NME Reviews

Backstreet Boys : The Call

Is this the greatest single in the history of Planet Earth? Oh yes indeed.

Who could have imagined that, after such a long reign as men kings of pop, the Backstreet Boys would find themselves in a 'which is best?' contest with their arch-adversary tribute band *N Sync? Current popular thinking swings toward the Syncs.


We can put this down to the perverse side of human nature that suddenly decides it prefers Pepsi to Coke or 'Miami 7' to 'LA 7'. They are wrong. *N Sync may have been first off the boy band blocks (very big in Germany since 1972 apparently) but it's how you play the game, run the race, every loser wins, or whatever.


Backstreet have far more style and class and a much smaller mutant count amongst its members. 'The Call' is fast, futuristic and, in the video, Howie turns into a girl. In your face Lance Bass!


Timothy Mark

10 out of 10

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