Hanson: Highest Review - Album Review from JANE Magazine
By Brank Louck
This Time Around (Island)
I have a vision of the parking-lot scene at a 2034 Hanson concert. Bootleg copies of the '02 tour are sold out of a van to the middle-aged women wearing vintage '90s platform sandals. Grizzled, with subtly graying hair, the three bros take the stage. . . and it actually rocks. Hanson easily has the musical chops to become the future Phish, Blues Traveler (John Popper provides snorty harmonica on this CD) or, with 20 more years of wisdom, even the Grateful Dead. The first three songs have moved beyond the bubblegum "MMMBop" and are first-class psychedelic spindance jammy-jams. And all over this disc, evidence of the brothers' excellent song-writing capabilities abounds. I just wish they'd skipped the fussy production (occasional scratches, drum loops and bleeps). But I'm sure they'll figure that out by 2034.
Hanson Travels a Rockier Road 'This Time' Shedding their cute 'MMMBop' image may not be easy, but the three teen brothers refuse to become like other 'boy bands.'
Los Angeles Times - April 5th, 2000
By Geoff Boucher
Hanson is a real boy band--and if that sounds like an insult, then you're starting to understand the challenge facing the pop trio as it mounts a comeback from "Middle of Nowhere."
In 1997, the three Hanson brothers of Oklahoma were at the forefront of a wave of youth pop that reshaped the music industry. Their debut album, "Middle of Nowhere," and its deliriously catchy hit, "MMMBop," paved the way for the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees and all the other cute guy acts that have since pounced on the free-spending teen market.
But the mega-selling groups that followed Hanson are pinups of a different stripe, and in 2000 youth pop is defined by slick harmonies and flashy choreography. The music is layered dance-pop and the concerts and music videos are about as austere as a James Bond film. The Backstreeters and 'N Sync are called "boy bands," but they don't play instruments and they rarely write their songs.
And Hanson? Their upcoming album on Island/Def Jam, "This Time Around," is rock-leaning pop, with their trademark sugary vocals leavened by a healthy dose of guitars. They don't dance on stage because they're busy playing instruments. And instead of enlisting a platoon of Swedish producers and writers, these guys huddle around the house and pen their own lyrics. They also co-produced the new album.
The question is whether those differences are a strength for Hanson or simply a recipe for becoming the pop world's youngest antiques. "Things are dramatically different; [it's] changed a lot in the past three years," says oldest brother Isaac Hanson, a music industry veteran at the ripe old age of 19. "We don't know what to expect. It's also very true that it's hard to have a career these days. It's a very fickle market. You don't see bands that have albums one after the other be successful."
The blond brothers--the other two are 18-year-old Taylor and 15-year-old Zac--have changed since they stepped away from the spotlight two years ago, and not just by growing taller. Their new clothes and hairstyles suggest a bid to be seen as a bit edgier, and their handlers hope the time away might diffuse some of the backlash that greeted their cherubic images after "MMMBop" hit No. 1 in 27 countries.
"Most people only heard 'MMMBop,' not the whole album, and a lot of them didn't listen to the words, because, you know, it's a really serious song," Zac says in a tone that is more reflective than defensive. "This album is much harder than 'MMMBop.' It's an evolution of our sound."
In informal market testing, Island/Def Jam reportedly played some of the new songs for listeners without telling them who was performing, which may suggest a degree of hope that Hanson can both build on its past success and escape it. Sure, "MMMBop" was named the best single of 1997 in the Village Voice poll of the nation's music critics, but the group was also routinely roasted by comedians and rock musicians as unchewable bubble gum.
Their music was also so of-the-moment that many industry observers were quick to announce their time was done, especially after their "Live From Albertane" concert collection tanked in 1998.
The group itself has taken other steps to change its image with some intriguing partnerships, such as their gigs in New York with Grateful Dead member Bob Weir and their new Internet venture with David Bowie's UltraStar company. "That was cool, jamming with Bob," Zac says. "Really cool."
