3CG
2004
Underneath
About This Album
Growing up is hard to do, particularly if you do it in public. Hanson found this out when their second album, 2000's This Time Around, failed to gather much attention, let alone a hit the size of 1997's "Mmm-Bop," even though it was a solid step forward. Faced with lack of success and therefore a lack of support from their label, Hanson opted for the independent route, founding 3CG and releasing their third proper album, Underneath, in the spring of 2004. If This Time Around found the group undergoing growing pains, Underneath is the maturation of Hanson, scaled down and serious, pitched halfway between the adult alternative pop audience and the power poppers who embraced their giddy early singles. Giddy is hardly a word to describe this album, however, since there's an earnest even-handed approach even on the tunes that veer toward effervescent, hooky pop, such as the catchy "Get Up and Go." This deliberate maturity isn't a detriment, since it emphasizes the pop/rock classicism that's always been at the core of their music; after all, one of the charming things about Middle of Nowhere is how it was clear that the trio's tastes were built on Time/Life's oldies collections.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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