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Solange Knowles and New Kids on the Block CD Reviews

Reviewed by on Aug 27, 2008
Rating: 4 Star Rating

Solange Knowles has got soul, while the New Kids prepare us for The Block with some greatest hits. Kidzworld takes a listen.

Solange Knowles has got soul, while the New Kids prepare us for The Block with some greatest hits. Kidzworld takes a listen.

Solange Knowles :: Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams

On her 2003 debut, Solo Star, Solange Knowles leaned heavily towards R&B and hip hop sounds similar to that of her sister, Beyonce and her group Destiny's Child. This time around, Solange goes old school and dabbles in '50s doo-wop, '60s-style soul and '70s disco--everything that Beyonce is not, basically! While there are some interesting tracks, like I Decided, which also has a cool, time-traveling video, and album closer This Bird, for the most part Sol-Angel sounds the same from track to track, and fails to really capture the spirit of all the different decades it's trying to fit into.

Fun Facts

  • Solange got married when she was 17, to football player Daniel Smith. They got divorced last year.
  • The first single from Sol-Angel, I Decided, was produced by the Neptunes, who have also produced Britney Spears (I'm a Slave 4 U) and Justin Timberlake (Justified).
  • Solange has a blog, HadleyStreetJournal.com, where she writes about her music and her life.
  • Both Solange and her sister Beyonce model for their mother's clothing line, House of Dereon.

Hot Tracks

I Decided, Sandcastle Disco, This Bird
Rating: 3

New Kids on the Block :: Greatest Hits

They've released a greatest hits album before, so maybe this one is to make sure people remember their past--before they release The Block in September 2008. This one is pretty similar to the one released in 1999, but steps it up a notch with a remix of Games and a few duets, as well as a Mega Mix of all their best stuff in one track, which is sure to get fans excited out on the dance floor. Things get a little slow in the middle with two many ballads in a row, but all in all, it's a great reminder of how NKOTB were the boy band of the moment before N*SYNC and the Jonas Brothers were even thinking about stardom. Let's hope that they can keep up the magic on The Block!

Fun Facts

  • When NKOTB officially reunited in May 2008 on the Today Show, they set an audience record with 4000 people out on the streets of New York trying to sneak a peek at them!
  • Donnie Wahlberg is an actor, like his brother Mark. Donnie has been in movies like The Sixth Sense and Saw, and in the TV show Band of Brothers.
  • At one point, the New Kids on the Block fan club received 30,000 letters a day from fans!
  • In 1990, NKOTB made more money than both Michael Jackson and Madonna.

Hot Tracks

Step by Step, Hangin' Tough, 2008 New Kids on the Block Mega Mix
Rating: 4
 

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