The Block

Who wants to be my favorite friend and get me a copy of this CD????

Reunited New Kids release a CD

By Solvej Schou Associated Press
Article Launched: 09/03/2008 06:03:46 PM PDT

They’re far from new, no longer boys. In fact, New Kids on the Block have definitely been around the block since making “tween” girls scream with joy in the late ’80s and early ’90s before breaking up in 1994.

Baby-faced Joey McIntyre attracted fans on TV’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005. Mark Wahlberg’s older brother, Donnie, has sustained an acting career. Four out of the five guys, all pushing 40, have kids.

The pop-R&B’s group’s new reunion album, “The Block” (Interscope), comes 20 years after 1988′s “Hangin’ Tough” went multiplatinum. The guys, including Danny Wood and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, look handsomely rugged now, a sure draw for old-time female fans, today in their mid-20s to 30s.

Songs such as “2 in the Morning” and “Summertime” have an strong retro groove: “I think about you in the summertime, and all the good times we had, baby,” the guys sing in unison on this upbeat, head-bopper. “2 in the Morning” makes a cheesy reference to TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” but offers the kind of late-night R&B soul made for couples in need of soothing.

The album’s myriad producers and writers, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Emmanuel Kiriakou, RedOne, Fernando and Nazaree, layer on the sleekness.

“Click Click Click,” a breathy slow jam riding on hand claps and vocal trills, takes a page from the handbook of Justin Timberlake.

There are throwaway songs (i.e. the lyrically cliche “Sexify My Love” and “Twisted”), and appearances by Ne-Yo and Akon don’t necessarily boost NKOTB’s cred. But “Full Service,” while run through the synth ringer, effectively features NKOTB forefathers New Edition crooning along to a bouncy rhythm.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: “Grown Man,” a melding of old-school and new featuring the Pussycat Dolls and producer/singer Teddy Riley, is a catchy, swaggering number, with the Dolls adding a musical twist on Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.” “I’m gonna give you some grown man,” the guys boast behind loose drum beats.