Cute title, boys.

 No, really. We mean it. After all, as any true-blue 'N Sync fan -- i.e., any female between the ages of 11 and 17 -- knows intimately, this Florida fivesome has spent the last year or so battling in court to wrest control of their career and bank account from their former manager. So now, on their first album for Backstreet's and Britney's label Jive, Justin, J.C., Chris, Lance and Joey (a true fan would know their last names) are letting everybody know that they're not gonna be anybody's puppet any longer. Nope, these days they're pulling their own strings.

 And cutting a few of them. As well as a declaration of their career independence, No Strings Attached is 'N Sync's bid to reposition itself for the new teen-pop millennium. And who have these five Sunshine state doo-wop crooners and Mickey Mouse Club alumni chosen as their role model? Why, black hip-hoppers of course.

 Throughout this dozen-track followup to their self-titled '98 debut (if you don't count a subsequent Christmas release), 'N Sync try to come off not so much as the boys next door but as the homies down the block, scaling back their syrupy soul-pop and slow-dance pillow-huggers and bum-rushing the show with a whack of block rockin' beats and party-hearty anthems. If that isn't scary enough for ya, consider this: Now and again, they almost pull it off.

 Word, homie. Much as we hate to admit it, the petulant stomp of first single Bye Bye Bye (already No. 1 on at least one local chart) packs a decent pop punch, lacing its peppy harmonies with a dark and sinister edge -- or at least as close as these lads can get to dark and sinister. Likewise, despite a title lifted from a Steve Miller chestnut, Space Cowboy chugs along winningly on a soulful electro-disco groove that wouldn't shame half the British dance acts on the scene (and scores extra street-cred points with a rap from TLC's Left Eye). Same goes for the booty-shaker Friday night anthem Just Got Paid (produced by new jack swinger Teddy Riley), the voice-box robotic romance Digital Get Down and the dance-floor strut of Bringin' Da Noise. If you didn't listen to the vocals, you would have a hard time telling much of No Strings Attached from any other urban-groove outing.

 But of course, there are vocals, and you can't ignore them. And that, unfortunately, is where 'N Sync stumble. You see, no matter how jiggy they get wid it, there's still one little problem: THEY'RE FIVE WHITE KIDS FROM FLORIDA. So when they start to toss off lines about how they're looking fly, jumping in their rides with their posses and getting freaky-deaky -- that's right, we said freaky-deaky -- it's about as believable as that kid you always see hanging around your neighbourhood mall in a skull and baggies, flashing East Side sets and calling his junior high school classmates "G."

 So, yes, cute title, boys. And for the record, not a bad try. But there's still a big difference between pulling strings and clutching at straws.

Track Listing 1.Bye Bye Bye
  02.It's Gonna Be Me
  03.Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay)
  04.Just Got Paid
  05.It Makes Me Ill
  06.This I Promise You
  07.No Strings Attached
  08.Digital Get Down
  09.Bringin' Da Noise
  10.That's When I'll Stop Loving You
  11.I'll Be Good For You
  12.I Thought She Knew