MTV Plans to Give the Band a Lot of Exposure
The lead single from the album, the title track, hit radio in February; although it hasn't been a huge hit, it has been picked up by 115 stations nationwide and just went on sale Tuesday as a commercial single. The album arrives May 9, and MTV is gearing up to give the band a lot of exposure, a promising sign because the network is perhaps the most powerful taste maker for young fans.
"The fact that they got haircuts or changed their look, that's not as important as the fact that it's a strong record and the single is a strong single," says Tom Calderone, MTV's senior vice president of music and talent. "They always wrote great rock-pop songs, and these are a little more rock."
Taylor says the new sound is a reflection of the brothers' changing musical tastes, which include Beck, Train, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and "Sheryl Crow, the Counting Crows, the Black Crowes--all of the crows."
The album finds its edge in its rootsy guitars--especially on three tracks featuring another youthful star, blues player Jonny Lang--but also has softer moments with keyboards and a gospel choir. John Popper of Blues Traveler and DJ Swamp from Beck's band also make guest turns.
Without the glossy, prefabricated vibe that surrounds most of today's youth pop acts, Hanson is "self-contained, very inner-directed," says Danny Goldberg, ex-chief of Mercury Records, Hanson's former label.
"They were not people who had any type of real grasp of the context they were in," says Goldberg, who now runs the independent label Artemis. "When we did their first video, we couldn't find the language to talk to them with because they had never watched MTV. . . They were counterintuitive to pop, which is often this manufactured, calculated genre."
Indeed, today's pop seems to involve more calculations than a NASA shuttle launch. Hanson's first success came at a time when youth pop was off the radar, but can they repeat it in a scene cluttered with MTV-ready cute guys?
"It's hard to tell," Goldberg says. "The pie's a lot bigger now, but there are also a lot more competitors."
Watching 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys break records with their sales to former Hanson fans must be a bit unsettling. Have the brothers considered putting down their guitars and trying some dance moves just in case?
"No, no," Isaac says, "I don't think so. You wouldn't want to see us dance. Nobody does."
Pop Singles - The Express (UK Newspaper) April 1, 2000
After a too-long absence, this week marks the return of everyone's favourite Jackson 5-ish popsters, the brothers Hanson. There's been a bit of concern that, his voice having broken, middle-sibling Taylor might have lost the gorgeous aching vocal quality which helped make tracks like Mmmbop one of the purest pop songs of the last few years. But fear not, If Only demonstrates it's still here (albeit a bit deeper and fuller) in all its teen glory, along with some show-stopping harmonies from brothers Isaac and Zac. If Only is a great song, powered by a catchy tune and an out of control harmonica. Don't miss it.
Fans jostle to see Hanson - Herald Sun (Australian newspaper) - March 22, 2000
By Cameron Adams
American teen sensations Hanson drew crowds to shame even the Queen during their only public appearance in Melbourne last night.
Quick-thinking police averted a potential peak-hour traffic nightmare by cordoning off a side street outside FOX FM's St Kilda studios, where the trio were performing a short concert.
While only 200 competition winners were allowed on to the radio station's roof to see the 5 song set, hundreds more disappointed fans crowded below, desperate to hear their heroes at the least, if not to catch a glimpse of them.
Some fans had queued since 8am yesterday. Others had slept overnight at the airport desperate to see the trio and some had traveled from as far as Perth and Albury to see the band.
Hanson brothers Isaac, 19, Taylor, 17, and Zac, 14, became famous with their worldwide hit Mmmbop which hit No. 1 in 27 countries, including Australia.
The trio are in Australia to promote their new album, This Time Around, which displays a more mature sound.
But their fans still see them as teen idols, with the drummer Zac, the band's heart-throb.
"They're hot, they're sexy’ and they make good music," said fan Beth Pongracic, 15, of Sunshine.
Teen hysteria goes pop from the rooftop - THE AGE (Australian Newspaper) - March 22nd 2000
By Patrick Donovan
It could have been the Beatles playing their final show on the Abbey Road Studios rooftop in 1969. Hundreds of teenagers - mainly female - swarmed behind the barriers at the FOX FM entrance in St Kilda Road, wearing make-up, minis and platforms that belied their age and clutching banners, placards, cameras, and balloons, just trying to catch a glimpse of Hanson.
