New Kids on the Block, 'The Block'

Backstory: In the early ‘80s, long before Lou Pearlman assembled boy bands *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys in Orlando, Maurice Starr put together pop music sensations New Edition and New Kids on the Block in Boston. The Jackson 5–inspired New Edition was closely emulated by the poppier (and whiter) NKOTB, from uptempo bops like “Step By Step” to ballads such as “Please Don’t Go Girl.” The group rode a wave of unprecedented success through three albums (four if you count the Christmas one) before breaking up in 1994. “The Block” marks the first NKOTB release in 14 years.

Why you should care: With a meteoric rise that foreshadowed the later success of other boy bands, NKOTB are a genuine pop music curiosity. And though Donnie Wahlberg, Joe McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight and Danny Wood are not kids anymore, they do still have some pep in their step.

Verdict: It’s a real shame that the group’s comeback attempt follows the same formula of so many other contemporary R&B/pop acts, from using producers like Timbaland (who phones in a dance beat for “Twisted”) and Polow Da Don (reprising chants he’s already given to Usher and Fergie on “Single” and “Lights, Camera, Action”) to grabbing overexposed guest stars like Akon (who dominates the Kids on the weak “Put It on My Tab”). Few of the producers bother to take the guys’ voices off of T-Pain-styled Auto-Tune to let their actual talent shine, an absurdity highlighted in the worst way on “Full Service,” a wasted collaboration with New Edition.

X-Factor: Let’s face it; the album is a sideshow to the main attraction, a massive North American tour that kicks off in Toronto later this month.

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