Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/18/2002
When the
A-Teens paid tribute to
ABBA on 1999's
The ABBA Generation, it was obvious that none of the group's members had great voices. But they had great material to work with;
"Dancing Queen," "S.O.S.," and other
ABBA hits are
Europop classics. So, despite their limitations as vocalists, the
A-Teens were able to provide a pleasant, if unremarkable, tribute to Sweden's most famous Euro-popsters. But
Pop 'Til You Drop, the
A-Teens' third album, is another matter; this time, they are saddled with a lot of pedestrian material. While
The ABBA Generation had more of a
Hi-NRG/
Euro-dance outlook,
Pop 'Til You Drop isn't as consistently European-sounding. The
ABBA influence has not disappeared altogether --
"Closer to Perfection," for example, is full of
ABBA-isms -- but overall, this
bubblegum CD favors more of an American
teen pop approach along the lines of
Britney Spears,
*NSYNC and
the Backstreet Boys. And more often than not,
Pop 'Til You Drop has a mechanical, assembly-line quality. Nonetheless, the CD has its moments. The
A-Teens'
dance-pop remake of
Alice Cooper's
"School's Out" (which features
Cooper himself) may offend some '70s
rock devotees -- some
Cooper fans may be horrified that the influential shock-rocker would have anything to do with a
teen pop act. Regardless, the
A-Teens'
"School's Out" cover is fun and is arguably
Pop 'Til You Drop's best track. And the mildly funky
"Floorfiller" (one of the album's more European-sounding tunes) has a somewhat
Silver Convention-ish charm -- the high-tech production is early 2000s, although the hook has a
"Get Up and Boogie"/
"Funky Party" type of
Euro-disco vibe. But the memorable tracks are the exception instead of the rule.
The ABBA Generation is still the
A-Teens' best album, and
Pop 'Til You Drop is, for the most part, a forgettable exercise in
Britney Spears/
*NSYNC/
Backstreet Boys worship.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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