iiiIf you have Everybody or I Want It That Way on your most-played list, Backstreet Boys' latest release is unlikely to take pride of place on your 'favourites' playlist. This Is Us is an album of electro-pop which will give you a reason to show off your best moves, but won't appeal to long-standing fans.
First single Straight Through My Heart is a catchy number produced by RedOne, the man responsible for Lady Gaga's Just Dance and Poker Face, but melodically it's unfortunately reminiscent of the band's earliest hits such as We've Got It Going On.
Bigger starts off pleasantly enough with simple guitars, but the irritatingly infectious 'la la la' hook will aggravate youbefore the first chorus is over. Bye Bye Love features an annoying falsetto and overly repetitive chorus, like something a mid-90s boy band would produce. This is a problem with many of the songs - despite hot producers, they wouldn't have sounded out of place on the band's first album.
It's not all bad, though. The songs are catchy and danceable. The title track and If I Knew Then are R&B enough to appeal to fans of that genre, but of a similar enough vibe to the old tunes to please BSB lovers. The heartfelt Shattered is a beautifully poignant ballad, and Undone, produced by Ryan Tedder shows off the Boys' vocals. Fans shouldn't give up hope quite yet.