Welcome to the pond

Why Hanson doesn't suck

I used to be like some of you. I used to laugh at the "boy band" group Hanson, especially for their big hit "mmmbop" and the fact that they kind of disappeared from the music scene not too long after that. But I laugh no more. I've seen the light. Hanson really isn't all that bad! If you look past their childhood days of looking and sounding like girls, you'll see that there's some real musicianship going on here. I have to thank my friend Jessica for teaching me to embrace my inner Hanson. From her influence, I recently bought Hanson's long-delayed third album "Underneath" and not a day goes by that I don't have at least one song from it stuck in my head.

So, to hopefully educate people in the ways of Hansondom, I present to you:

10 Reasons Why Hanson Doesn't Suck

1) They can sing in harmony quite well, especially in a live setting.
2) They've been performing for over a decade now. They're quite experienced musicians by now.
3) They play their own instruments, and more than one instrument each at that.
4) They write insanely catchy rock and pop songs that you can't help but want to sing along to. You'll probably get most of their songs stuck in your head.
5) Their lyrics go beyond "Girl I love you." They write about varied and mature topics, and make it all work musically.
6) They put passion into everything they do. They never put out anything half-assed for the money. They love music, and put everything they have into it.
7) They're great live
8) Now that they're older, they've lost their young-sounding voices. They're all men now, and they must be viewed as artists and not a "boy band."
9) They bust through any criticisms or negativity that is thrown their way. If they didn't, they would not have released a third album by now.
10) They had the guts to break away from their major-league label and start a label of their own. They're now in total control of their own music, image and direction.

So go out and buy their new CD "Underneath." It might just change your mind about the boys who made "mmmbop."