With two decades in music under their belts, Backstreet Boys have a well-earned reputation as one of the finest exponents of pop we’ve ever seen – in fact, they are the best selling boy band in history with more than 130 million albums sold worldwide. In their twentieth year, founding member Kevin Richardson returns to the fold for the first time since 2005, for the release of the group’s eighth studio album, In A World Like This.
The group headed to the UK early in 2012, living and writing together with producer Martin Terefe [Jason Mraz, Train]. Back in Los Angeles, they enlisted the talents of Max Martin [Taylor Swift, Pink, Katy Perry, Maroon 5], Morgan & Prophet, Justin Trugman [The Saturdays], and Dan Muckala [LeAnn Rimes, Leona Lewis). In between recording, they also returned to the stage as a five-piece for a very special performance as part of Good Morning America's "Summer Concert Series”, shattering the top morning show’s previous attendance record.
2013 started with a bang – Backstreet Boys were honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They then launched a worldwide tour beginning with sold out arenas across China, and now, with the release of In A World Like This imminent – it won’t be slowing down!
- The most successful boy band in history return with the original line up!
- The title track and single In A World Like This is a perfect slice of mature pop, showcasing the bands undeniable vocal talents.
- In A World Like This features 12 brand new songs written by all 5 members in collaboration with some of the most successful writers and producers in pop today.
Review
Usually, teen idols sprint away from the notion they're racking up the years, but the Backstreet Boys cannily decided to treat their 20th Anniversary as a very big deal, bringing Kevin Richardson back into the fold – he left after 2005's Never – for a tour, a documentary, and In a World Like This, the band's seventh album. Over the course of the back half of the 2000s, Backstreet Boys slowly accepted their advancing age, making a slow shift from dance-pop toward adult contemporary, and although it has a sharper gleam in its sheen, In a World Like This doesn't find BSB reversing this trend. Working primarily with longtime colleague Max Martin, Morgan Taylor Reid, and Martin Terefe, who has produced Jason Mraz, Ron Sexsmith, James Morrison, and KT Tunstall among other singer/songwriters, Backstreet Boys take sideways glances toward their past but focus on the present, happy to keep things smooth even when the rhythms get a little heated. Most of the heavier dance beats come courtesy of Reid – the single “Permanent Stain,” “One Phone Call,” the shoutalong closer “Soldier” – but even then it rarely feels as if the Backstreet Boys are desperate for a club hit; as much as anything, these harder beats are there for some variety in texture. Max Martin does an admirable job in deglossing his hooks on the title track, but where BSB really shine are on the Terefe tracks, which sometimes hint at the breezy acoustic melodicism of Mraz, but better still evoke the classic stripped-down soul of prime Babyface, especially on “Try” and “Trust Me.” Perhaps there are moments where texture trumps composition, but overall In a World Like This is a surprisingly mature and fine record from a former boy band that seems unafraid to act its age.