A Band Apart

The Backstreet Boys are always known to evoke extreme reactions, whether of admiration or hatred. The first I heard of them was "Everybody", during some dance competition in school in 1998. I loved the song, had it on some audio cassette too. I didn't think too much of the Boys though (what vocal talent can you judge from that song). A few months later, I spied this live performance of them on some music channel. It was an acoustic performance filled with a wide array of their ballads and harmonies. Then came Millennium, their biggest album to date. And I became a fan. Apart from their amazing vocal talents, the hundreds of interviews have shown them to be down-to-earth people who came from modest backgrounds, and reached success through determination and hard work. So, I scoff at people who dismiss them as a "boy-band", whom they are nothing like.

Rather than the talent show creations that came after them, the Backstreet Boys were a self-formed group. They went through the labors of going on cross-country road-trips to play their music before they got a record deal. This was no different from any rock group that I am a fan of, except this is a group of five singers, an acapella group. "Acapella" is the magic word here, that separates them from the flood of pre-packaged talentless pop acts. Their countless performances over the years in concerts, award shows, TV shows bear testimony to their amazing vocal abilities. So, people saying "they can't sing", just demonstrate their blatant ignorance and nothing more. Individually, they are five different personalities with their own vocal style and influences. Brian is a devout Christian musician with Gospel influences as part of being in school church choirs. Same with Kevin and Howie, but Kevin is a fan of country music and soul, and Howie of Latino music and R&B. AJ has old school rock-and-roll, funk and jazz influences, while Nick is inclined towards classic rock and metal. In their trademark five-part harmonies, all five alternate being tenors and counter-tenors. Kevin is mostly the baritone. AJ and Nick trade places for bass. Howie is the usual counter-tenor.

Then there's those that call them, or their music "gay". That word seems to have become a loser's easiest way out. You just hate someone without really knowing why, then you just justify that by calling them gay. "They're gay coz they sing love songs". Did you get the lyrics of "Nothing Else Matters"or "The Unforgiven 2" faggot? Yes, the BSB do sing a lot of love songs. But if you get your head out of your ass, and actually listen to their whole albums, you would see that over the years, their lyrics and content has matured. Songs like The Perfect Fan (written by Brian), The Answer To Our Life, Time (co-written by all), Weird World, Never Gone (written by Kevin), Moving On (written by Howie), to name a few, deal with various other aspects of life. A message song does not have to be anti-establishment or one abusing George W Bush. In fact, the best message you could give would actually be one that is positive.

So there you have it. I am a Backstreet Boys fan. And I love rock too. In fact, if there is one genre I would single out, that I listen to the most, it would be rock. Apart from BSB, there is hardly any pop that I listen to. Moreover, the BSB combine elements of rock and R&B, with the occasional country and soul influence perfectly.

My playlist has both 'I Want It That Way' and 'Nymphetamine'. I can listen to 'Shape of My Heart' and 'Turn The Page' in the same breath. I put on 'Wake Up' to fire me up, and listen to 'Show Me The Meaning' when I unwind. So go ahead motherfucker, blabber what you want, here's my two arms raised, one with the Devil's horns and the other with the finger!

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