New Kids On The Block: Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg, Jonathan Knight (vocals).
Additional personnel: Freedom Williams (rap vocals).
Producers: Maurice Starr, Walter Afanasieff, New Kids On The Block, Michael Jonzun.
Compilation producer: Al Quaglieri.
Although they were together for five years prior, 1989 was the year that NKOTB broke, and in a big way. HANGIN' TOUGH eventually sold eight million records, and the New Kids became the first teen group in history to score four Top 10 hits from one album, besting The Osmonds and the Jackson 5. Combined with the sales of over 140 products licensed with New Kids trademarks, these were very rich Kids.
Times change, but the Kids were actually a precursor to the late-'90s sugary coated homeboy image of Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. They were innocent, anti-drug, and had sweet, soulful harmonies. Catchy, upbeat numbers like "Step By Step," "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" and "Cover Girl" have appealing sing-along hooks that kept these songs on the charts. They weren't too shabby in the ballad department, either, as Jordan Knight's falsetto shines on "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" and "This One's For The Children."
Led by production wizard Maurice Starr, NKOTB made a major mark on pop music in the late '80s and early '90s, and probably didn't deserve a lot of the flak they took. This GREATEST HITS album is a good sampler of their music.