Greetings,
There aren't a ton of things from my younger days that I still enjoy almost as much now as I did back then. One of those things, however, is the music of New Kids on the Block. And I know they have new music from the past few years, but I am talking about the old stuff only, back from the first time they were a group. Way back in the 80's. Yeah, you kids today don't even know what a boy band phenomenon is. You think you do, but you don't. I know that, since the days of Elvis, every generation has had its own hoard of screaming fan girls. Call me biased, but I think we were the best, or at least, the scariest. Am I right, Donnie Wahlberg? Remember that mob of insane, teenage girls chasing you? Jigsaw's got nothin' on them! Keep in mind, though, when I use the word 'we', I am only marginally including myself. I was never a screamer or a squealer when it came to this. Certainly not in public, anyway. What were you girls thinking? But I digress. I'm here to talk about the music. Specifically, I'm here to talk about Step By Step, the fourth album bestowed upon us by these fine Boston gentlemen, and it's my favorite. Still, in order that you appreciate it fully, I may have to give a quick synopsis of what came before. I'll be as brief as possible.
In 1986, they released their first album, the self-titled New Kids on the Block, or at least, it was self-titled once they changed their name. It was not that successful, at first, but after they became super-famous, we all went back and bought it because it apparently and magically turned brilliant. Is it actually brilliant? Not even close. But is it entertaining and fun to listen to? Oh, all of the hecks yeah. This thing is straight up, unadulterated, bubblegum pop in its purest and possibly finest form, and it is a joy. When I think of the pleasures of being nostalgic, this album certainly comes to mind. Next came, Hangin' Tough, in 1988. This was the one that pushed their success to the rooftop and then kept going. It is nowhere near as bubblegum pop as the first one, not that anything ever could be, but it is still pop. Whether it is due to subject matter or the quality of the music, it is definitely much more mature and a vast improvement. After that, they did the obligatory Christmas album, Merry, Merry Christmas. It exists. Look, I'm not that into Christmas, and, therefore, not that into Christmas music. Still, it's actually not bad at all. There are only three traditional holiday songs, and the rest are originals, which are pretty good. Except for "Funky, Funky Xmas". That one isn't pretty good. That one is pure gold. And now on to the subject at hand.
Step By Step was released in 1990, and at this point, the boys were experiencing an overwhelming amount of success. This album was going to do well no matter what they put on it. They could have coasted by quite easily, just phoning it in, and still sold a boatload of copies. They didn't do that, though. In fact, they did what every artist is supposed to do. They grew. Though most of the songs were still being written by Maurice Starr, they began to get more involved in writing, production and even started playing instruments. Again, it was still pop, but with a richer, fuller sound than they had been creating before. And they ended up with what I consider their best work. So let's talk about some of those songs.
The album opens with the track "Step By Step", and it is a strong one with which to start, ultimately becoming one of their best known songs. With good reason. It's catchy and gives each member a chance to have their moment, even if it does last only a mere moment. After that, comes "Tonight". This song is...interesting. It is way different from anything they had ever done. It is way different from anything anyone was doing. Very random, with the sound of it and all, and yet it became a hit. It may have done so, at the time, simply because it was their song, but, in hindsight, I think we can all really appreciate how unique it was.
"Let's Try It Again" is a ballad and I think one of their best. The lead vocals are sung by Jordan, of course, and surprisingly, Danny, who rarely got solos. It was quite lovely to hear the contrast of their voices together. What with Jordan and his great falsetto and Danny, with his low baritone. I think he would be considered baritone, anyway. I'm not good with technical, musical terms. But whatever, it sounds amazing. That's what counts. And speaking of those who rarely got solos, Jonathan gets a song to sing on this album! Yay! I say 'Yay!' because he has a really nice voice. Anyway, the song is called "Happy Birthday". Not the song sung before you blow out your candles. That would be silly. No, this is new, and it's fine. Actually, it seems to have a bit of a slow, 50's, doo-wop type feel to it, which is kind of nice. Or am I just imaging that? Who knows?
Now let's go to Side Two. What's that? You don't know what I'm talking about? Well, I first bought this on something called a cassette tape, which had a Side One and a Side Two. Google it, kids. Moving on.
Side Two (I love saying that!) begins with "Games". It's possible that they were attempting to recreate "Hangin' Tough" here, but just with more of an edge. It was probably the most edgy thing had done at the time, not to mention a way to make a statement to all their haters. Yes, they had haters. Those people made it personal, so why not respond in a personal way as well? They eventually did a remix for it, which was even better, and I recall them performing it at the AMA's one year. Either my memory about that is wacky or Flavor Flav really did show up to perform with them and J-Lo was one of the backup dancers. I know, right? And from a bit of a somewhat angry song to a song that is easily the most fun from this collection, "Stay With Me Baby". I totally think they were trying to go reggae on this one, especially Donnie, who was singing lead, and my response to that is...why the heck not? Many have tried and failed, but I'm gonna give this a thumbs up.
Now Step By Step has a nice range to it when it comes to the sound of the music. We get upbeat songs, like "Call It What You Want" and "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", but also nice, gentle ballads, like "Baby, I Believe in You", "Time is On Our Side", "Where Do I Go From Here?" and, hands down, my favorite song on the album, "Funny Feeling". Yeah, this is not only my favorite song from this album, but it might just be my favorite song by the New Kids on the Block period. Strange thing is, there is not a particular reason as to why. I mean, it has a beautiful melody, as many of their songs do, and lyrically, it's not exactly overwhelmingly groundbreaking. And yet, I just love to listen to it, and I love how it makes me feel when I listen to it. Just all warm and fuzzy inside. Now whilst Jordan did sing on the chorus, it was Joe who handled the verses. So, naturally, I gravitated toward that part of the song, since Joe was my favorite at that time. Because you had to pick a favorite. No lie, it was like a rule. And this song may be a bit simple, but sometimes, if it's done well, that's all you need. Clearly, it's all I needed.
So there you have it, my review of the best album, in my opinion, from New Kids on the Block, Step By Step. If you're an old school fan, as I am, you probably already own this, and probably in more than one form, so I hope this prompts you to go back and give it another listen. Writing this review certainly prompted me to go and finally follow all the guys on Twitter. But if you're one of the newer, younger fans who discovered this group through their 2008, miracle of miracles, reunion (that's what I call it), and you don't yet own this album, go get it, any way you can. It's worth it. And it just goes to show you that, take away the hype and the insane merchandising and the crazy fan girls, you're still left with five guys who were and still are extremely talented. They deserve a lot of respect, and I am more than happy to give it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
