A confident Angela Via claims she’ll persevere, “never giving up when the going gets rough” (“Catch Me If You Can”). After making mistakes and falling short, Billie stakes a similar claim on “Making My Way (Any Way That I Can).” A boy who says “I love you” on a first date is told “You’re moving way too fast/. . . You don’t even know me”(M2M’s “Don’t Say You Love Me”). B*witched urges listeners to “Get Happy.” The young men in ‘N Sync (“Somewhere Someday”) and 98 Degrees (“Fly with Me”) ask to help girls recover from pain. Ashley Ballard and Christina Aguilera express their devotion to loving, supportive guys on “It Was You” and “We’re a Miracle,” respectively. Pride, hate and conflict are out; peace, love and compassion are inwith Blessid Union of Souls (“Brother My Brother”).
An apathetic Emma Bunton (of Spice Girls fame) sings, “[I] had no soul ’til I found myself with rock ‘n’ roll” on “(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind.”
Overall, good messages. Our biggest concern is that fans may check out entire discs by acts such as Christina Aguilera and 98 Degrees which, while not explicit, include sexual come-ons. As for the pop cuts on Pokémon (with the one noted exception), teens can “catch ’em all!”
