No Secrets - No Secrets (CD)

All Music Guide

The collective voices of No Secrets drift blandly over the burbling beats and synth twitters of their eponymous teen pop debut, making individual recognition impossible and any momentum in the crowded teen pop sweepstakes unlikely. Opener "That's What Girls Do" is still sassy and fun, even if it does cram in every production cliché in the genre (the robot voice, mechanistic instrumental accompaniment, etc.). Likewise, the girls' cover of Kim Wilde's "Kids In America" (previously released as part of the Jimmy Nuetron, Boy Genius soundtrack) is bubbly and bright and brash all at once just like the best summer days. But No Secrets can't sustain that energy over a full album, mostly because they waver confusedly between endorsing innocent fun and uplifting messages, or the more lascivious adult themes that teenpop too often tries to reference. "Hot"'s heavy breathing, "Holla"s and "You feel me?" shoutouts not to mention its productplacement references to JLo and N Sync puts the quintet ...in the same weird world inhabited by Platinum blonde boyman Aaron Carter; in fact, it's a thematic cousin to Oh Aaron's ridiculous "Stride [Jump on the Fizzy]", which the No Secrets girls actually guested on. But the girls aren't strong enough as performers to pull off No Secrets' sultrier material, and the production is a weak reconstitution of what's already been done. These shortcomings render stuff like "Hot" and "On the Floor" forgettable, and "Here I Am"'s message of empowerment believable, since it's in line with the affable sizzle of "That's What Girls Do", or even "I'll Remember You"'s bythenumbers balladry. Nevertheless, even when the songs are suited to them, No Secretes' debut doesn't make much of a dent. That "It's Alright" is a pretty blatant rewrite of Des'Ree's "You Gotta Be" is also a bit grating. - Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide Read more Less