Hanson - Shout It Out
Label: 3CG Records
When someone mentions the band Hanson I immediately think of long hair, a short lived crush on lead singer Taylor Hanson and my jealousy of the T-shirt my sister got for Christmas that year. Bitch. And who could forget the all time classic “Mmmbop”, with its catchy lyrics and upbeat sound. Oh, what musical geniuses Hanson were. You can therefore imagine my excitement when I heard Hanson had just released a new album, Shout It Out, this year. Apparently though I had missed a great deal of Hanson’s career, with this latest release being not their second but their eighth studio album. My, did I have some catching up to do!
After days of reliving my teenage years locked in my room listening to their new album on repeat, I came to the conclusion that Shout It Out has in fact progressed from those glorious days of screaming teenage girls and “Where Is The Love”. Their new single “Thinking ‘bout Somethin’’ was a highlight from the album, with its catchy beat and nifty brass section. Although, upon viewing the film clip, I was horrified to witness the desecration of one of the most famous scenes of perhaps the greatest movie ever made, The Blues Brothers. Bar my complete and utter disgust at this criminal act, I’ll still admit that the song was somewhat catchy and perhaps even enjoyable.
The use of brass on this album in songs such as “Voice In The Chorus”, “Made It Out Alive” and “Give A Little” demonstrate something a little different and shows perhaps there may be more to the group then I had originally given them credit for. Unfortunately, this is where the creativity ended for me and the generic pop rock sound began. With a few ballads such as “Use Me Up” and “Me Myself And I” chucked into the mix, Shout It Out has the makings of a stereotypical pop-rock album. The cliché lyrics and song titles didn’t help their cause either, and overall I was left feeling genuinely underwhelmed.
Despite this album’s minor flaws, it still manages to present a couple of songs that are pleasantly surprising and provides for those who enjoy easy listening. If however you are one of those people who enjoy their music being a little bit outside of the box, then this might not be one you’ll find yourself blaring on your car stereo while rocking out in peak hour traffic. At the end of the day though, I can’t say that Shout It Out drastically changed the image I have of Hanson in my head from my teenage years.
By Anika Podubinski
