Album Review – JLS
JLS – ‘JLS’
UK Release 9/11/09 (Epic)
The debut album of new boyband JLS begins with the bang of ‘Beat Again’, the incessantly catchy first single which defied all expectations to become both mega-successful and edgy (by boyband standards). Follow-up single ‘Everybody In Love’ is just as catchy but slips into the uninspired mid-tempo territory they should be trying to avoid. They might be riding a wave of success at the moment but if JLS want to have lasting careers they should be pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a “boyband” and what this type of group can do.
It’s not all generic and bland, though, and a great number of songs on the album are better than ‘Everybody In Love’. There’s a surprising amount of Eurodance influences, like the effects on ‘One Shot’ that reminds me of Sash!, of all artists. Too bad I feel like I’ve heard the lyrics a million times before, but JLS is certainly a well-produced album. The singing is passable too, although I cannot tell their voices apart at all. You could have played me this album and told me it was by a solo artist and I probably wouldn’t have questioned it. Wearing different colours is not enough to ensure the boys have different identities, they should try and sound a little bit individual on record, too. A lot of conventions are broken with JLS – there’s no obviously shit vocalist or dancer, for example, and their debut album veers much more into dance music than a Westlife or Boyzone album could ever dream of. Still, the only memorable songwriting you’ll find on this entire record is in the first single, and there isn’t a hook as obvious either. In ten years we won’t be looking back saying “Remember the first JLS album?” though we will be getting all nostalgic for ‘Beat Again’.
There’s always this issue with music that is geared towards a certain fanbase – do we judge it against all other music or do we judge the music keeping in mind it is made for teenage girls? When compared against the whole pop scene of 2009, JLS seems like it’s trying to keep up but can’t help but feel very dated. When compared to other boyband music, past and present, JLS instantly seems much stronger than it is. JLS are easily as good as the Backstreet Boys but they’re no Jackson 5. A somewhat surprising but ultimately unfulfilling debut that deserves to be applauded for effort but not inspiration.
**
Richard Croft
