Customer Reviews

Never Gone

5 star:		(110)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

The Backstreet Boys have produced an incredible album with their fourth studio release, "Never Gone." Just one of the awesome tracks on this CD, "Incomplete," is already standing out as a fine example of their talent and creative strength. This album proves the band is STILL here and ready to rock us while making it all look so easy. Backstreet Boys fans will be very pleased with this album and I think many other music fans would do themselves a favor by trying this CD on for size. Yes, yes, I know: Some people have practically written off the band as has-beens and losers; but I say their life experiences and their natural talent have once again forged to produce a very good album that is one of the best you'll buy this year. Still other people have said that this album does not offer "new enough" material. I wasn't aware the band was obligation to change drastically!

Bonus! GRIN This is a DualDisc CD. Just in case you don't know what this means, a DualDisc CD is actually a two for one great deal! The DualDisc contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other. It also includes a bonus download track "Song For The Unloved." The quality of the DVD footage is fantastic and it's great to see the guys working so hard and so creatively together.

"Incomplete" is an emotional, passionate and just plain beautiful ballad which is a strong way to start off the album. There's no secret why this song is blasting all over coffee shops already! Try it yourself and tell me you don't like it. (The video was great, too.) Moreover, as people may already know, Backstreet Boys band member Kevin Richardson co-wrote the album's title track "Never Gone" to commemorate his father. When songs are written from the heart like this the artist is always at his best when creating really good music. Indeed, the album has tracks all throughout that you will almost instantly want to listen to over and over again. This shows the band's ability to reach out to their audience using common emotional experiences with beautiful musical arrangements and creative lyrics to produce songs that are instantly memorable and long lasting. "My Beautiful Woman" is another very good song. The musical arrangements are very well done throughout the entire CD as well.

Moreover, Never Gone shows the Backstreet Boys working well with their peers. Look for Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik; Savage Garden's Darren Hayes; the very talented Max Martin; Billy Mann (who worked with both Pink and Sting) and last but not least the band works with John Shanks, winner of a Grammy award for producer of the year for his work with Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson, Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simpson. A fine team!

So, after all is said and done, the Backstreet Boys show us all with this CD that they are not too old to create good quality songs. They have NOT been too absent too long to make this CD into a solid comeback that is not to be ignored. It's no illusion: They'll never be gone.

I am a 40+ year old fan of the Backstreet Boys and have been since the 1st album. The saying "good things come to those who wait" couldn't be more true where "Never Gone" is concerned. I love the new maturity of the lyrics and that in almost every song we hear all 5 voices...sometimes soloing and sometimes blending those great harmonies we all love. Each song has something for everyone...even a little country sound to one and I like it! Great job AJ, Brian, Howie, Nick, and Kevin. It was definitely worth the wait!

Yes, I will admit it: When I was 14 and 15, I was one of *those* girls--you know the ones I mean. I plastered my walls with posters of the Backstreet Boys and lived on Internet fan sites. I saw them in concert six times; and yes, I even had a favorite Backstreet Boy (Brian--who, I must admit, I still think is just yummy). I bought all their videos and all their CDs (even the expensive imported ones). I was obsessed. I am aware that this confession may make me sound crazy--but really, I'm not. I was just a teeny-bopper, a persona I've thankfully outgrown. Gradually, my obsession waned...I became interested in *real* boys...I grew up. And, when I recently purchased NEVER GONE and listened to it for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the Backstreet Boys grew up, too.

In the five years since they released BLACK & BLUE, the Boys have had a lot happen in their lives. Two are married, one has a child; one is a recovering alcoholic; one has been accused of beating up Paris Hilton (and how many of us can say we've done that?). These personal advancements in their lives are reflected in the music of NEVER GONE. The trademark Backstreet Boys sound is gone on this CD...and actually, that's a good thing. Gone are the synthesized pop beats. And instead of giving every band member a chance to sing in every song for the sake of millions of drooling girls, A.J., arguably the band's strongest singer, takes the lead on most of NEVER GONE's tracks. This makes this album's vocals tighter overall (although Nick still sings lead quite a bit--and I don't know, I just really don't like his voice all that much, it's too...whiny).

The Backstreet Boys' comeback album is still pop and will still please former-teen fans; but it's clear that their sound is evolving and maturing. The songs "Weird World" and "Poster Girl," in particular, show sophisticated lyrical depth--somewhat surprising (in a good way) coming from the same band who sang such inane songs as "If You Want it to Be Good, Girl, Get Yourself a Bad Boy." Their new sound is kind of Kelly Clarkson meets Maroon 5 (sounds like a weird combination, but actually it's very cool). Every band should try to evolve its sound on each album it releases--and with NEVER GONE, the Backstreet Boys have succeeded in doing so.

But don't worry: For those fans who miss the bubblegum, the song "Beautiful Woman" offers such cheesy lyrics as "'B' is for beautiful as the sunrise." That corniness--pardon the pun--is never completely gone from the Backstreet Boys' music.

My favorite track on the album is "Siberia." The lyrics are haunting, the vocals are tight...It's a great song.

NEVER GONE proves that the Backstreet Boys, well, will never be gone. It's a successful comeback album that offers improved vocals and more mature lyrics while still appealing to the same group of fans who salivated for the Boys so many years ago. This music is different from their earlier stuff, but it's better. Backstreet's back--and they're all grown up.

