The only review of Now Or Never worth reading

I've been a fan of the Backstreet Boys since age nine, which means I'm going on about seven or eight years of pure devotion and crazed dedication.

Now, I'm not going to sit and explain why I'm a fan of theirs, as I've done so here at Epinions too many times before. Despite what I say here, you will have it set in your mind that I am nothing but a little teenybopper. I'm fine with that.

One thing I will tell you is that even though I am a fan of the group, you could say I was less than thrilled when rumors of a Nick Carter solo project surfaced. Don't get me wrong, I was happy if this was going to make Nick happy, but his attitude towards the group seemed twisted.

I'll make a long story short. I heard his music and I got over it. Quickly.

Note: I hope the title of this review does not offend anyone, as it was not meant to demean or criticize the other members who reviewed Now Or Never. I meant it in a comical way. :)

The Music
As I said in my review of O-Town's O2, I know little about the production of Now Or Never, nor do I care. I am simply going by what I hear.

Now Or Never opens up with Help Me, the song chosen as the first single. The safety net. The track sounds "different enough" for the audience to know it wasn't just a Backstreet track, but poppish enough to prevent scaring off his main following: the BSB fanbase. It's not too bad really. Nick didn't write it, but he claims he feels the message in the lyrics. Whatever. At least it's not baby girl, you don't know how much I love you darlin' babe. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Help Me served its purpose. And its purpose was to show that this was a "new" Nick Carter.

My Confession is one of my favorites. The three or four bars of the piano that are played as a constant beat against the other instruments is interesting. Not something I've heard before. Even though I don't prefer Nicky's voice in the group (I think Brian and AJ top him in that department), I really enjoy the way he sounds here. The lyrics? You can hear the same thing on any Backstreet album.

Carter is rebellious, hear him roar! lol. I Stand For You is Nick's declaration of independence, rebellion, freedom (yatta yatta yatta). The chorus is what saves the song, because otherwise Nicky is pushing this image a bit too much. I mean, really...I'm gonna run forever/Say whatever/Take a chance in what I believe in/I'm gonna have a tattoo/I'm gonna have an attitude/Gonna tell my girlfriend that I'm leaving/'Cause I'm free to say what I wanna say/And I'm feeling that it's time to get away. Right. I'm not saying these are bad lyrics, but in my opinion he's close to cheesy here. It's okay though, Nicky can play bad boy for a little bit if he wants. He just better be back in before it gets dark.

Do I Have To Cry For You is gorgeous. I do know that Nick wrote this, and just some background info: this was the song that inspired Jive to give Nick a solo record deal. Irving Azoff, the Backstreet Boys' manager, claims Jive coersced Nick into doing this. *shrugs* Don't ask me. I'm just the messenger. Anyway, the song is just great. It's a powerful ballad with raspy, beautiful vocals. Nicky shines quite brightly here. Because of this song, people are comparing him to Bryan Adams. Whatever, I don't really care. But I'd love to see this done in concert...whoo what an experience that would be. (Note: this is the 2nd single in the U.S.)

Falling into Now Or Never's "pure cheese" category is Girls In The USA, which could only mean one thing: I love it. The song features an up-and-coming Shaggy-esque reggae artist named Mr. Vegas, who 'raps' about a third of the way into the song (note: this is the only collaborative work on Now Or Never). If I knew what he was saying, I would be able to tell you what I think of it, but I can't. Guys, Girls In The USA is just plain catchy. Some critics like to say this is when Nick flexes his rock muscle on Now Or Never. Ok. Whatever. If that's how you want to put it. The song is driven by a strong guitar, drum, and bass line. Another song I would die to hear live. To all my Carolina girls let me rock y'all! *grins*

I Got You is a work of art. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. Nick's vocals are displayed best on this track. No doubt about it. He is absolutely breathtaking. The lyrics are so pretty, and the music is just so airy and, well the first word that comes to mind is free. So there you have it. This song is one of the best on Now Or Never. Once more, I have a feeling this would be a mesmerizing live performance. (Note: this is the 2nd single in Europe)

For me, Is It Saturday Yet? is probably the only skippable track on Now Or Never. The verses are promising, but the music they are set against is not the best. The chorus? It could use a lot of work. However, I particularly like the bridge of the song. Some call it 'rapping,' but I'm hesitant to label it that. Who cares? Also, the way he ends it is humorous and arouses a chuckle in me.

Blow Your Mind. The song title says it all. This is a definite highlight of Now Or Never. The opening notes to the song are a definite throwback to the unmistakable 80s pop/rock sound. The whole thing is. What I particularly love about the way he sings this song is the manner in which he builds up the chorus climactically and busts out the better half of his vocal ability, singing ...and I will blow - your - mind! It's hard to explain, but it is so awesome to hear. This could quite possibly be considered the best track on the album.

