The singer pledges his heart to a girl (“Forever”) and says he can be trusted to treat her better than other guys have (“Your Heart Is Safe with Me” and “All I Need to Know”). A line on “West Side Story” says, “It’s time to knuckle up and pray to the Lord above,” but . . .
A mild profanity mars “West Side Story.” Hormones rage on “I Will Show You Mine” as a guy and girl disrobe by candlelight(“One by one we’re throwing all our clothing on the floor . . . Suddenly you’re naked standing right in front of me”). Equally lustful, “Think About You” relates frenzied fantasies, “Baby Be Mine” wants lovin’ “all through the night” and “I Don’t Wanna Kiss You Goodnight” longs for more than a peck on the cheek following a date. A remake of the 1978 Yvonne Elliman chart-topper “If I Can’t Have You” features sexual yearning and the artist’s willingness to commit “the perfect crime” for his woman. “Summer Girls” comes off sounding like a paid jingle for hip clothier Abercrombie & Fitch (known for exploiting nudity in its catalogs). Alcohol flows heavily during a party on “My Block.”
Alternately smooth and jiggy, LFO is a funky mix of ‘N Sync, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and New Edition. Stylish and catchy. But members Rich Cronin, Brad Fischetti and Devin Lima specialize in seductively svelte songs that aim below the belt. Sex. Sex. Sex. Something the group’s core audience of young girls could do without.
