Title track ‘No Strings Attached’ and ‘Digital Get Down’ follow the forceful, lively style of ‘Bye Bye Bye’ and ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’, and aid in carving out a distinct sound for the group, shifting from the torch-song direction the Backstreet Boys were headed toward.
It is unfortunate, because based on the writing Timberlake later displayed on Celebrity and Justified he is clearly a capable composer
‘Bringin’ Da Noise’ is a useless stadium romp which might excite a sports crowd but does little to stimulate the musical mind. ‘That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You’ is a passable ballad, but it falls in the same disappointing category as fellow ballad ‘This I Promise You’. Despite being composed by ballad genius Diane Warren (‘Unbreak My Heart’, ‘I Turn to You’, ‘How Do I Live?’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’ etc.), considering what she is capable of, the song is inadequate. ‘I’ll Be Good for You’, Timberlake’s only co-write on the album, gives a premonitory glance to the R&B and soul influences he would display more prominently on his solo release, but these influences don’t gel very well with Nsync’s style. ‘I Thought She Knew’ is a deflating ending, though it is quite a competently approached a cappella attempt. It also features the only main vocals by Chris and Joey Fatone. Lance Bass never gets the vocal spotlight. This is probably a good thing.
Unlike their rivals in the Backstreet Boys, Nsync never attempted to share vocal duties. Continue reading “No one wants to admit that they are regular on casual encounters or hookup sites”