Slant Magazine

Though they’ve long been written off by mainstream pop audiences, Hanson has continued to play to a devoted cult following and, more importantly, emerged as an awfully good pop band. Their eighth album, Shout It Out, is the trio’s most ambitious project to date, borrowing heavily from several eras of Top 40 pop in an effort to expand their sound. And, as with their last few albums, Shout It Out includes a few moments of real inspiration.

When all of the elements come together for brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zac, as on the harmonica-driven “If Only” and radio-anthem-that-should-have-been “Penny and Me,” they have proven that they’re capable of brilliant pop singles that stand alongside the work of bands with far more street-cred, like Fountains of Wayne and Apples in Stereo. On Shout It Out, lead single “Thinkin’ About Somethin'” fits that bill. Kicking off with a healthy dose of cowbell before the brass section transforms it into one hell of a Blues Brothers homage, “Thinkin'” is maddeningly catchy kiss-off song. It’s a hook-upon-a-hook-upon-a-hook, culminating in a coda of “I’ve been getting a love that moves me/While you’ve been getting around,” delivered in perfect three-part harmony. It’s easily one of the best singles of 2010 (though the less said about the brothers’ awkward dancing in the video, the better).

Unfortunately for Hanson, though, they’ve never been able to sustain such a level of quality over the course of a full album, and there isn’t another song here that equals “Thinkin’.” The melody and arena-rock arrangement of “Carry You There” are effective, but the song’s lyrics find the band at their most maudlin: “You don’t have to be afraid to just rely/On someone to hold the weight part of the time” is arguably the song’s least embarrassing couplet. The strong rhythm section and horns on “And I Waited” wouldn’t sound out of place on radio playlists alongside Adam Lambert’s “Whattaya Want from Me” or Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro,” but it goes on at least a minute too long and ultimately overstays its welcome. If the album as a whole is a step up from the didactic, if well-intentioned, The Walk, songs like “Use Me Up” and “These Walls” are nonetheless mired in clichés that weigh down the band’s gifts for memorable melodies and powerful hooks.

Other than the trio’s weakness for trite turns of phrase, the major flaw on Shout It Out is its spit-polished production. With the exception of “Thinkin'” and “Voice in the Chorus,” which favorably recalls ’70s-era Elton John, most of the songs sound as though they’ve been run through at least one too many ProTools cycles. Every note is tuned to perfection, and the percussion lines have the precision of a metronome, making the performances sound robotic. That sterility works against the heavy piano power chords on “Waiting for This” and the ebullient horn section on “Make It Out Alive.” In producing the album themselves, Hanson undermines their attempts to give their sound a bit more grittiness and soul.

What’s encouraging about the record, though, is that Hanson’s instincts are more or less on point. The effervescent brass sections, aggressive rhythm tracks, and AM-radio vibe they’ve incorporated are all logical and effective additions to their aesthetic. That Hanson has been around for well over a decade now makes it easy to forget that they’re still a young band. And the elements that really work on Shout It Out suggest that they’re only going to continue to get better.

LA Times

It’s not every day that you get to witness an “American Idol” contestant meeting one of their Idols, but that’s exactly what happened late Wednesday night at the Mondrian Hotel’s Sky Bar, where Season 9 sixth-place finisher Siobhan Magnus came face-to-face with three guys named Taylor, Zac and Isaac, otherwise known as her favorite band Hanson.

Yours truly was there to capture the moment and it was, in a word, magical. Siobhan looked simply dumbfounded upon first sight of Taylor Hanson, and, in fact, the only sentence she managed to string together once a formal introduction got made was: “I don’t know what to say!” To which Taylor responded, “Well, let me say this: we’re really honored that you feel so inspired and motivated by what we do.”

Siobhan spent the better part of the next hour regaling the guys, who were in town to perform on “The Tonight Show,” with stories of her adventures at various Cape Cod-area Hanson shows, including one she had to attend solo, while Isaac and Zac asked about the machinations of “Idol” and complimented Siobhan on her piano playing at the “If I Can Dream” house. Of course, here was a dream moment come true that the four will remember forever.

As for the rest of the post-finale soirée (hosted by the tireless crew at 19 Entertainment), scores of Idols past and present mingled — among them: David Archuleta, Constantine Maroulis, Brooke White, Kris Allen, Taylor Hicks, Justin Guarini, Melinda Doolittle, Andrew Garcia, Michael Lynche, Katie Stevens and Tim Urban — while even Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest made brief appearances. As for the show’s big winner? Lee DeWyze made his entrance well after midnight, greeted by ecstatic fellow finalists, grinning producers and long lines of well-wishers. In the end, it was a beautiful day and a long night with little rest for the “Idol” weary and a lifetime of memories.

— Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Photo: Zac Hanson, Isaac Hanson, Siobhan Magnus and Taylor Hanson. Credit: Shirley Halperin

Culture Map Houston

It never dawned on me that there would come a day when Good Charlotte and Hanson would be the den leaders on a rock n’ roll trek with younger acts who have superceded them on the pop and alt-rock charts. But that’s exactly what’s happening in the Bamboozle Roadshow (a vast traveling collection of acts that hits the Verizon Wireless Theater this afternoon for a concert that will last into the night).

Come to think of it, a decade ago I never could’ve conceived that the three clean-cut, “MMMBop” singing Hanson brothers would be hanging with tattooed, floor-gazing Good Charlotte guys under any circumstance.

In high school, when these two cliques were forced to interact in gym class … someone was usually getting a wedgie.

“MmmmmYouch!!!!”

Still, the “baby bands” being fostered here like Boys Like Girls, All Time Low and The Sickest are the new generation of young dramatics and philosophical punks that will continue to carry the freak flag into the future for the Good Charlotte’s, Hanson’s and other who ruled the ’90s and early millennium.

For those who like their rock, fast, repetitive and a little overwrought … this show is for you.

The Bamboozle Roadshow 2010 (featuring All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Cartel, Forever The Sickest Kids, Good Charlotte, Hanson), 3:30 p.m. at Verizon Wireless Theater
Tickets $37.50.

PrideSource

Also Out

Hanson, ‘Shout it Out’

Boy band, whaaat? Even if this trio of “MMMBop” brothers carries that limiting label on their eighth album (!?), they’re breaking out the blues for some big-people pop that’s about as sunny as cruising the SoCal coast. It doesn’t get much more fun than “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’,” a getting-over-you groove that’s infused with a summertime sweetness, or the piano pop of “Make it Out Alive.” Clouds roll in on “Me, Myself and I,” a mature breakup song with a big (broken) heart, beautiful harmonies and the proof that Hanson is so much more than naysayers thought. (Available June 8)