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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: NKOTB

  • First Look: NKOTB’s 2 in the Morning

    nkot

    For the fourth video off of The Block, the New Kids have decided to go the ballad route. While 2 in the Morning isn’t necessarily the ballad I would have gone with, it’s still a nice change of place after three uptempo singles. If radio gives this one a chance, I think it has the capability to be a decent-sized hit, although the amount of Auto-Tune used on this song (not to mention the rest of the album) is really fucking annoying.

    Anyway, the video follows the song’s lyrics pretty literally, and it’s a cute little love/hate story. What’s up with four of the five New Kids sporting that gelled-up in the middle faux-hawk though? Anyway, let us know what you think of the video…

  • Worth a Second Spin: Jordan Knight

    It’s amazing how the critical knives that were used to attack the shit out of New Kids on the Block back in their heyday have softened-considerably. Whereas most pop publications at the time were busy metaphorically running over Joe, Jon, Danny, Donnie and Jordan with an 18-wheeler, their comeback this year has been greeted mostly by either silence or warm nostalgia. If you read this site, you’re well aware that I’m a fan, even though in retrospect, the albums (not counting 1994’s “Face the Music”, which will be featured in this column sooner or later) are merely average.

    Which is why the fact that Jordan Knight’s 1999 debut solo album is so good initially startled me. I mean, I always thought he could sing a little somethin’…actually, he was the only member of the group that had truly impressive pipes. However, if you can get over the stigma of Mr. “You Got The Right Stuff, bay-bay” singing, you may wind up liking Jordan Knight a helluva lot more than you think you should.

    Jordan linked up with two VIP-types who turned out to be great creative partners for his solo debut. First, he hooked up with a then-unknown Robin Thicke. While we know Thicke now as the musical equivalent of White Chocolate, he was then only barely known as a songwriter. Thicke and Jordan proved to be a solid combo, writing and producing much of Jordan Knight.

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  • The Block is Back! New Kids Light Up New Jersey!

    New Kids on the Block. Photo by socialitelife.com
    New Kids on the Block. Photo by socialitelife.com

    Last night, I found myself some place I never thought I’d be…at a New Kids on the Block concert. Not because I’m ashamed to be a NKOTB fan, mind you, but because I thought the boy band would never get back together. 20 years after the success of their breakthrough album, “Hangin’ Tough”, the still (relatively) young New Kids have reunited and I was fortunate enough to see their first show on American soil in fourteen years.

    The crowd was, as expected, about 90% women.  Somewhat surprisingly, the cavernous Izod Center (formerly Continental Airlines Arena, capacity 20K) was about 90% full. While I overheard a bunch of guys in the men’s room complaining about their wives or girlfriends forcing them to come to the show (one guy said that he said he’d come to this show if his wife went to Cruefest), there were also a handful of dudes sporting NKOTB tees, coming out of the closet, so to speak, after (like me) being embarrassed to be a New Kids fan during their high school (or younger) years. Hell, I even spotted one creepy Deadhead guy in the audience. Either he was looking to score some from one of the many single ladies in the audience, or he was mighty disappointed when he realized that the NKOTB aren’t little boys anymore.

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