Quick, when and where was Hanson’s first professional performance? Was it at that New Jersey mall the day after “Middle of Nowhere” was released? Nope. That was by far the most common answer we got to the question, which we submitted to readers awhile back. That was a landmark appearance, for sure. But their first pro gig was in 1992 at Mayfest in Tulsa. (We called Hanson’s publicist AND triple-checked their official Web site to confirm it.) A handful of kids nailed the question – and one was Melissa D., 13, of West Chicago (above). Melissa won the random drawing to see who could review the new BOP Boys! CD, which is scheduled to hit stores today. Here’s Melissa’s take on the new CD:
First off, I really liked how the CD booklet opened up to a mini-poster. And the best songs were:
– Backstreet Boys’ “Quit Playing Games.” I really like this version of the song because it was less techno and more instrumental.
– 911’s “Boyshakin.”It has a good beat. They didn’t just sing about themselves and some girl; they made it clear that they were singing about other people. Most times you have to see the music video to figure it out.
– 98 3/8’s “Invisible Man.” I had never heard of them before, and they look like every other band -“nothing special.” I wasn’t too excited about finding out about them. But since I listened to this CD, I like them. They’ve got great lyrics, and their beat is danceable. They’re sure to be popular soon.
– Ricky’s “Everybody Get Down.” The beat makes me smile, but the lyrics make me want to cry because he lost his girl (Baby).
– Ant & Dec’s “When I Fall in Love.” This song is a slow and a fast song. I’d like to see some people dance to it. The song’s fast-slow switchoffs would make it difficult.
– Kavana’s “Crazy Chance.” It is an awesome dance song; it has almost everything in it -jazz, pop and chorus.
– Imajin’s “I Got What You Need.” I’ve heard them before, and I really like their stuff. This really brings out their dude’s singing.
– BoyZone’s “Love Me for a Reason.” I just love this song because it is smooth flowing, and the emotions that come from the band’s singing are very thick.
This CD is definitely spend-some-cash-worthy. Even though it’s not very eye-catching, it’s still a wonderful CD. So if you do happen to see it, look on the back and see all the great bands.
