The Wanted's eponymous debut album
The Wanted releases "The Wanted" on April 24, 2012. Credit: Handout
You can tell we're in the midst of another boy band bonanza by the quality of songs on The Wanted's eponymous debut. "The Wanted" (Universal) is packed with top-shelf dance-pop like its smash single "Glad You Came," up-tempo and well crafted -- built for a single singer but adapted for a group that sings more in unison than harmony. The quintet actually sounds more at home on the stylish, slightly more buttoned-up Euro-pop of "All Time Low" than the island-tinged "Glad You Came" or its trancey new single "Chasing the Sun." But in any case, The Wanted is certainly living its pop moment to the fullest.
THE WANTED
"The Wanted"
GRADE B
BOTTOM LINE Another U.K. twist on the boy band
