STILL KIDS - ALBUM REVIEWS

Here are the first reviews f the new album Still Kids:

 01.  Cage The Elephant and New Kids On The Block offer up new albums

Since their 2008 reunion, New Kids On The Block fans have been torn between the old and the new, but Still Kids brings the two worlds together across 14 tracks.
Magic starts strong, with upbeat instrumentals and catchy lyricism that entice the listener.
Love songs Love Like This and Pop nod to how New Kids on the Block remain young at heart, but have matured as artists and people.
Love Like This uses strong instrumentals, featuring a powerful guitar solo halfway through the song.
In The Night uses a backdrop of synth and rhythmic guitar riffs to transport the listener back to the 1990s, while mature lyricism freshens the retro sound.
Get Down features DJ Jazzy Jeff on a funky, retro track that is upbeat and fun, stealing the show as a song you can’t stop listening to.
Finally, Stay closes the album on a strong, lively note with a feel-good song similar to the rest of the mix.
The album’s upbeat summer songs will stick with you all day; they’re catchy, the lyrics are memorable, and they capture the classic boy-band ‘pop’ sound that fans and casual listeners alike can appreciate.
It’s a welcome addition to the band’s return, laying the groundwork for future releases.

Score: 7/10

(Review by Carla Feric)

02.  RETROPOP Magazine: New Kids On The Block – Still Kids

Released: May 17

4/5

New Kids On The Block return in fine form with ‘Still Kids’ – their first studio album in over a decade.

A collection that leans into the group’s collective history while bringing their sound up to date, the follow-up to 2013’s ‘10’ ranks among the strongest of their career.

Donnie Wahlberg, who is billed as creative director on the record, says: “It’s the most mature album we’ve ever made. Yet it’s the most fun and most comfortable album we’ve ever made.

“This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle. It’s about hope and possibilities and being ourselves.”

That’s apparent on the lead single, Kids, which leans into an ‘80s soundscape, harking back to the group’s formative years, with a lyric that celebrates their 40 years history while sounding effortlessly current.

Striking across the LP is the five-piece’s ability to reference their past while presenting a solid body of work that holds its own against today’s biggest boy bands. Opener Magic roots the record in pure pop territory and serves as a reintroduction to fans, while Long Time Coming references the time between albums with a cool pop/R&B direction with tight harmonies that showcase their impressive vocals.

Across 14 songs, the boys offer a smorgasbord of styles, from the sweet ballad A Love Like This – released to mark 35 years of New Kids On The Block Day – to the electro-pop excellence of Dance With You and country-pop Get Down with DJ Jazzy Jeff.

He’s one of two guest stars on the LP, with ‘80s legend Taylor Dayne trading off sensational vocals on the throwback anthem, Old School Love.

Towards the end of the album, Better Days reflects the group today: five sons, husbands and fathers, who balance their careers as one of the biggest pop groups of all time with their respective family lives.

What radiates through the album is New Kids On The Block’s sheer joy in getting back in the studio and making new music, four decades after their formation, which reinforces the band’s status as one of the very best of their generation.

3.  New Kids in their mid-50s: NKOTB are 'Still Kids' in new album

And now, 11 years on, the quintet is again launching a full studio album with the telling title of... "Still Kids".

"And we're still just kids from a nobody town. Still just kids that are messing around," Joey McIntyre, who at 51 is the youngest band member, proclaims in the lead single "Kids".

In the music video, the five musicians from the Boston area jump and dance through various rooms of an ordinary apartment block, visibly fascinated - just like children.

Musically, the result is modern, danceable pop, slickly produced and as catchy as they come. Emotionally charged ballads on the verge of kitsch - or well above it - have always been part of the New Kids bedrock and are a must on the new album too.

However, "A Love Like This", with its synthesizers and guitar solo, is closer to the power ballads of 80s rock bands than boy band crooning.

Die-hard NKOTB fans, who are still predominantly but by no means exclusively female, will probably warm fast to the new offerings, as fresh listeners also seem to be doing.

One indicator was the exuberant response to the band's performance of Kids on the Kelly Clarkson Show two months ago. A comment under the video on YouTube shows how our heroes can still whip up shining old form and then grow beyond.

"54 year old man here. Was never a fan of them back in the day but this totally made me smile. Awesome to hear something simple, fun and just outright happy," wrote one very satisfied new fan on the block.