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Much of This Time Around feels like a conscious attempt at furthering their craft, defining their sound, and honing their songwriting skills. In other words, it's a stab at maturity.
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This Time Around scores with more sophisticated harmonies and storytelling.
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That's right, we're talking stadium rock.
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Checkout.comThe disc doesn't just contain one or two Top 40 hits, but rather a proliferation of truly excellent songs.
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If you thought they were bad when they were cute, or even that they were cute when they were good, believe me, you don't want to hear them mature.
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Hanson's second studio album is better than the first.
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Hanson's style of maturity is old-fashioned classic rock, which they attack with the zest of kids taking their first cruise down the strip in the old man's vintage Mustang. Without the Dust Brothers helping at the controls, This Time Around has more rock and less funk than Middle of Nowhere, showing off Hanson's deepened harmonies, their expanding instrumental prowess and Taylor's increasingly sexy, bluesy growl.
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The trio's desire to grow is less problematic than what they want to grow into--a preternaturally stodgy, somewhat conservative old-school pop-R&B band.
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Make no mistake: This album represents a small step for a band, not a giant leap for mankind. But it is energetic, entertaining and several polymer configurations less plastic than the teenybopper product currently being manufactured in Orlando and elsewhere.
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The blond brothers' creative maturity is evident all over the disc's 13 songs.
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It all adds up to a collection that successfully sets Hanson apart from the current teen-pop phenomenon that it helped start -- at least from a creative perspective.
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But damn those cruel hormones - Hanson's collective balls have MmmDropped, and the giddy rush of adolescence seeks to mutate Mercury's finest investment into a trio of crack-voiced hulks.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 15
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Mixed: 0 out of 15
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Negative: 4 out of 15
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FranciW.Jul 1, 2004
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AprilM.Sep 18, 2007I love the song "If Only" on this album.
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AmandaD.Nov 28, 2005