Review: Hanson – Underneath
It was obvious from the start (early 1997) they weren’t the normal kind of boyband. They shouldn’t have been called that in the first place, as they’ve outlived a few generations of those. Heck, one of the brothers is now married and a father. No, it obvious they were a real rock band (though slinging a few poppy tunes our way) when they delivered their first album, all written and performed by themselves. They went on to prove themselves with an extensive live tour, and took on producer duties on the following albums. The release of This Time Around (2000) already marked a rougher type of rock, while still sharpening the lyrics.
With this long awaited album, they’ve shown they’ve grown able to produce a full-blown mature rock album. Not only that, they’ve set up their own record label through which this album is released, as one of the reasons of the delays (they were already in the studios recording in 2001) is the Polygram and Universal merger, where they jumped from Mercury to the Def Jam label, not exactly a place a rock band wants to be. As a result, their first single, has hit the number 2 spot of the Billboard’s singles charts already, being the first independent distributed release to reach the top.
The album rocks from top to bottom, with several rock styles to be savored. The whole album radiates a happy atmosphere (as opposed to the somewhat darker This Time Around), with an upbeat rhythm and a range of acoustic and electric compositions. The jump from pop to rock doesn’t mean the songs aren’t as catchy as their previous range of songs. More than half of them are picked out easily, while the other ones clearly have the potential to grow on you. Keeping the lyrics diverse and the vocals sharp and harmonious, it’s quality all over. That alone would be enough, where it not they threw in quantity as well (15 tracks !).9-.