Back in Lexington, disillusioned by his work with a local Top 40 cover band, Kevin decided to go down to Orlando on a whim. He left Florida that very day, had a job as a tour guide in Disney World the following week, and devoted the bulk of his time to becoming a professional singer-song writer.
Kevin heard about "these guys who harmonize all the time" from a young woman he met a club, and arranged for an introduction. He was riveted by the a cappells harmonies he heard the night he met Nick, Howie and A.J., and was impressed by their dance floor maneuvers. Why not team up? They all thought at once. The die was cast, and all they needed now was one more member to fill out the sound. First thing in the morning, Kevin phoned his cousin Brian in Lexington, had him called out of class, and told him about the three singers he'd met the night before. Next day, Brian hopped a plane headed for Florida, moved in with Kevin and helped the boys name themselves after Orlando's landmark fleemarket, Backstreet Market.
Shortly after a mutual friend, Louis J. Pearlman, a record producer himself and life long music fan, introduced Backstreet Boys to managers Donna and Johnny Wright. At this point the boys sensed they'd found the right people to guide their career. The Wrights, realizing the boys didn't need tons of rehearsal time, got them out on the road almost immediately and invited A&R execs to see Backstreet Boys in action. When a certain record company dawdled, Donna called them by cellular phone during a performance and left the entire powerhouse concert on their answering machine. That got the attention of Artist and repertoire veteran, DAve McPherson, who quickly became a BSB fan. In early 1994, after Jive Records' Jeff Fenster attended a Backstreet Boys show and was bowled over by what he heard, BSB - and Dave McPherson - were signed within days. The next step was to harness Backstreet Boys' compelling intensity in the recording studio.
Producers Veit Renn and Tim Allen were amazed at the a capella harmonies Backstreet Boys could create at the drop of a hat. No musical instruments or engineering wizardry were required for this group to create vocal magic and moods. Veit and Tim's task was to harness all the subtleties in order to showcase the boys' natural abilities and range. To that end the entire BSB team sat down to select a slate of memorable tracks.
Honesty, energy and heart-wrenching harmonies characterize Backstreet Boys self-titled debut album. The hook-laden urban pop tracks are an R&B romantic's delight. "I Wanna Be With You", "Every Time I Close My Eyes" and "Darlin'" are powerful ballads that speak straight to the yearning heart. "boys Will Be Boys'" rockin' good fun opines that the force is always with us - especially in matters of love. "Tell Me That I'm Dreamin'" offers a taste of Backstreet Boys' outrageous live harmonies, and "tender Love", in which A.J. McLean shares the contents of a letter he's written with his Backstreet Boys' brothers is a believable slice of life. Heartstrings hip-hop, rock, swing and ache from total involvement in the Backstreet Boys experience.
Return to Backstreet Boys ( The Unofficial Homepage )