Seriously. The Boyband jokes are old, old, and old. I'm a 27 year old guy who listens to the BSB because they make good music. "Incomplete" reminds us just who the Backstreet Boys are. "Crawling back to you " is probably one of the most emotional and beautiful songs from the guys in a while. That track is my pick for favorite on this album. You can hear the maturity in this album...well, Nick sounds pretty much the same since Millenium, but i'm not knocking the guy. I would have liked to hear a bit more from Kevin Richardson. Overall, I think BSB has done it again, this time with a different twist and I enjoy every minute of it. Pick up this album now!

I don't understand how anyone couldn't fall in love with this album. I actually stopped listening to their older material because I was sick of all the sicky pop stuff and I'm into rock more now. So when I heard "Incomplete" for the first time I was sooo thankful that they'd grown up. The entire album just makes me want to dance from begining to end. It's awesome. They've grown up. It's definetly different than their older material. Compare "We've got it goin' on" from their selt-titled album to "Climbing the walls" from this album. Huge difference man, huge difference. I'm not saying all of us should think the same way when it comes to music, but some things are just obvious. This album is brilliance.

I know that as a 23 year-old heterosexual male who loves Metallica, Korn, and Coheed, I should not listen to or love this CD. Unfortunately, I cannot deny the pop brilliance of the Backstreet Boys and the folks writing songs for them. I bought this CD because I was hoping for something to take me back to the late 90's/2000's where music was dominated by the every artist on Jive (BSB, Britney, 'NSYNC). "Never Gone" did not disappoint.

From the first note of the first song, which is of course the first single, this CD is pure teen-pop/cheese heaven. Every song effortlessly crafts some story of love that everyone can only imagine being a part of because love like these songs is only found in Freddie Prinze Jr. movies. With that said, it's still a complete blast to rock out to as you cruise down the road with your windows down.

The CD is not innovative. I would not say it takes the Boys into territory they have never been before. While "artists" like Justin Timberlake have evolved their sound from the days of "Tearin' up my heart" to more modern, hip-hop type pop sounds, the Backstreet Boys appear locked in 1999. Which in my opinion is a blessing. Yes these songs are cookie-cutter pop love songs, but they are fun, and at least they have real music piano on this album (see the title track, "Never Gone").

As a whole, I would say this CD is better than anything the Backstreet Boys have released. There were tracks on all their other releases that drove me insane with how ridiculous or horrible they were. This CD is devoid of those elements and is really just enjoyable to listen to from start to finish. Go pick it up if you're looking to smile on your way home from work, school, or just about anything. If you think you might enjoy this CD because you like the single or you used to like BSB, do yourself the favor of buying "Never Gone." You won't get something you've never heard, but I can promise you also won't be disappointed.

Backstreet Back allright!

It's been four years since the last Backstreet Boys cd Back and Blue. Their new cd Never Gone is a mix of pop (70%) and rock (30%). The Boys come back with the same strong vocals were all used too. Carter dropped his winey voice , AJ and Brian come back with their famous strong vocals and Kevin and Howie continue to be strong in their harmonizing. With more mature lyrics and sounds this new cd is bound to bring old fans back to BSB and make new fans.

Songs:
1.Incomplete- Power Ballad 10/10

2.Just want you to know- up tempo 9.5/10

3.Crawling Back to you- Power ballad 10/10

4.Weird World- *my fav track. Mid tempo 10/10
*The boys step up out of just doing a love song. this is like a recognition to the soldiers in Iraq. It brings back the memories of 911 that people sometimes tend to forget. Very touching. The fact that Nick is already dramatic and he sings most of this song reaches to the heart. If your not a BSB fan just listen to the lyrics and the way its sung once. You will be touched. "sure part of this place will chear if I die but dont let them take away your beautiful smile".

5.I still- mid tempo 10/10

6.Poster Girl- mid tempo 10/10

7.Lose it All- Ballad 10/10

8.Climbing the Wall- mid tempo 9.5/10

9.My Beautiful woman- up tempo 8/10

10.safest Place to Hide- Ballad 10/10

11.Siberia- Ballad 9/10

12.*Never Gone-10/10 ballad
Very touching. if youve ever lost someone you love you have to listen to this song.

I must note the only song written by the Boys was Never Gone written by Kevin. In BSBs case they are such amazing performers and put so much emotion in their songs its not necessary to write the lyrics. Please give this cd a chance.
Ballads- 6
mid tempo- 4
up tempo- 2

I just picked up the DualDisc version of this album, and I do have to say it's definitely worth it. Every track sounds so rich in 5.1 surround sound! The DVD extra's are awesome too!

And now on to the music. I think this is probably one of their best, if not THE BEST, album they've ever released. This album is on par with Millennium (if not better). I've already listened straight through the entire cd atleast 4 times, and I wasn't even tempted ONCE to skip to the next track. Every song sounds so full, and beautifuly produced. The harmony's and melody's of the boys are stronger than ever. Even Kevin gets in on the fun on multiple tracks and he does an excellent job! I would write a track by track review of this cd, but honestly, I think every track deserves 5 stars. This is a definite buy for any Backstreet Boys fan. They're back, and they've proved that they were "Never Gone" :)

It's a good CD; but get all of the music. Go to one of the amazon internation sites to get the full version of this CD. Once again, the US record label has "edited" out two songs.

Here is the full track listing:
1.Incomplete
2.Just want you know
3.Crawling back to you
4.Weird world
5.I still...
6.Poster girl
7.Lose it all
8.Climbing the walls
9.My beautiful woman
10.Safest place to hide
11.Siberia
12.Never gone
13.Song for the unloved
14.Rush over me

Every BSB fan should really go out and get this album if they haven't yet. This is their best album yet. It shows that they have grown but still shows there the same fun BsB sound to it.