimaginative lyrics. I would like to have seen them include only the ballad version of "Girl Next Door" and substitute the dance verison for a different song. All things considered, though, this isn't a bad disc to spend your money on.

It is regrettable that we won't be seeing another album from the now disbanded Take 5. But with any luck, the guys' skilled voices (one can tell that they've devoted nearly their entire lives to singing) have the potential to carry them into healthy solo careers.

Hey whats up? Ryan Goodell here. I think this is our best alblum ever. We have produced and writtin many of the songs on our alblum. My personal favorite is "missing an angel"! I think if you listen to some of our sings you will find we are diferent then the other boy bands. We bring a new sound to the industry. Amix of dance/R&B/pop. Thank you for checking us out. Look for us to tour soon and please request our video "shake it off" on trl live. Thanks! You can also visit us at TAKE 5 MUSIC.com. Thanks again! We love all our fans! Love RyRy!!

This group Take 5, didn't really impress me with this album. They tend to copy NSYNC too much on a few of the songs and Backstreet Boys on a few others. They don't sound all that good vocally. A couple of the songs are mediocre and dopey sounding. Lou Pearlman discovered some good Orlando-based groups, but this group didn't move me. Neither did O-Town. Sorry that they broke up--hope they end up on some Where Are They Now show 20 years now to discuss this failed, poorly received album!!!!! Disappointing to me!

I've had this CD for about 3 years now and I listen to almost everyday when i'm getting ready for whatever i'm going to do. I mostly listen to rap and R&B and I love this even though they are a boy band. I think almost anyone who listens to it will find something on the album that they like.

Shake it Off and Bounce are the two best tracks on this CD- both are infectious dance tunes that will get you up and movin'. Do That is another good dance song. Hottie has a smooth R&B feel to it. Missing An Angel and To Make You Love Me are ballads, but with good beats to them. However the song Girl Next Door- a song about cheating on your girlfriend, simply did not click with me, and cost this album one star. The remaining songs are filler- ballads that lack the unique sound that Take 5 has on their better tracks. Still, with the good outweighing the bad, I recommending giving this album a spin.

This group has real talent, and they have not gotten the exposure they deserve. The CD has a club music feel, but the balads are the real high points-especially "Missing An Angel". Personally I liked the 1st CD better, but if you are a fan of the club scene definately get this CD! They are not bad to look at either...let's hope they stay around and continue to develop their talents...