Advance Review - Hanson's "The Walk"

I love me my Hanson. I'll never lie about that, I'll never add a "but" or qualify that statement in any way. I fell in love with their most recent release, Underneath, a collection of incredibly fun pop/rock songs; I went back and realized the joys of This Time Around, a bluesy romp of a follow-up to their debut. And I appreciate Middle of Nowhere, which established Hanson as the only boy band, a collection of barely-teens playing their own instruments and writing their own songs, one of which was arguably the biggest pop hit of the 1990's.

So naturally, when I hear they've got a new album, coming out, it's exciting, and nerve-wracking. What if I don't like it? What if it bores me? What'll I do? What can I expect?

Well, The Walk feels like a departure, and kind of threw me off at first. The first true song, "Great Divide," is one of my favorite songs they've ever written. But it feels at first less like Hanson and more like a really good Matchbox 20 or Maroon 5 song.

This album is darker, more mature, more adult. The kids are growing up more and more with each album, and their talents are developing in kind. "Great Divide" highlights Isaac's now excellent guitar skills, confident and powerful, "The Walk" is a vritually a solo piano song for Taylor, and Zac's drums come in in surprisingly subtle ways throughout the album.

But they've reduced the impact of their harmonies, one of the elements that made Hanson the unique band it was. This is good and bad. On Underneath, I'll admit, the melodies could get lost, but you didn't notice, because it was all so singable. Here, everything's more complex - so while the melodies are highlighted, they seem harder to sing along to on first listen, and they don't stick in your head quite as forcefully.

I love the album, but it did feel like a departure. Listening to it all day, I've come to this view: Underneath is a party album, the kind you stick in the car and sing with your friends, and dance to at parties. The Walk is more personal, something ultimately more rewarding for when it's just you in the car.

Download: Hanson - Great Divide