Alright, now we're taken back to that "pure cheese" category I was talking about earlier. Miss America was well crafted to please his pop-loving followers. A few moans and groans here, a few provacative lyrics there, a slow, slinky beat, and you have hormonally hooked thousands upon thousands of teen girls. This is the only song of such a nature that made its way onto Now Or Never. Is it a bad song? No. But its purpose on the album is painfully obvious to anyone who wouldn't buy Nick Carter's boxers off of eBay.

I Just Wanna Take You Home was not an immediate favorite for me, but after buying the album and taking a few more listens, it finally took hold of me. What a great song! It's hard to know what to compare it to. It has a fun, upbeat feel, with lyrics that anyone my age can most likely relate to (basically, it's saying 'let's cut the crap and have some fun'). Don't you hate it when you sweat/And your legs are going numb?/When you get that feeling of regret/And it makes you wanna run?/But there I am playing nice/Meeting your parents/When all I wanna say is/I just wanna take you home/We can make a story of our own/Please don't get me wrong/I just wanna! I'm feelin' it, Nicky, I'm feelin' it!

Do I Have To Cry For You might be a great ballad, but I really like Heart Without a Home (I'll Be Yours) so much better. The lyrics are clever but simplistic and sweet at the same time, and Nick just sounds downright incredible on this track. In a way that I can't explain, he stretches his voice to a point that I haven't heard from him before. Listening to him sing for seven years now, you could say I would know the difference. I love to watch you/Like candy to my eyes/Like a movie that you seem to gotta watch just one more time/That smile you're wearing/Is a beautiful disguise/It's just something you put on to hide the emptiness inside/You seem so lonely/But you don't have to anymore. Aw. *wipes a tear* (well, not really). lol. Still, this is a great song. The best ballad on Now Or Never.

Now Or Never ends on a warm, familiar note. Who Needs The World could very well fit on any Backstreet Boys album comfortably. Being a fan of the group, this song does nothing but comfort me and make me smile. I could just hear Brian opening up the song with verse one, Howie using his high pitch on verse two, and all of the guys harmonizing on the chorus. The simplistic, acoustic sound reminds me of What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful) (BSB's Black & Blue), or That's What She Said (a solo song from Brian Littrell - if you're a fan of the group you've heard it). The lyrics are sugary sweet, Nick sounds exceptional. All in all, it was a very nice way to end the album.

My odd, somewhat twisted perceptions
Really, you can skip this part if you want. These are simply some thoughts that I have on Nick, his solo venture, and him going back to the group.

Nick opens up the album with Help Me, an ode to 20-something confusion and freedom. This solo album was something Nick has always wanted to do for himself and not for anyone else. It was his way off proving to himself that he's more than just a Backstreet Boy. As the album progresses, we are shown a wide array of everything that represents Nick. But not surprisingly, he rounds out Now Or Never with Who Needs The World, a tune that (in my opinion) is a thanks and appreciation for his roots. He knows what genre of music got him to where he is today. At the end of the day, I think he knows he can be "Nick Carter the man" and "Nick Carter the Backstreet Boy" at the same time.

I just wanna thank you
This really is another pointless part of my review that you can skip over if you want, but because it is my review, I wanted to include a section of the thank yous. Why? Well, you'll see.

And last but not least, for the past 10 years I've had the best family that anyone could ask for. They've been my fathers, my brothers, my mentors, my everything. They've taught me how to value life and I have a little bit of each of them in my blood. And so I thank you Howie, Kevin, AJ and Brian -- I love you guys and it's because of you that I can do this. So with all the sweat, blood and tears that we have shared together I dedicate this album to you.

Enough said? I think so.

Talkin' 'bout some limited edition right here
I got the limited edition version of Now Or Never, which means I was fortunate enough to get the DVD that came along with it. The DVD includes the Help Me video, a few (corny) interviews, an I Got You video montage (if that's what you want to call it), footage of him recording (kinda) in Europe, photos (um, yay?), and some website thingamajig that I didn't look at.

I mean, I paid $11.88 for this album (at Target), and while the DVD wasn't superb...I didn't expect it to be for what I paid. Regardless, the album rocks. The DVD is just a little bonus. If you're not really a fanatic like me, don't bother with the limited edition version, but I doubt there's some outrageous price difference (if there's a price difference at all).

Final Recommendation
* Great album? Yes. If I can sit and listen to it all the way through and not skip a single song, you know Nick must've done something right.

* Worthy of your $$$? Definitely. If you're cautious and still unsure about buying it, places like Target or Best Buy price new releases at $11 and sometimes $9.

* Radically different from BSB material? To you, no. But being a loyal Backstreet listener for so long, obviously I am able to see a substantial difference in sound. When a critic says that the songs on Now Or Never could have been on a BSB album, I just laugh. I would have to disagree with that, but I won't delve into why.

As I've said so many times before, give Now Or Never a chance. You've seen what I have to say about it, you've seen what others have had to say about it. But if you're close minded, you'll never truly be a music lover.

EDIT: I wrote this a few hours ago, not realizing that this is November 21st. Today marks exactly two years since the Boys released Black & Blue. There's just a little useless piece of info for you. :)