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Date Posted: 22:07:46 07/29/01 Sun
Author: No name
Subject: ET Feature

ET Feature: Dirty Pop!
Entertainment Tonight

Reach way back in time to early 1999, a time when no one thought the BACKSTREET BOY's seamless release Millennium could be topped. Then along came *NSYNC, toting an album entitled No Strings Attached, an opus that would move an astounding one million units in just one day! Now, JUSTIN, JC, LANCE, CHRIS and JOEY have returned to flex more pop muscle with Celebrity, their wildly anticipated new effort on Jive Records. And ladies, be prepared to swoon. The insert features sexy photos of the guys, even if some of their poses might be a little far-fetched. (I mean, Joey cooking hash browns! Chris grocery shopping!)

Perhaps like the photos, the title of the guys' latest effort should be taken lightheartedly, though it certainly does ring true. After all, the bunch who bare a library of embarrassing footage -- from the "Mickey Mouse Club" to early performances on MTV -- now boast an elaborate stage production and a tour entourage numbering 90 trucks. On a recent television appearance, the guys wowed REGIS PHILBIN with the size of their convoy to which the "Live" co-host quipped, "Five guys! Five pairs of underwear! Why isn't that enough?"

Ranking high on Celebrity's hot meter comes the explosive first single, "Pop." Kicking off the collection, the high-energy tune co-written by Justin Timberlake boldly defends their talent -- or, "gift of melody" as they put it -- and their rightful place at the top of the genre. "All that matters is that you get hyped/And we do it to ya every time," sings the curly-coiffed Timberlake. Enough said. After all, you know you're a star when the mighty STEVIE WONDER turns up to play harmonica on one of your tracks ("Something Like You"). Yet, in addition to the polish of "Pop," the lively single also introduces new layers into their musical repertoire. Namely, lots of electronica and the urban vigor of a beat called the "Two Step." Showcased in the tune, "Up Against The Wall," the underground sound was made famous by British emcees, and its upbeat stutter suits 'N Sync quite well.

Other irresistible toe-tappers on Celebrity include the funky TRON-inspired "Game Is Over," a jilted love tune written and co-produced by JC. The conversely titled tunes, "Tell Me, Tell Me" and "Don't Tell Me That" also make it clear that these guys are still in the big pop anthem biz. Thankfully, they have also remained true to those epic R&B ballads which underscore their real vocal talent. The bluesy, Justin-penned "Gone" and the BRIAN McKNIGHT-produced soul of "Selfish" are enough to convince even the most hardened of boy-band bashers that these guys are good. And though hardly accessible, the promises made by Justin to "treat you right" only serve to sweeten the deal, as epitomized in the hip-hop flavored cut, "Girlfriend."

Currently in the midst of their extensive Pop Odyssey Tour, the harmonizing hunks already have a pretty good idea of how Celebrity will fare. "It was weird going on tour before the album because we were like, 'Well, how are they gonna accept all the new songs,'" Lance told Cdnow. "But they love it. It's cool, because during the new songs they're more attentive and, like, really being quiet. They're yelling at the (people) next to them, 'shut up.' They really want to hear the songs." Quite an understatement to be sure! They are also rather confident that their new musical venture was the right place from which to steer their progression. One explanation lies in the words of "the blond one," who states, "We don't want to do 10 'Bye Bye Byes' and three 'God Must Have Spents.'"

Even if 'N Sync did continue to put out cookie-cutter tunes, one after the other, odds are there would be no relief when it came to that little matter of the mobs. In fact, in the upcoming August issue of YM, Lance revealed the latest in his own personal crowd control gear -- he dons a wig. "People may be staring at me because I look like an idiot, but they have no idea who I am," he jokes. "I'm not Justin Timberlake so I can go anywhere I want," adds JC. Humor aside, the loveable quintet has stated over and over again just how much their fans mean to them. And with Celebrity, it's evident they are still working hard to please.

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