Seattle P-I

"Get it?" asks Boston Globe critic Joan Anderman in her review of the new CD. "The five young men in 'N Sync would like the world to know they are not puppets."

No Svengali is jerking their chains, and no behemoth record label is assigning them songs. They are doing a bit of composing and co-producing. And that's not all.

On "No Strings Attached," 'N Sync gives the kids in the 'hood a great big shout-out -- in the cheesiest faux-black vocal mannerisms in recent memory -- that they are in fact not nice boys at all, but rather nasty hip-hoppin' party animals.

So much for making girls weak in the knees and empty in the wallet with wimpy love songs like "I Want You Back" and "Tearin' Up My Heart." The new album's first single, "Bye Bye Bye," signals that the members of 'N Sync are now the sort of guys who will be doing the dumping.

And they back up their newly discovered virility with some musical muscle-flexing, too. With its battalion of synthesizers and hammering beats, "Bye Bye Bye" is certainly 'N Sync's stoutest song so far.

Band member JC Chasez seems to be leading the charge; he co-wrote and co-produced four of the 12 tracks. On "Digital Get Down," JC raps in a bizarre, drawling growl about videophone sex. It's jittery, stuttering, cut with hard grooves and popping dance-floor beats.

So is "Space Cowboy (Yippie-Yi-Yay)," which features a rap by TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. But the harder 'N Sync tries to get down and dirty, the whiter and milder they sound. It's painful listening to their careful enunciation of street vernacular on "It Makes Me Ill," helmed by A-list producer Se'kspere.

On "Bringin' Da Noise" -- an offensively titled stab at cred-by-association -- the boys deliver lines like "Come on, come on, let's raise the roof, and give 'em proof, that we can get loose" in a stiff croon. If only there had been a bouncer at the studio door to bump these poseurs out of line before they had the chance to drip all over the dance floor.

There are some satisfying songs, but the list isn't long. "This I Promise You" penned by uber-balladeer Richard Marx, and "I Thought She Knew," an a capella paean to unspoken feelings, are lovely. It's a testament to relativity: 'N Sync's ballads -- the ones that require nothing more than holding five pretty notes and proclaiming undying love -- sound just great compared to the boatload of pretense that clutters the rest of "No Strings Attached." They're romantic fantasies drawn in the simple lines and angelic melodies fancied by young girls. It's what 'N Sync does best. It is, this album reveals, all 'N Sync does. The best thing about J.C., Justin, Lance, Joey and Chris is that they don't take themselves as seriously as some boy bands. Any bunch willing to spoof themselves on "Saturday Night Live" are clearly secure enough to get a kick out of taking some lumps for their success.

Still, 'N Sync's second album (not counting their Christmas disc) isn't strictly good clean fun. In fact, the clangorous thump-'n'-grind of "Digital Get Down" is a paean to long-distance computer sex. Talk about growing up fast! The group sticks with the super-slick R&B-pop formula that has served it so well, but some fresh ingredients--monolithic dance breaks, scratching and bits of rapping (including a guest spot by TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes)--bring 'N Sync straight into the '90s.

Rather than doe-eyed entreaties, the lads try a little toughness this time, from the relationship kiss-off of the standout "Bye Bye Bye" to the he's-bad-for-you overtures of the title track. There's still room for a few treacly ballads, but while the singers always hit their marks, they fail to convey real emotion. The self-pitying a cappella breakup tune "I Thought She Knew" provides a glimpse beyond the prefab grooves, but it's like opening the Wizard of Oz's curtain and realizing that behind the imposing image are some utterly unremarkable powers.

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