Unbreakable - BACKSTREET BOYS

While the turn of phrase may be cliché, the overall sound of "Unbreakable" screams it loud and clear: Backstreet's back. Unlike 2005's uneven "comeback" album "Never Gone," its follow-up finds the Boys dipping into their old bag of classic pop songs. They are a boy band with spot-on harmonies: They sing huge, hooky choruses; belt out sappy bridges ("I'm a house of cards in a hurricane," the group wails on "Helpless When She Smiles"); and bop and groove to slickly produced dance numbers. Nearly everything here is top 40 or AC radio-ready, particularly the piano-driven first single, "Inconsolable," and the Beatles-y "Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon." The boy band heyday might be long over and the group is now a man down (Kevin Richardson departed to pursue other interests), but Backstreet's ready to try and melt your heart once again. —Jill Menze