B5's Album Shows Their Potential

B5 is the newest group on Bad Boy Entertainment, the record label of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Consisting of five brothers ranging in age from 11-17, B5 is another group looking to fill the R & B boy group void. B5's self-titled debut is harmless fluff that's better than it should be and shows that these guys have a lot of potential.

There are a lot of old-school comparisons and references that surround this group. Their name, B5, is a reference to The Jackson Five. The Jackson Five were sometime referred to as J5. The brothers' last name is Breeding and if you shorten Breeding Five, you get B5. The group's lead single, "All I Do," is a remake of a Jackson Five song (one that was remade earlier by R & B group Troop). The opening song on their album is a two-minute a capella version of The Beatles' classic song "Let It Be." The song "Back In Your Arms" even samples The Jackson Five's classic "I Wanna Be Where You Are," complete with some of Michael Jackson's vocals. All these references will probably be lost on younger fans and I think they're an attempt to crossover to older fans.

Even with all the old-school references, the thing that stands out is that the boys have talent. Their vocals are pretty good throughout the album. They showcase their vocals across songs that are for the most part simple, harmless, and forgettable. Most of the songs are love songs geared directly towards their teen girl target audience. "U Got Me" is a catchy, upbeat song with lyrics like "I'm on top of the world when I'm next to you." "Heartbreak" deals with the first girl who has ever said "No" over a beatbox-inspired beat. "Teacher's Pet" stands out from all the other songs because of its subject matter. It deals with the common phenomenon of having a crush on a hot teacher. This one isn't as innocent as the other songs but it's not nearly as sexual as some B2K songs.

In a sense, B5 really are a throwback to old-school groups. They have a cleancut image. They actually sing their songs and their music is clean enough for your grandmother to enjoy. B5's self-titled album moves quickly (it's only 40 minutes long) and doesn't overstay its welcome. While the songs themselves aren't distinctive, the group's vocals show that they have promise. It remains to be seen whether or not B5 can be the J5 of this generation, but is entirely possible that they could have a very nice career ahead of them.

B5 are currently on tour with Omarion, Marques Houston, Bow Wow, Bobby Valentino and Pretty Ricky as part of the Scream IV Tour.