Review: `Unbreakable,' Backstreet Boys

Backstreet Boys, "Unbreakable" (Jive)

The Backstreet Boys haven't changed — we have.

We grew up. And while it's true that they're chronologically older then they were a decade ago when their self-titled debut placed them squarely in the midst of the boy-band zeitgeist — and there are only four of them now instead of five — they're essentially still pumping out the same kind of music they always have.

And so you'll be forgiven, upon listening to "Unbreakable," for thinking you've heard this album before. Because you have — it sounds an awful lot like 2005's "Never Gone," which produced the hit "Incomplete" and solidified their footing in adult-contemporary territory. (Seems the Backstreet Boys insist on identifying themselves by what they're not: The title of the first single off "Unbreakable" is "Inconsolable." Unbelievable!)

One thing they aren't anymore is a quintet. Kevin Richardson — who, at 36, hasn't been a boy in the backstreets or anywhere else for a long time — has left the band for that tried-and-true reason, to "pursue other interests." You'd never miss him, though: In his absence. AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough and Nick Carter have continued performing the same sort of innocuous pop meant to distract you while you're leaning back and having a cavity filled.

"Unbreakable," which has nothing to do with the 2000 M. Night Shyamalan film of the same name, consists of two kinds of songs: wistful, piano-heavy ballads ("Inconsolable," "Love Will Keep You Up All Night") and upbeat dance tunes with peppy electronic beats ("Everything But Mine," "Any Other Way," "Panic").

The vocals remain solid, the harmonies smooth. Familiar and safe, there's nothing extraordinary about "Unbreakable," but at the same time, it's completely inoffensive. But you have to give the Backstreet Boys credit for this much: 10 years after the heyday of their genre, they've found a way to remain productive, if not entirely relevant.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: JC Chasez of 'N Sync is among the producers and writers credited on "Treat Me Right," a classic happy-sad, poppy-heartbroken song of the era. Surely this pairing is tantamount to Red Sox and Yankees players driving together to the ballpark.

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