Now or Never? Whatever.

Nick Carter
Now or Never

1. Help Me *
2. My Confession *
3. I Stand for You *
4. Do I Have to Cry for You *
5. Girls in the USA
6. I Got You *
7. Is It Saturday Yet? *
8. Blow Your Mind *
9. Miss America
10. I Just Wanna Take You Home *
11. Heart Without A Home
12. Who Needs the World
13. Scandalicious (Asian release - Bonus) *
14. End of Forever (Asian release - Bonus) *

Best: Blow Your Mind
Worst: Girls in the USA

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter's album Now or Never is good but it is out of place. If this was released in the late 90s after the teen pop explosion, this would be a hit. Today? Ziltch. Now or Never is a rock/pop album that is just so out of place in today's industry. It's like buying a New Kids on the Block album in the grunge period. Most of the songs are just bubblegum rock. It's a mixture of bubblegum pop and soft rock but it's so soft, you can squeeze it to nothingess. Only Blow Your Mind stands out among the lot with its heavy rift but still, it's a pop song. And what's with the downpour of Backstreet Boys-crooning ballads in he form of Who Needs the World and others? It's I Need You Tonight all over!

I still think that this offering is better compared to Justin Timberlake, which for me sounds so contrived and constipated -- in Michael Jackson mode. This album is light but it's boring. Minus Blow Your Mind, I Stand for You, Is It Saturday Yet? and My Confession, this is a Backstreet Boys album. The sound was too formulaic and it's lack of inventiveness leaves the listeners in a moment of blankness. Also, the lyrics are so flimsy, especially the tracks that he penned. It's like his kid brother Aaron Carter singing some of the tracks. So, it's either a Backstreet Boys album or an Aaron Carter album.

Passe and Formulaic. Now or Never will pass as the perfect pop album but in the market dictated by R&B, Hip Hop and Rock (not soft rock), this is just so out of place. Max Martin compositions (Blow Your Mind, I Got You, I Just Wanna Take You Home) are worth the listen and I'm still trying to recover from the blunder that the Matrix did with Who Needs the World. Do I Have to Cry For You just screams Bryan Adams but I'm still not sure about Girls in the USA -- too scary for me to listen. Nick Carter's vocals are good with it's raspiness but the sound is too pure for him. Maybe more bass and guitar rifts will do the trick to be able to make heads turn for Nick Carter. But a good album nonetheless.

Album Rating: 3.5