Unfinished

I was very pleasantly surprised when I heard this album; this is the one which should've followed Jordan's phenomenal solo debut way back in May 1999. His albums in between have been anywhere from good(The Fix, Love Songs) to anything but(The Remix Album, of New Kids songs, was just a BAD idea; only the original demo for "I'll Be Your Everything" was even worth listening to). Here, at last, is the album where he reclaims his solo career. Another reviewer said it was "boring"; I don't understand that assessment at all. There's a wide range of tempos and moods, from ballads to dance tracks, romance to lust and everything in between--even an inspirational song, which is uplifting without being preachy("Believe"). "Let's Go Higher" is worthy of its status as a single; yet, there are so many other tracks which are even better. My personal favorites are:

1)the title track, "Unfinished", which I would like to see released as the next single. A perfectly executed mid-tempo track which kicks into emotional urgency only as necessary, alternately hopeful and heart-rending;

2)"Up N Down"(same title, different song than the one on Britney Spears' Femme Fatale album), a great sexy dance track which is neither prudish nor risque. Jordan gets down and dirty, but still remains the gentleman. Another top contender for a future single;

3)"Stingy", another great mid-tempo track. Funny title, but it fits and the lyrics are right on target--about being of two minds about a relationship;

4)"Inside", a beautiful ballad perfectly sung by Jordan, imploring his love to let her guard down, he won't take advantage of her;

5)"Rockstar", a fun, upbeat song about a real, confident woman who could be anyone's fantasy.

Throughout the album, Jordan sings flawlessly, and that's without using the full force of his abilities. There's just enough falsetto for those of us who love it, but without overwhelming everything else. You can hear both confidence and contentment in every track; Jordan's back where he belongs, he knows it and he's glad to be there. "Boring"? Really? I respectfully disagree.

Jordan Knight is the lead singer of New Kids On The Block (NKOTB) & his new CD solo release is titled 'Unfinished'. This CD (11 tracks) has wonderful pop/r 'n b music & it's first single "Let's Go Higher" has been doing rounds for a while now. Stand-outs include "Unfinished" (a techno sound/r 'n b with a beautiful melody & vocals. This is the title track for this CD), "Like A Wave" (wonderful drumkit in this great ballad with incredble high pitched vocals), "Inside" (great keyboard pick-ups, melody & vocals), "Rockstar" (up-tempo track with synthesizer sound, great melody & harmonies) & "Believe" (a slow tempo track with beautiful melody & vocals). Great tracks include "Let's Go Higher" (a great first single from this CD), "One More Night", "Stingy" (mid-tempo track with some 'rapping' vocals), "Kiss It Away" (a ballad with great harmonies), "O-Face" (synthesizer sound) & "Up N Down" (great melody, similar to Usher's music/sound). There are no weak tracks or CD fillers on this Jordan Knight's CD solo release 'Unfinished'. On overall, Jordan Knight is on the roll in this CD, he has certainly answered the call on "Let's Go Higher", a highly recommended CD listening.

this is a great album. The more I listen to it, the more I love it. For eleven songs, there's a lot in it. There's a real sincerity presence in his voice that's disarming. A lot of it is warm music, and the lyrics are subtle enough that I can actually listen to it with my kids around.

The title reminds me of how Hangin' Tough (and it ain't over till the fat lady sings) was a comment on NKOTB's trajectory. Unfinished suggests questioning or defying the completion of something ongoing, but this is Jordan's very first commercially successful solo album, really.

The album starts strong with the popular addictive dance music hit Let's Go Higher. This layered song is best played really loud, preferably with the windows rolled down. Scratch that: it's high energy, so you'll want to dance. It has just enough auto tune to sound cool. Like all the other songs on the album (except Like a Wave), Jordan collaborated on the writing.

The lyrics in the title song remind me of Bryan Adams' Run to You (a song supposedly about his love affair with his guitar) because I don't think Jordan's song is so much about an unfinished relationship as a song he's working on and emotions of the creative process: "maybe I'm just making it worse, but I can't let go...let's fix it"..."stop right there/take a breath/no it's not too late"... "how can you complicate what I see so clear"... "just think it over for a minute", but I could be completely wrong. By extension, I think the album truly was unfinished: weeks after it was released, deluxe versions of these songs became available on iTunes (plus a bonus new song). The most notable re-working was to "Stingy" which now features fellow NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg's magic touch. The Wahlberg version is warmer, sexier and smoother. The quality of the new Stingy makes me wish Jordan would collaborate more often on new songs with NKOTB members.

Like a Wave sets the tone for the rest of the album by pulling you into the deep end of a whirlpool of warm crooning...sorry, I got carried away by the water imagery and clichés.

Four songs (that I know of) share their title with completely different songs by other artists. I don't know if these titles were accidentally unoriginal or if this was deliberate, but it's striking. There aren't any cover songs here.

One More Night, right from the first few bars, from the first time I heard it, sounded like a hit single. Now I can't get it out of my head. One More Night has a polished sound, the vocals float over an easy melody, and there's something about Jordan's Boston accent...it sounds really good! Rockstar could almost be like the new Dancing Queen: listening to it makes me feel like I could be the Rockstar. I don't know why the rock guitar bridge wasn't given more attention. Up N Down sounds like the sort of song that would play loud as you strap into a crazy ride at a midway or amusement park. Believe makes me want to. There was a passionate intensity in Jordan's voice in this song, more so than in any other. It's the sort of power and intensity that really shows how much Jordan's voice has matured and become richer over the years. I think it points to things to come. For anyone who hasn't heard Jordan since the fun dreamy positive "Step by Step" era, the 2011 Jordan is more of the same, plus deeper in every way.

This is only the beginning