The crowd was small compared to the 20,000+ who flooded Southland Shopping Centre last time the three American siblings were in Melbourne, but what they lacked in numbers was made up for in sheer hysteria and hype that only a pop group on a radio station's rooftop can muster.
Hanson's 1997 debut album Middle of Nowhere sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, earned 3 Grammy nominations and the group's single Mmmbop reached number 1 in 27 countries, highlighting pop's global appeal.
But that was 3 years ago. These kids have grown up. The youngest Zac, is 14 now and approaching 180 centimeters, so he has to hunch over his drum kit. Taylor and Isaac are 17 and 19 respectively. Surely their voices have broken and they have learnt more complex chords. Maybe they have outgrown the pop fad? But the screaming crowd would have none of this. As the lads munched on burgers and pizzas backstage, the throng chanted, "Hanson, Hanson", and sang their songs in a similar high pitch to the recordings.
The band treated the crowd to 5 songs, most of them off their second album, This Time Around, which includes some very credible collaborations with Beck cohort DJ Swamp, Blues Traveller's John Popper, young blues guitar prodigy Jonny Lang and Sly and the Family Stone's Rose Stone.
The sound has beefed up and with the harmonica and chunky guitars, and the youngsters now sing about lonely nights and infidelity.
The girls screamed the whole way through, but will probably have to go home and ask their parents what those Dylan and Led Zepplin records are all about.
MMM Pop - www.ew.com
by Liane Bonin
Are Hanson planning to take over the Internet? Taylor tells EW Online about the band's high-tech future -- and how they're remaking their clean teen image THE BOYS ARE BACK Hanson release a sophomore album
Those cute blond teens who sang ''MMMBop'' and paved the way for Britney, the Backstreet Boys, and the rest of the gang are all grown up (kind of) and are taking over the world -- or at least the Internet. Taylor, Isaac, and Zac Hanson have made the first single from their upcoming album, ''This Time Around'' (May 16), available on the Net and even have plans to start their own Internet service provider. (Use the link above to download the single, and you'll receive a special invitation to join an online-only album listening party on March 31.) EW Online spoke with 16-year-old Taylor about the rockin' new album, the screaming girls, and how it feels to be an Internet wunderkind.
Why release your new song over the Internet, and why offer an ISP?
We have a really strong Internet fan base, so we're trying to cultivate it a little bit. Recently we met up with some people who set up David Bowie's Bowienet, and we decided there's no downside to setting up an ISP, so let's throw it out there. It's a way to bring fans together, and say, ''Here, you can be part of this thing.'' But it's not about going out there to become some huge ISP and rule the world. It's more like an Internet fan club almost, about letting fans create their own sites at Hanson.net.
The new album has a harder rock and R&B edge than ''Middle of Nowhere.'' You not only brought in John Popper and Jonny Lang to play along, but you've even included a choir. Why the change?
I would say as time goes on, you try different things as a songwriter, you expand your horizons. I think the music has definitely evolved to be a little more rock & roll, and that's just been the natural progression for us. But I wouldn't say the new stuff is way different. In a lot of ways, it's still Hanson.
Since your first album came out, teen pop has exploded. What do you think of the current scene?
It's kind of weird. In some ways, it's funny because when we first came onto the scene in '97, we were a lot poppier than the grunge scene that was thriving right before that. And now, we're just a little more rock & roll than a lot of the stuff that's out there. It's been interesting to see it evolve, and it'll be interesting to see what happens. As far as how it affects our music, we just try to get it out there and if people take to it, that's great, but we're not going to be untrue to ourselves just to fit in.
Why have we had to wait three years for this album?
We made the decision to tour in '98, and that's what pushed it back, to be honest. I'm not really sure why it ended up taking so long, but we never really stopped working. After we finished touring at the end of '98, we took a little break, then pretty much through '99 it was the process of writing songs, meeting with different producers, and trying to pull it all together. But I can say the timing feels really right. It wasn't a conscious decision to let the attention die down and come back as a new Hanson or something like that. It was just the way the dominos fell.
Have the hysterically screaming fans stuck around?
