Christmas With N-Sync

Christmas greetings from 2000's hottest boy band.

This N'Sync album, released 1998, spreads love and good cheer, invoking the smell of home-baked cookies, images of roaring fires and the soft sound of snow falling on window panes.

Quite a few of the tracks are basically love ballads set to the theme of Christmas, like "Under My Tree", "I Never Knew The Meaning Of Christmas" and "All I Want Is You This Christmas". In "The Only Gift", sung in a similar romantic vein, the lyrics are more tender than the rest.

The title track sings of coming home for Christmas holidays and seeing the family, thus capturing the meaning of the season. "O Holy Night (A Cappella)" displays the talent of the group with different voices alternating and intermingling to create aural harmony.

"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roaring On An Open Fire)" is a slow track and uses heavy choir support; it communicates a typically festive, Christmasy feeling through its lyrics. "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" is undoubtedly the best song in this collection; it's fast, fun and happy, the quintessential Christmas song that wishes everyone a good time in their holidays. "Kiss Me At Midnight", the last song, completes the pop-Christmas experience of the album; another fast-paced track, it incorporates a countdown to the New Year.

All the songs address the year-end festival in the group's young, melodious and, as yet, raw voices. A couple of tracks also have the members extend a whispered personal "Merry Christmas" to their listeners.

Buy this album as a gift item, or to have some hearty, convivial music float around your room this Christmas.

This article was first published on19 Dec 2000.