98°

Really, 98° is a great idea for a teen pop band: Take an attractive boy band in the vein of Take That or *NSync and have them sing Boyz II Men crossed with the Backstreet Boys. 98° followed this formula on their eponymous debut and were more or less successful. However, they've mastered the sound on their second record, 98° & Rising. Like any teen pop with chart aspirations, 98° & Rising is far from a perfect album, as it alternates sure-fire hits with filler cut from the same mold, but that should be expected. What's nice is that songs like "The Hardest Thing" and "True to Your Heart" are well-crafted radio singles, with memorable hooks and excellent production. That same production -- which makes the ballads smoove and the dance-pop infectious -- carries weaker moments of the record, but at the end of the day, it's the singles that make 98° & Rising entertaining. And for many fans, that will be quite enough indeed. [The Holland edition features two bonus tracks, "Invisible Man" and a remix of "Hardest Thing," a slightly different track order, and three bonus videos.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide