Backstreet Boys - Never Gone

On Never Gone, the Backstreet Boys crib from the pop foundation they helped establish. Like a lot of smart popsters on the rebound, the reunited fab five broach their return by borrowing from the current hit makers. Even after a four-year hiatus, the flecks of new influence won't matter a bit to the fans. The boys' signature sugar-coated yearning softens every song to a melty consistency, and the lyrics haven't lost any of their babe-magnet pull. "It's all so dark and mysterious/When the one you want doesn't want you," sing the chiseled Lotharios on "Siberia." And on the final title track, a swirling crescendo sums up the sentiments of millions of heartsick, former teen devotees: "Never gone, never far/In my heart is where you are." -Tammy La Gorce