Backstreet Boys Are Bad Imitators

Bob Gendron of the Chicago Tribune reviewed the Backstreet Boys’ concert on August 19th at Northerly Island. Gendron writes, “Following a four-year layoff, the group is staging a comeback, having refashioned their tinsel-toned dance sound and become Def Leppard lite. Live, the sonic makeover turned out to be a mistake. Nothing about the Backstreet Boys’ cotton-candy music or uneven choreography rocked. Instead of spotlighting the quintet’s harmonizing capabilities, the hair-metal anthems and power ballads were often tailored for one singer and rendered the remaining members useless.”