98A° - Revelation

Rather than rushing back into the studio to keep the momentum of their sophomore smash 98 Degrees and Rising going, the four hunks of 98 Degrees decided to act more like real musicians and cowrite and produce their third album. And though there is no shortage of balladry on Revelation, the Ohio-bred act has sprinkled some tasty, uptempo flavors into the sugary, lovelorn mix. The opening track, "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)"--not to be confused with Jennifer Lopez's "Una Noche Mas"--sets the tone with an energetic beat and Spanish guitar. From there, it's back and forth between the harmonized ballads that made 98 Degrees the third most beloved group among the teenage-girl set, and some more daring dance tracks (on "Dizzy," lead crooner Nick Lachey even tries his hand at some dope raps). Thankfully, they've ventured out of the heartsick town where 98 Degrees has always resided, but they've taken a few souvenirs to their new destination: mathematic harmonies, symphonic strings, R&B-tinged pop tunes, and even Richard Marx are along for the ride. Still, they prove that they're not just cogs in some boy-band machine and that they have enough versatility to update their sound every now and again. But don't worry--for those of you who fear there may not be a love song as lovely as "The Hardest Thing" here, Nick, Drew, Jeff, and Justin offer you two new tunes: "My Everything" and "The Way You Are." --Heidi Sherman Amazon.com

First half good, second half somewhat bland

I liked 98 Degrees'Revelation when it first came out. But 6 years later, it hasn't aged as well as their rival pop groups at the time. My favorite is still the Latin-flavored Give Me One More Night (Una Noche). It still sounds funky today with the strong percussion heavy sound. Perhaps lead singers Nick and Drew Lachey were influenced by what Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias were doing at the same time. The Way You Want Me To and Stay the Night are solid. But the album's second half of ballads drag the album down. My Everything is okay, but the other ballads around it range from bland to sometimes boring. They sound colorless and pointless sometimes, the same lovey dovey sappiness that they should have gotten away from. One of them nearly put me to sleep--that's how dull it sounded. They'd be compatible to the ballad style that Nick Lachey is doing now on his current 2006 album, "What's Left of Me." Perhaps the best thing about Revelation is of Jeff Timmons singing lead on a few more songs--it's not Nick singing lead on everything. This may have led to Jeff doing his own solo album. I think that these series of mediocre ballads led to many music critics panning it and putting Revelation on Worst Album of 2000 lists. But I thought the album was okay--it just lacked the punch of the 1998 album that had the most hits. Because I Do (Cherish You) did so very well for the last album, they wanted to see if that same formula could work for Revelation. It somehow didn't. July 12, 2006

The Fab 4, Can We Have Some More?

98 degrees is one of the best singing outfits in the world today. They prove that on this album, Revelation. It was a revelation when I first heard it. I was surprised at how good they were. They really have mastered their craft. If you like modern pop flavored quartets, pick up this album. It delivers. August 4, 2005

Revelation

I remember this album when I was in the 8th grade. I love this album. This album is about the men growing musically. This album is an eclectic and ambitious mix of intricate harmonies,symphonic strings,R&B grooves,pop melodies, and hip-hop-inflected rhythms. This record is a great step for the group. This album has been certified 2x Platinum. Remember,this was 2000-2001. June 11, 2005

TOO MANY SLOW SONGS

The upbeat songs are great, even the pseduo-rap song "Dizzy" is pretty good. I never did like "Give Me One More Night" that much, but the rest of the faster songs are good. Just too many ballads. These guys could sing better than 'Nsync ever could, they should have been more popular. Oh well, we still have this album and the previous "98 degerees and Rising" album to listen to. Oh and by the way, Nick, Drew, and Jeff are the best looking of all of the boy bands put together. YUM! February 20, 2005

YES!

The album that feature 98's #1 smash, "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche" that was clearly released to cash in on the latin trend brought out by Jennifer Lopez & Ricky Martin (with Marc Anthony and Louie Vega cashing in right before 98*). This was rather inventive as the pop tarts "above" them (Nsync & Britney) weren't doing it at the time. Christina was already just starting.

The album also features their heavily underrated Adult Contemporary smash "My Everything." For those Jessica S. fans - the video to this featured her and all the other 98* girlfriends/wives.

My favorite song overall was their heavily overlooked single "The Way You Want Me To Do." It was an awesome club=stomper that blended the boys' smooth voices with an electronic vocoder. It was funky and different. The music video was the best as well.

The album even features Mr. Lachey rapping, along with more smooth ballads and club-stompers. The Revelation summer tour was going to be my first concert ever and I had 3rd row floor seats and they were so big they even had the Baha Men, Debelah Morgan AND Dream all as opening acts! It would've been such a great tour for me. Too bad they cancelled it.

This teaches you - buy the cd so you don't miss a thing! July 30, 2004

More reviews at Amazon.com ...