Ranking the Best NSYNC Albums

You can claim it’s Internet cap but I promise it’s true:

I’ve never heard an NSYNC album in my life. Until now.

While it’s true that during the Boy Band Craze of the 00s, NSYNC’s music was absolutely everywhere, here’s the cool thing about radio stations and TV video shows in that era – WE HAD A CHOICE.

NSYNC certainly had Top 40 stations (a place I rarely ventured unless I wanted to hear “Thong Song” or some random Destiny’s Child track) but they were mostly absent from R&B and hip-hop programing. It’s a far cry from today’s lineups where every hitmaker is on EVERY STATION, diluting genre diversity.

Ah, the days of having choice.

Other than “Bye Bye Bye” – which I think was digitally programmed into our brains – and later hits like “Girlfriend” and “Gone” which finally did infiltrate urban airwaves, I largely missed NSYNC’s rise to power. But since they’re pretty beloved today by 80s and 90s babies and I would become a big Justin Timberlake fan myself (stop throwing rocks, even Janet Jackson said you have to be nice to the boy now) I decided to run through their short but massively successful career, ranking their albums from bottom to top.

A few rules – I’m skipping the Christmas album because I almost always skip Christmas albums. Also, I’ll be reviewing the US version of their debut album, not the original version that dropped a year earlier overseas. And no, I’m not adding JT or JC’s solo albums to this list … but that might be a nice idea for an update later.

So let’s look at the biggest hitmakers of the early 2000s through crusty, jaded 2022 eyes.

Sorry about your nostalgia, it’s probably doomed after this review.

3. NSYNC (1998)

Soul in Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: OK, add one more song to the “I heard it a million times” list – the second the beat dropped for “Tearin Up My Heart” I instantly started having PTSD flashbacks. That thing was EVERYWHERE.

NSYNC’s debut was pretty much what I assumed it would be – a barrage of super energetic, candy-coated pop songs. What makes these track stick though is that NSYNC’s voices are actually very good; leagues better than the smoke and auto-tuned mirrors of today’s pop stars. As you’d probably guess, a lot of the hyperactive radio cuts are as dated as frosted tips and Beanie Babies but I can’t say they’re bad. In fact, my biggest issue is the writing, which ranges from typical at best to laughably cheesy at worst. An OK-ish debut that definitely reflects the tone of the era, for better or worse.

Forgotten favorites: “Sailing,” “For the Girl Who Has Everything (Club Mix),” “Everything I Own”

2. Celebrity (2001)

Soul in Stereo rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Edd said: By their third release, NSYNC was really feeling themselves. Calling out the haters, leaning toward more mature themes, mixing in electronic and hip-hop elements – it’s a wise progression for their aging fanbase. There are some glaring flaws on this one, though. It’s still ridiculously goofy at points. For instance, they go overboard with video game samples to the point of annoyance on “The Game is Over” (Lil Flip’s “Game Over” would never) and hearing them sing about music being “John Blaze hot” on “Up Against the Wall” made my soul crumble. Besides the well-known singles, most of the tracks just aren’t very intriguing, though, as usual for this crew, the album ends on a solid note. I would have WORN OUT “Something Like You” if I heard it in 2001. I’m sure fans ate this up at the time but it’s just too uneven for me. And in hindsight “Girlfriend” REALLY feels like a demo for Justin’s album the following year.

Forgotten favorites: “Do Your Thing,” “Selfish,” “Something Like You”

1. No Strings Attached (2000)

Soul in Stereo rating: 4 stars out of 5

Edd said: 

Aight so I’m confused – This “It’s Gonna Be Me” song is where the IT’S GONNA BE MAY meme comes from? It doesn’t sound like MAY at all!

You can tell the guys were much more confident in themselves and their sound the second time around. A big part of that is NSYNC’s split from their original management and RCA records, providing a sense of freedom that’s pretty obvious if you pay attention to the Pinocchio album cover. As usual, the lyrics are just bizarre – they’re singing about the end of the world while flying around in wild west that is outer space? Huh? But all is forgiven thanks to the strong R&B influence, which helps ground many of the tracks and gave them a much more distinct sound than their poppy peers. Remember when groups had to have an a capella track to prove that they were real? NSYNC is out R&B-ing your current R&B faves! Truly these are the end times. If you can wade through some of the more brain-dead songs (DIGITAL DIGITAL GET DOWWWWWN) you’ll find a pretty solid sophomore effort. In my opinion – from 20 years in the future – it’s their best work.

Forgotten favorites: “This I Promise You,” “It Makes Me Ill,” “That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You”

Welp, this is the part where you yell at me. Let me know your favorite albums in the comments below. And no, you can’t say ALL OF THEM.