Journey

It is amazing to think of all the education that could be learned if boy bands from around the world added some cultural flavor to their music. Instead of Irish tin whistles and accordions and Scottish bagpipes, we get the common denominator of '80s American/Euro synthesized pop music, albeit lifted by '90s production quality and slight traces of accents. None of this is to say that 911's The Journey is unengaging. They seem to be having as much fun as the American Backstreet Boys -- and for the record, have been around just as long. A pound of pretzels couldn't drown the taste of sugar that fizzes from The Journey, and while there is nothing original or spectacular to be found, the group deserves credit for packaging the album with as much glee as humanly possible. If you don't hum along to "Love Sensation" you're too stuffy. If you don't at least laugh with "Bodyshakin," you're too hard. And if you mistake their version of "Rhythm of the Night" for the original (by DeBarge) and feel the need to dance... well, no one's looking. ~ Peter Fawthrop