Celebrity

*NSYNC

The boy balladeers of 'N Sync have always kept in step with their competition, but with Celebrity, they've entered a different race altogether. Members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez (who co-wrote and co-produced most of the tracks on this album) have drawn on R&B, hip-hop, and electronica to make a remarkably adult mix. While younger fans will love the disc (it is 'N Sync, after all), older listeners will be surprised and pleased by the Prince-influenced "Gone," the Miami bass beat of "The Two of Us," and the Stevie Wonder harmonica cameo on "Something Like You." The disc only fails in its more predictable territory: the title track's lyrics are hopelessly generic ("Would you be so into me / if I wasn't a celebrity"). The Swedish-pop machine (also behind Britney Spears) cranks out two solid dance tracks ("Tell Me, Tell Me...Baby" and "Just Don't Tell Me That"), but his offerings are hardly as innovative, or as much fun, as the band's own contributions. Overall, Celebrity, is a triumph, and unlike many of their teen-pop peers, the members of 'N Sync (or Timberlake and Chasez, at least) promise solid careers ahead. --Courtney Kemp

Celebrity Album: