98 Degrees Album: “Revelation”

Since I can't give 4 and a half stars, I rounded up to 5 :) This CD is certainly a polishing of the already smooth 98 style. The ballads, in comparison with their old albums are even better, while the pop songs on the album are entering N Sync territory, but they have that special rounded 98° sound. Besides what's wrong with N Sync's style? 2 Million record buyers can't be wrong. But on this album, the beautiful love songs, should get the most attention. The haunting "Yesterday's Letter" with it's soulful piano, the romantic "The Way You Do", the melancholy "You Don't Know," are all key examples of the songs that deserve a close listen. But why the half off? While I respect 98° for writing part of almost every song on this album, it definitely shows they've done their homework...in cheesy cliqued pop songwriter school. I was hoping they could rise above the 'you's and do's', and put meaning above an easy rhyme. Not always the case on this album. Also, I was disappointed with the lack of accapella on this album. The interlude "Give it All" is lovely, but only 40 seconds? Come on guys, treat us fans to an entire unaccompanied ditty! Still, those are minor imperfections, just listen to the gorgeous melodies and you'll be taken away to a land of pop perfection.

Wow! 98 Degrees's new CD, REVELATION, really blew me away! I couldn't believe how awesome and different this CD is in comparision to their 1998 album, 98 DEGREES AND RISING, (which I proudly own). People think that N'Sync's NO STRINGS ATTACHED album is the best album of the year...but 98 Degrees's REVELATION is soooo much better then NO STRINGS ATTACHED! (Of course, the Backstreet Boys' new album, BLACK AND BLUE, will probably be my new favorite once it comes out on sale, but REVELATION is my favorite album so far this year!)

98 Degrees has really grown up both as individuals and as a group. Their voices are really strong and amazing on this album. REVELATION was totally beyond my expectations! Nick is my favorite from 98 Degrees (but he's going out with Jessica Simpson so...?) Anyway, here's what I think of all the songs on this CD:

1.) "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" -- Probably my favorite song on this entire album. It's a great Latin/pop song with a good beat and a danceable tune. They're voices are awesome on this song.

2.) "The Way You Want Me To" -- I like the lyrics to this song. It's also another good upbeat and danceable song.

3.) "Stay The Night" -- A wonderful song. This song kinda reminds me of their song, "Because of You", (from their 98 DEGREES AND RISING album), especially the music and even the lyrics and the way they sing them, but still a very sweet song. Kinda romantic. Another one of my favorites.

4.) "Yesterday's Letter" -- A nice ballad. Not one of my favorites, though.

5.) "He'll Never Be...(What I Used To Be To You)" -- This is a really cool song. I love the beat and lyrics to it. It's a great party song and a song you can really dance to.

6.) "I'll Give It All" [Interlude] -- A very good song for an interlude. Not much to say here.

7.) "My Everything" -- One of my favorites. It's a really great song.

8.) "You Should Be Mine" -- I love this song, too. But it sounds kinda like the Backstreet Boys's song, "The One" (from their 1999 MILLENNIUM album). It even has the same kind of beat, lyrics, and the song is even sort of about that.

9.) "You don't Know" -- A really good song. Not much else to say here.

10.) "Dizzy" -- This song makes me dizzy. Just kidding! It's a really nice song...just don't be fooled by the title!

11.) "The Way You Do" -- Another great song...but not one of my favorites.

12.) "Always You And I" -- A very sweet song.

13.) "Never Giving Up" -- A pretty good song.

Over all, a very excellent album by an amazing singing group. A lot of people also underrate 98 Degrees because they think 98 Degrees is "just another boy band". But that's not true! 98 Degrees deserves credit, too! Just like every other band in the music industry, they've worked really hard to get to where they are today. REVELATION shows the true images of the guys, and shows their true selves. And they prove with this album that they are more than "just another boy band"! Check it out!

P.S.: If you like this album by 98 Degrees, then also check out the Backstreet Boys...you're sure to love them, too!!

I hope this review helps!

Its about time 98 Degrees change their name to 198 Degrees!! This album really show-cases their talent, sets them apart from others and establishes them as succesful artists. 98* totally turn around and get into hot, uptempos that make you want to get up and dance and believe me, I did!! I love the up-tempo "The Way You Want Me To". It really shows that they CAN sing up-tempo songs, not just ballads. They also add some latin flavor to their music by the hit "Una Noche." Of course, their ballads are still as soulful and romantic as they were before. I recommend you to listen to "My Everything", I song that Nick Lachey wrote for his girlfriend Jessica Simpson. It is the most LOVELY song ever! I cried when I first listened to it. Overall, this is a MUST GET! Its steaming hot!

98 Degrees, best known for its mushy ballads and heartfelt harmonies, prove that they too can bring catchy uptempos to your stereos with their much-anticipated fourth album, REVELATION, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums. Having written/co-written 10 of the 12 songs on the album with talented songwriters like Swedish pair Anders Bagge and Arnthor Birgisson, Rhett Lawrence, Sam Watters (of now disbanded Color Me Badd) and Louis Biancaniello, etc., brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre give us a taste of the revelations they've learned the past 5 years.

The first single off Revelation, "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)", a Latin-tinged dance song, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song also set an all-time record of having 170 radio stations add the single to their playlists, beating the record previously owned by Britney Spears by 15 "adds" with "Oops! I Did It Again".

