Ten years ago the New Kids on the Block were jumping through dry ice mist in professionally ripped jeans and rattails, crooning their cheesy pop anthem "You Got It (the Right Stuff)." The critics hated them, but millions of young fans pumped the New Kids' income bracket up there with Oprah Winfrey's and Michael Jackson's. Soon the hits dried up and the Svengalied teen act that cleared the way for cash calf proteges like the Spice Girls and "NSync called it quits and retreated to their mansions. This month, however, as audiences ponder the "Where are they now?" question, one fifth of the New Kids- twenty-eight-year old Jordan Knight- is back on the scene with his solo debut on Interscope. Produced in part by R&B maestros Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (of Janet Jackson fame), the album is more a mature blend of hummable harmony and soul sincerity.

Knight may know what it is to be both the epicenter of white-limousine pomp and the butt of antiteenybopper jokes, but he shows no fear of diving into the waters. "Sometimes", he says, "the best ideas are mistakes." And he also seems to be determined to hold onto his voice. In fact, he's become an on the subject of one's voice and on the kind of snobbery that takes hold against teenage superstars. When asked what advise he would give the Backstreet Boys -last years’ craze- he answered:

If the infectious grooves on his new record are any hint, Knight is a guy to watch. If Take That's Robbie Williams can have a phenomenal second career in the U.K., perhaps Knight will do the same on this side of the Atlantic.