Anthem

Hanson

3CG Records, 2013

http://hanson.net

REVIEW BY: Pete Crigler

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/22/2017

On their ninth – yes, ninth album – Hanson is trying hard to re-establish themselves in the ever-changing pop world. In essence, if you’re still thinking about them as the little teenyboppers that made your sister happy in 1997 with “MMMBop,” then you’re thinking about them in the wrong way entirely. Over the last few years, they have been working steadily to rebuild their name, and on this album they have managed to make a pretty decent pop release for the 21st century.

Now, I will say that I haven’t paid much attention to Hanson over the last few years, so I was taken aback by the opening track, “Fired Up.” It has a great feel and was something I didn’t expect from the trio of brothers from Oklahoma. Nonetheless, I was more than pleasantly surprised by it – in this day and age, it’s a refreshing change of pace from the other pop sap on the radio. The full-on ‘60s party throwback that is “I’ve Got Soul” is more in line with what they’ve been doing over the last few records and is also a great celebratory song for the summer.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

The first single “Get The Girl Back” sounds a lot like Taylor’s old band Tinted Windows. It should be on the radio, but perhaps isn’t quite as strong as some others on the record.

The ballad “Juliet” is one of the most sluggish of the band’s new material, starting slow out of the gate and never really catching up to itself. “For Your Love” is damn near perfect and would sound great on FM pop radio if they played anything like this anymore – it’s an all-around great song that works on its own merit.

“Lost Without You” sounds like the tried, true, and tested formula of Hanson and is sure to appease old and new fans alike while able bringing in some new converts to a good old pop sound. “Scream And Be Free” is sure to be an instant classic amongst the Hanson faithful and will probably become a treasured song for years to come.

“Tonight” should’ve closed the record as it has all the feel and euphoria of a finale. The actual closer “Save Me From Myself” is decent enough, but doesn’t have the oomph to really be a closer.

All in all, the album is very good. The only thing that could be recommended to make it better would be to revise the sequencing. Aside from that, it’s a damn good pop offering and one that anyone other group looking to begin a new chapter should check out in order to hear how to do it right.

Rating: B

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