But that's not all that Revelation has to offer. With 6 uptempos, 6 other ballads (including a midtempo) and a beautiful a capella interlude, 98 Degrees shows that being adventurous doesn't mean having to stray away from the 98 Degrees that their fans have grown to know and love.

Uptempos like "The Way You Want Me To" (co-written by Nick and Drew), which the guys performed at the 2000 Miss Teen USA pageant last August, can have you shake your bootay to its catchy beats, perhaps reminiscent of the now popular "dirty pop" brand of uptempos. The guys say they try not to take themselves too seriously either, with "Dizzy" (co-written by Nick and Drew), an uptempo where Nick raps a few rhymes.

Other uptempos like "He'll Never Be (What I Used To Be To You)" (co-written by Jeff) and "You Should Be Mine" (co-written by Nick) could get you to the dance floor in an instant with their catchy beats and pronounced lyrics like "You'll never find / a heart that is half as true / I guess you really never knew / But soon you'll see / That he'll never be / what I used to be to you" and "I wanna be the one in your life / I wanna be the one by your side / I wanna be the one to show you / Oh baby you should be mine".

"Stay The Night", on the other hand, with its soft midtempo beats and carefully strung harmonies, reminds us of the guys' previous hits, "Because Of You", "Still" and "Christmas Wish" from This Christmas.

"Yesterday's Letter" (co-written by Drew and Jeff), which in my opinion is the best song on the album, takes you to a moody scenario of a break up. Perhaps as melancholy as the group's previous hit "The Hardest Thing", "Yesterday's Letter" tugs at one's emotions with its soft piano keys and painfully sung lyrics, "My heart still beats for you / breathes for you / sings for you / and those feelings will never fade / I can hide my pain / But I can never hide the way I feel for you".

A treat for harmony fans is reserved in "I'll Give It All", an a capella interlude. Though lasting only 39 seconds, the interlude boasts of the group's strong yet gentle, heavenly harmonies.

"My Everything" (co-written by Nick and Justin), this time reminiscent of the group's hit, "I Do (Cherish You)", is a ballad that can double as a love song, as well as an inspirational/spiritual song.

"You Don't Know" (co-written by Nick), another soft-tinged, emotional ballad, takes us to the familiar/unfamiliar strings of unrequited love. "The Way You Do", also a ballad (co-written by Drew), is an affirmation of love. "Always You And I", yet another ballad, (co-written by Nick) takes us to a man's affirmation of love that has yet to be found.

The album ends with "Never Giving Up" (co-written by Jeff and Justin), an Earth Wind and Fire-sounding uptempo. "Never Giving Up" starts with soft piano keys and gradually infuses with dance beats.

Sure, the uptempos remind you of those tracks from *NSYNC's "No Strings Attached", and these guys wince at the words "boy band". But listen to the fusion of the uptempos -- which personally I'm not really a fan of -- and the ballads, and it's a new 98 Degrees, yet a familiar one at that. They formed themselves, have a wide variety for a fan base, have wonderful voices, have a hands-on approach to music, but have sought a wider audience with Revelation. And it looks good for them.

The album as a whole is a delightful mix of "dirty pop" and beautiful ballads. The group has strayed a little bit away from their Motown roots but has manages to introduce a new audience to its music with their pop tunes. The guys' debut album, self-titled 98 Degrees, is purely R&B. The second album "98 Degrees And Rising" is a "half-pop" album, showing the transition from R&B to pop. Now REVELATION completes the cycle by giving us "pop/R&B 98 Degrees" at its best. These guys are evolving as musicians and performers -- and with regards to longetivity, we will definitely be seeing more of them in the future.

Most people confuse 98 Degrees with today's teen pop boybands. But truly they are not. They simply happened to debut at the same time of those put together by mass production. All four struggled in the beginning together as a group of friends to reach somewhere on the music scene. The guys themselves look up to the musical talents of those like BoyzIIMen and Take 6. There for their music is filled with meaningful lyrics and inspiring harmonies. My personal favorite 98 Degrees album is 98 Degrees & Rising. It shows off their ballad singing talents but mixes in some upbeat tunes. Revelation is more milked to fit the needs of pop, but still good itself. I do recomend buying the CD. Here is how I rate each song:

1. Una Noche: Great first single! Catchy with a latin flare :) *****

2. The Way You Want Me To: Great song to dance to :) ****

3. Stay the Night: Good song to spend making eye contact with you're loved one with and has a nice head boppin' beat. ****

4. Yesterday's Letter: Shows off the guys vocal abilties well. Beautifully written, and emotionally gets you. *****

5. He'll Never Be: Fun song for when you're mad at someone! ****

6. I'll Give It All: Breif, but wonderful accapella work. *****

7. My Everything: Beautifully written, perfect love ballad *****

8. You Should be Mine: Unique sounding, but another fun danceable, head boppin' type of song. ****

9. You Don't Know: Shows off the guys vocals very well, very nice slow song. ***

10. Dizzy: This song would've been a great single for them. Very danceable and fun :) *****

11. Way You Do: Gorgeous lyrics, very sweet song! ****

12. Always You and I: Another good song that shows off the guys' vocal talents. ***

13. Never Giving up: This song is ok. It has a nice beat, but is not as catchy as some of the others on the CD. **

14. Never Let Go: A very sweet love ballad. Very well written and sung! ****

15. Can You Imagine: Very lovely song, good beat. ***