Music » Teen Pop Music

New Jersey's favorite sons in the days before Bruce Springsteen, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons were practically the only group from the doo-wop era to continue to thrive during (and after) the British Invasion. Aside from a natural facility for four-part harmony, the group had the added advantage of keyboardist Bob Gaudio (who wrote most of the group's hits) and producer Bob Crewe, who gave the songs a Spector-esque sheen. This disc collects the best Four Seasons stuff from 1962 to 1965, including "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Dawn (Go Away)." It's an appealing package, but provides an incomplete picture of the group; Four Seasons fans should definitely check out Volume 2, which includes more complex later hits like "Let's Hang On" and "Working My Way Back To You." --Dan Epstein

Release Date: 2000-05-23, Audio CD, Capitol

Common wisdom holds that debut albums have an autobiographical slant, so it's hard to believe that Justin Timberlake's first non-'N Sync outing doesn't purloin much of its subject matter from the singer's breakup with Britney Spears. Half the songs are about the abrupt severing of a romance and the singer's rather hard-hearted stance. Sure, he may have been the wronged party, but that doesn't excuse the inflexible emotional posture revealed in "Cry Me a River," "Never Again," and the sniping "Last Night." But Timberlake apparently thinks it does, since he christened his record Justified. He also seems to enjoy boasting about the swinging single life, with many of the songs here almost gratuitously lascivious. Asides like "I could think of a couple positions for you" from "Right for Me" and "Better have you naked by the end of this song" from "Rock Your Body" will catapult the singer right off Radio Disney. But Timberlake shines when he moonwalks into more adult terrain, turning his back on the innocent dance pop that put 'N Sync on the charts. With the help of hip-hop producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, Timbaland, and P. Diddy, Timberlake has turned out a remarkably cohesive and sophisticated slice of club-friendly R&B. --Jaan Uhelszki

It was a short run but a sweet one--for those, anyway, who could hear the real craft that went into David Cassidy's ghost vocals for his Keith Partridge character. Post-Monkees studio pop whose occasional lite-blue mood you can take (or leave) just as seriously as you want to, this singles collection has its moments of real genius: not just "I Think I Love You" but also the mini-Spector "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," which recapitulates the theme. --Rickey Wright

Release Date: 1992-07-14, Audio CD, Curb Special Markets

Two comely teenage lesbian lovers from Russia who happen to sing? That seems more like marketing masterstroke than pop music likelihood, so it's fair to question the authenticity of t.A.T.u.'s English language debut. It's impossible to know where t.A.T.u.'s talent begins and ends and just how much influence their various handlers and producer Trevor Horn had over 200 Km/h in the Wrong Lane, but it's probably a moot point to the intended demographic. Horn's background working with electro-pop dandies Pet Shop Boys and Frankie Goes to Hollywood is evident in the crisp, driving synth cushioning singers Lena Katina and Julia Volkova's gossamer vocals. Wink-nudge lyrical references to girls loving girls--presented in serviceable if phonetic English--are in evidence, though they're more coy than graphic. "All the Things She Said," a sparkly, chorus-driven rave-up, seems to make the case for sexual equality, while "Show Me Love"--which appears in regular and extended versions--is a dance floor missive aimed straight at the clubs. Best, though, is an unintentionally ironic cover of the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now." The song, a benchmark of loneliness and hopelessness, is utterly transformed into a chirpy duet which, all things considered, may be the best gimmick of all! --Kim Hughes

Release Date: 1998-10-27, Audio CD, Arista

Release Date: 1990-02-28, Audio CD, Capitol

Release Date: 1995-10-31, Audio CD, Curb Special Markets

Release Date: 2002-08-27, Audio CD, Hollywood Records