New Kids On The Block: The Block

Before getting into the specifics of what a term like

"sexify" might mean, it's worth taking a moment to wonder why any of the New

Kids On The Block would qualify as go-to authorities in matters related to

sexification. That question comes to mind throughout the song "Sexify My Love"

and throughout The Block, the first NKOTB album since what might as well be three

decades ago. All the "Kids" are old now—their mean age is

38.2—which makes certain moments strange, or at least a little awkward.

In "Big Girl Now," they leer at a girl all grown-up and so ready to let it go

that she's "got a grown man ready to blow." (Note the unpleasant conjuring of

Jordan or Donnie or Joey or Danny or Jonathan ejaculating all over the place.)

In songs like "Dirty Dancing" and "Stare At You," they… well, they merely sound

like a boy band, and pay for the simple incongruity of it all.

Which is a shame—kind of—because The

Block is

accomplished otherwise. The slinky "Click Click Click" and the soulful "2 In

The Morning" move at rich, patient, atmospheric speeds that suggest a new kind

of mature pop/R&B; mode, while boisterous songs like "Big Girl Now" and "Summertime"

make much of their elaborate laser-jam synths. There's a lot to like on The

Block,

even if it doesn't stand a chance of being heard as anything so simple.