Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underneath already a classic, May 5, 2004
For the record, I'm a 37 year old adult, not a teeny-bopper groupie. (Nothing against groupies. If I could remember back far enough, I would probably be able to identify myself as some sort of groupie when I was a teen. :-] )Anyway. This CD is a revelation. I bought it because of the favorable reviews that I read online and in reputable music magazines, and was happy to find all of the positive comments to be absolutely correct. These young men (who wrote the songs featured on this CD in 2001 and 2000, according to the copyrights) demonstrate an intuition of music, harmony, lyrics, and production quality well beyond their years. Listening to the entire CD reminded me of both young and maturing Beatles. Specific standouts were: "Deeper", which has an innovative depth I haven't been able to analogize yet but is powerfully moving; "Get Up and Go", who said there isn't another "Mmmmbop" on this CD?; "Crazy Beautiful", a stunning blend of pop and rock; "Hey", wonderfully funk - Hanson funky? believe it!; and "Believe", with the song's own 70ish ballad, and then the hidden music and hidden song "Lula Belle" in its twelve+ minute track. This is simply the very best and innovative pop music I've heard in years. Critics have said their best years are ahead of them. If the amazing maturation they've shown is any indication, who could disagree? I look forward to those years.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's a crying shame..., October 10, 2004
that so many Hanson listeners have to justify themselves before admitting to the fact that they like their music. It's a shame that our modern pop culture is littered with disposable artists and talentless numbskulls. It's a shame that a band who actually has pure, unabided talent has to live under the stigma of being the creators of "MMMBop" and the youngest (arguably the first) boy band. And it's a shame that these boys will never be as popular as the lip-synching divas and the gyrating hips of cooler-than-thou metrosexuals.
But what can you do? Well, I would recommend stripping all those layers of crap away and listening to some real music. Hanson have proved with each CD that they have all the potential in the world of becoming one of the great rock bands of our time. Their musical ability is on the level of some veteran rockers and their lyrics are poignant, intelligent, and somehow pure at the same time. They may not be the be-all-end-all of rock music---yet---but I would challenge you to find a few other mainstream bands/artists with half as much talent as Hanson has.
Hanson and 'Underneath' have actually managed to bring back what rock & roll really is or what it should be. Loud, fun, and rousing like "Lost Without Eachother" and "Get Up and Go", yet quiet, beautiful, and melancholic like "Believe", "Broken Angel", and "Misery". And yet there is another element to Hanson's repertoire---soul. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Hanson's got some SOUL. Of course, they've always had it---especially with Taylor's raspy, strained, and slightly slurred delivery---but 'Underneath' is suffused with piano-jazzy, bluesy hints. One of the best songs on the album, "Crazy Beautiful", is the best example of this.
So pick this album up right now and don't feel the need to defend it to ignorant bystanders. This album defends itself just fine.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Coming from one who is NOT a fan..., April 21, 2004
By A Customer
Okay, folks...Just for the record, I am not, I repeat NOT, a fan of the happy-sappy, bubble-gum pop group Hanson. From the moment I heard "MMMBop," I vowed to never ever like them because their girley looks, long hair, and voices just made me sick. Absolutely sick. When "This Time Around" came out, I bashed them even more for TRYING to be rock, because I thought the album sucked, and I knew that they would always be the same teeny boppers from the MMMBop days. So now Hanson has made another 'comeback.' Yippee. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and break it into a thousand pieces in front of all their pathetic fans. One day, I was watching TRL and the VJ said that Hanson was going to be on the show. I was about to change the channel when... Hold up. Who is that? That can't be Hanson; Hanson are three girls, disguised as brothers, with high-pitched voices and squeaky-clean images. These guys are NOT Hanson. And then they play sound clips from their new CD, and wait, wait, how could this be Hanson? This sounds nothing like them. I bought the CD. I listened to it. I loved it. Am I in the Twilight Zone or something? When did these guys get so good, and so good-looking, in such a short period of time? I have to say that I have been wrong, so wrong, about Hanson in terms of how much they suck. The Hanson brothers, and this time they actually LOOK like guys, are very talented as individuals and as a whole. I apologize to all the Hanson fans whom I have made fun of, although I can't believe I'm actually admitting that I love Hanson myself...the current Hanson, that is. I still can't stand MMMBop.
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