The fan base is definitely growing up, but the phenomenon of the screaming girl thing is very, uh, present. It's very largely female. We love our fans, because they're as loyal as they can be, and they're really awesome. But we take whoever we can get. We're not picky. We're lucky to have people be into the music, period.
How has all of the attention affected your lives?
As far as the teen magazines, first of all, nobody knows everything about us. But at times we'd wonder, how did they know that, or even why did they CARE to know that? It's kind of like, why does that matter? But the truth is you don't let any of it go to your head. It's kind of whacked out. But we're the same guys we always were. We're about as normal as it gets.
Do you think with this album you'll be able to shake your cuddly image?
I think we've definitely had a little bit of that struggle. When we released our first album, there we were, these three young brothers with long blond hair, really young, singing this really poppy song. I totally understand why there would be a negative backlash. Because it's almost like, Wow, it's too squeaky clean. But you have to throw yourself out there and say, here's the music, focus on what it's really about, not the image. But because it's been a little longer and we are a little older, hopefully there will be a little less of that, ''Wow, they're young kids!'' thing. Hopefully.
"This Time Around" - Billboard
HANSON This Time Around (3:55)
PRODUCERS: Stephen Lironi, Hanson
WRITERS: I. Hanson, T. Hanson, Z. Hanson
PUBLISHER: Jam'N'Bread Music, ASCAP
Island 15034 (CD promo)
Perhaps you thought you wouldn't be hearing this name again, but Hanson is not only back, it has wisely redefined itself. While the hooks are still firmly in place, the overall sound now is much more rock-oriented, and it's damn credible. You may recall that these guys already wrote their songs and played most of the instruments on their 1997 major-label debut, "Middle Of Nowhere." You may also remember that middle child Taylor showed incredible promise with a voice that simply cooked in a live setting. Wisely, this mature concoction cuts a clear path to an older audience, giving it a solid chance at adult top 40 in addition to its base at mainstream pop. The song, which the guys wrote and co-produced, opens as a ballad, with a piano intro that resembles "Desperado," then gradually picks up steam until it bursts into a rousing midtempo chorus that will simply make your mouth drop open. Taylor's vocals are magnificent, at once soulful and full of depth, while the instrumentation is meaty, creative, and fulfilling. It's time to disregard any preconceived notions about this act and accept the fact that Hanson has the enduring talent and confidence to reach its greatest heights yet with this enlightening single.
If you want to see the benefits of taking a good, long time-out, you've just got to get caught up with those Hanson guys.
In the years since Hanson released the giddy breakthrough hit "MMMBop" and the 1997 debut "Middle Of Nowhere," we've been poked with all three points on the dreaded filler triangle: the holiday album ("Snowed In"), the "rarities/demos" comp ("3 Car Garage), and the live album ("Live From Albertane"). A dry spell, it seemed.
What we weren't privy to, however, was how the towheaded trio of Oklahoma hermanos -- Isaac, Taylor, and Zac -- stretched out and bulked up, settling into their young adult selves with comfort and confidence, radiating with good health and good vibes. The picture is so reassuring, you just might think for a moment that all is right with the world, or something.
Take a listen to what the brothers have been up to in the studio, and you may feel the need to jump back and smack yourself. The group's infectious melodies and sunny harmonies remain intact on the tracks readied for the group's true follow-up disc, "This Time Around" (due out in May), but the expected bubble-gummy, cavity-causing sweetness has been displaced by grit, gospel, and a few strong whiffs of patchouli and incense.
Jackson 5 comparisons of old will be lost as you find yourself making sonic allusions to The Black Crowes (and, in the band's more romantic moments, Matchbox 20). Hooking up on the LP with H.O.R.D.E. Tour-ready folk as Blues Traveler harpsman John Popper and blues-travelin' guitarist Jonny Lang (who appears on the title track, which is also the first single) seems only to point up the group's metamorphosis from a cute lil' caterpillar into a groovy-colored butterfly.
MTV News' very own John Norris met up with Los Bros. Hanson to get the scoop on the eternity between albums, the current boy-band climate, the fans who've stuck by them through thick and thin, and early reactions to the new LP -- something Isaac describes as "a good wow." Oh, and let's not forget the new haircuts.
