Prior to the release of their second album, *NSYNC split from their manager in a bitter dispute and signed with Jive, the kings of teen pop. For *NSYNC, the move provided them with an opportunity to, in the immortal words of George W. Bush, "define themselves," to prove that they were an independent unit -- hence the title No Strings Attached. To cynical critics, they very well might sound the same as ever, yet this really blows away their previous record. That much is clear from the storming lead single "Bye Bye Bye," a piledriving dance number with the catchiest chorus they've ever sang. However, the album isn't really just singles'n'filler; it actually is well sequenced and fairly balanced, much like the Backstreet Boys' Millennium or Christina Aguilera's album. Like those records, No Strings Attached pulls away from the standard dance-pop formula, strengthening it with harder street beats, electronica flourishes, ballads with some grit, and well-crafted pop tunes. Nobody is going to mistake this for Fatboy Slim, Beck, or TLC -- it's still lightweight teen pop. Yet, it's very good teen pop, managing to not only work well within its limitations, but to push it slightly while retaining its breezy, hooky identity. *NSYNC still can seem a little ordinary, lacking a truly charismatic punch à la Britney or Christina, yet they do deserve credit for shaking things up a little bit, since it's resulted in an effervescent, ingratiatingly cheerful album that's a vast improvement on the debut. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Michael Thompson (Guitar), David Cole (Engineer), David Cole (Mixing), Jez Colin (Drum Programming), Mick Guzauski (Mixing), Scott Humphrey (Engineer), Jon Kaplan (Engineer), Mario Lucy (Engineer), Richard Marx (Arranger), Richard Marx (Producer), Richard Marx (Vocal Arrangement), George Mayers (Engineer), Pat McMakin (Mixing), Carl Nappa (Engineer), Carl Nappa (Mixing), Teddy Riley (Producer), Guy Roche (Arranger), Guy Roche (Keyboards), Guy Roche (Producer), Guy Roche (Drum Programming), Chris Trevett (Engineer), Michael Tucker (Engineer), Michael Tucker (Mixing), Franz Verna (Engineer), Diane Warren (Executive Producer), Robin Wiley (Arranger), Robin Wiley (Producer), Tom Bender (Mixing Assistant), Michael Railton (Keyboards), Charles McCrorey (Assistant Engineer), Cesar Ramirez (Assistant Engineer), Kevin Antunes (Handclapping), Kevin Antunes (Producer), Kevin Antunes (Vibraphone), Kevin Antunes (Fender Rhodes), Kevin Antunes (Vocal Arrangement), Kevin Antunes (Voice Box), Esbjörn Öhrwall (Guitar), Jason Piske (Mixing Assistant), Veit Renn (Producer), Chaz Harper (Mastering), *NSYNC (Vocals (Background)), *NSYNC (Main Performer), *NSYNC (Vocal Arrangement), Adam Barber (Engineer), Adam Barber (Vocal Engineer), Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (Rap), Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (Performer), John Amatiello (Pro-Tools), Joe Smith (Engineer), Joe Smith (Mixing), Brady Barnett (Digital Editing), Jake (Producer), Lance Bass (Vocals), Justin Timberlake (Vocals), Riprock (Producer), Riprock (Mixing), Kristian Lundin (Producer), Ok Hee Kim (Assistant Engineer), J.C. (Producer), J.C. (Mixing), Rami (Producer), Joe Woods (Assistant Engineer), Kandi (Vocal Arrangement), Kandi (Vocal Producer), Chris Kirkpatrick (Vocals), JC Chasez (Vocals), Joey Fatone (Vocals), Shane Stoneback (Mixing Assistant), Jake Lundin (Producer), Alex G. (Producer), Alex G. (Mixing), Chris (Rap), Bray Merritt (Assistant Engineer), B. lll (Handclapping), B. lll (Vibraphone), Toby Dearborn (Assistant Engineer), Billy Ashbaugh (Drums), Kevin "KD" Davis (Mixing)
