Review Summary: Hanson has Shout It Out, and it's actually worth listening to.
Hanson’s latest album, which came out last summer, is a solid collection of R&B-flavored pop. The album produced and written exclusively by the band features some special guests, such as Funk Brothers bassist Bob Babbitt, who played on some of Motown's greatest hits, and horn arranger Jerry Hey, who worked with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Earth, Wind and Fire, and many more.
Shout It Out reflects the music that Hanson listened to growing up – 60’s soul, and such. Complete with boisterous horn arrangements and bluesy piano licks, you can definitely hear the old school vibe in some of these tracks. It harkens back to when music, and musicians alike seemed to be happier.
For me, some standout tracks are “Waiting for This”, ‘Thinkin’ Bout Somethin’”, their single, “Give a Little”, and “These Walls”.
Their video for “Thinking Bout Something” further demonstrates their music tastes and their fun loving style. A scene straight from The Blues Brothers serves as the backdrop for the video, and there’s also a happy dance mob in the streets. This video puts me in a good mood when I watch it, as does the “Give a Little” video. I for one don’t think there’s anything wrong with music being fun, and a little cheese never hurt anyone! (Speaking of cheese, some people may have spotted their recent cameo in Katy Perry’s T.G.I.F video…oh well).
As a child of the 90’s, I may be guilty of being a little more partial to bands who provide some nostalgia, but I truly respect these guys as artists and have enjoyed hearing their sound expand over the years. From their first independently produced single “Penny and Me” (whose lyrics mention singing along to ‘Feelin Alright’, one of my personal favorites from Joe Cocker…further demonstrating their music tastes) to this new album.
In a world where indie has become more of a genre of music, and anything sounding ‘mainstream’ or categorized as ‘pop music’ is sometimes automatically underestimated, these guys are actually indie, in the true (original) sense of the word. They have their own independent label because they wanted to maintain creative control. It is a pop album, but why categorize it anyways? It’s a solid album high in musicianship.
So, that’s where they’ve been and what they’ve been up to since their monster hit “MMMbop”, a song that is still an instant anthem of the 90’s to me. They’ve been writing new albums, touring and growing as artists. For having been that famous at such a young age, they’ve managed to stay quite grounded, with no scandals surrounding their lives. It’s about the music for them, and their taking a grassroots approach to music is something that I for one appreciate.