Just a *little* bit of patience, and then... is Hanson back!
The new look of Isaac, Taylor and Zac
Did you have to look twice, when you saw the picture? We can vividly imagine that, yes. Because okay, you can still see that it's the brothers Hanson, but they sure have changed! Taylor chopped a little off of his hair, Isaac a *lot* and Zac...he has all of a sudden grown a lot!
'I traded my two brothers for two others' joked Taylor recently. Because he might have cut his hair a bit, Isaac and especially Zac have changed a whole lot more. Their long hair has always been the famous image of Isaac (19 now), Taylor (16) and Zac (14). This was probably one of the reasons they broke through big time in 1997, almost 3 years ago already. All teenagers who had had enough of all the BSB- and 'N Sync-like boybands, found in the three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma what they were looking for: a little alternative look and especially a rougher sound. (Note: while in the US Hanson marked the beginning of a pop period, in Europe Hanson broke with that tradition. Pop had been dominating here for a long time already, it still does, and Hanson were different) And, what worked well too: at last a band of teenagers who wrote their songs themselves and played instruments. Taylor as a singer and keyboardist, Isaac as guitarhero, and Zac who smashed his drums like Animal from The Muppets Show (not without reason his nickname).
The trio scored their biggest hit until now immediately with the first single MMMBop: that song reached #2 in the charts here. The following Where's the Love came till #15, and the third I Will Come To You did a little bit better again (note: #9 if I'm correct). Those three songs came from the album Middle Of Nowhere, and besides that album the brothers also released a Christmas-album (Snowed In), one with old recordings (3 Car Garage) and a live album (Live At Albertane) (Note: not my typo, it really said 'at' in the article). Hanson has always been different. They had been busy for 5 years already when they became famous (when Zac was only eleven!), and came from a big family, that travelled around with them everywhere they went. Father Walker and mother Diane had four more children after Ike, Taylor and Zac: Jessica, Avery, Mackenzie and Zoe. The kids didn't go to a regular school, but were taught at home by their father and had a private teacher.
Back to 2000. We haven't heard much from Hanson for several years now; the brothers never did a real concert in our country. And while they were on tour in all the corners of the world till last year, we had to miss them already. Maybe that's why the contrast with the 'youngsters' from MMMBop is so big now! 'I've changed the most' admits Zac - with breaking voice, because his voice has broken now. 'In the past year I've grown more than 30 centimeters (Note: don't feel like converting that to inches, sorry), and I've reached 1.73 m now. I've passed the 60 kilograms already too by the way', he laughs on. Isaac too has undergone a small change (note: metamorphose?): 'Okay, my hair is gone, that's right. But what I find a lot more important is that I've finally lost those awful braces! Of course it was useful, but I honestly have to say I was always quite embarassed about it when I had to smile for photoshoots. Now I *like* to laugh, and a *lot*, haha!'
And fortunately the brothers still make music: you have to have a bit more patience, but this spring there'll finally be new work released from the men. The album This Time Around should be in stores in early May. And a little earlier, on 3 April, the new single is planned. It will be called 'If Only', and it's a lovesong. And they probably have more experience with that too....'That's right' laughs Taylor, 'even though we're still way too young to have a lot of experience though. But anyway, you don't have to *have* a broken heart to be able to write a song about it. well, you know what? Just wait and see - you'll hear it anyway. Just a *bit* more patience!'
'IF ONLY' - HANSON RETURN From Dotmusic in the UK
Hanson last week completed work on their second album in Los Angeles with producer Steve Lironi. The first UK single from the project will be 'If Only' due for release on April 3 followed by the album on May 1.
The first US single is likely to be 'This Time Around'. Guests on the album include Jonny Lang, DJ Swamp (Beck), John Popper (Blues Traveller) and Rose Stone (Sly And The Family Stone).
One source says the work resembles the solo projects of Jon Bon Jovi, who also worked with Lironi the past. 'When they originally recorded 'MmmBop' Taylor's voice hadn't broken but by the time they came to do promotion on the single in the UK, it had - and he had no trouble performing it live. Their voices sound better then ever', adds the source.
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