When it comes to groups or bands of the 21st century, there are a select few who come to mind in Pop music that made a revolutionary difference in the genre, and very few who have maintained that long-jevity over the span of the past 20+ years. From the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, or even Green Day, memorable hits come to our minds like “Backstreet’s Back”, “It’s Gonna Be Me”, and “Boulveard of Broken Dreams”, to name a few. So it is very slim or even unheard of that U.K.-bred Pop group Five ever made that list. Back in the day, there were too many groups to count. But one true fact about Five was they had swag and a style that would’ve sustained in the music scene of today. Sure, they had classic songs like “Slam Dunk (Da Funk)” & “If Ya Gettin’ Down”, and were once signed to major record label Sony/BMG, but let’s get real y’all… It’s been nearly 22 years since anyone has heard from this British group. Pop groups from their era have long joined the popular currency of releasing music independently, and via socials, without having to worry about being tied to major labels.
Members Scott, Sean, & Ritchie all three have well communicated that they are relieved that social media was not at all a thought or an idea of technological existence back when they first formed in 1997. In an interview with The Sun, Scott quotes, “We could have even been bigger with social media. We just would have written some really stupid things as well”.
Former members Scott Robinson, Ritchie Neville, and Sean Conlon have remained tight since the group’s disband. They had a reunion tour 15 years ago that was a flop, and have since then pressed onward to keep their music alive in the hearts of their long-awaiting fans. Which now brings us to Five’s current LP of work, Time, independently released to digital platforms in January 2022. And yes,“time” indeed, is the perfect word to define this group’s heartwarming comeback.
It is their smash-up artist style of both Pop and Rap music that once upon a time made them a bleep on the Pop music train. Scott Robinson quotes with Retro Pop Magazine that, “We were given the gift of time to try and turn a negative situation into a positive. It was very easy to go, ‘Ah, we can’t gig’ and watch the bank balance dwindle, we wanted to come back with something of worth; we would have never released this album of new music.”
There are a few favorites that come to my mind after listening to the new record. “Kick That Wall Down”, “Lose Our Minds”, “Written In the Sun”, and remix “Keep On Movin’”. To me, each song of Five’s sounded like something New Kids on the Block or Five Seconds of Summer would release. Their stuff has been universal, in my book. It’s sad they could not maintain the long jevity of a career like a British version of the Backstreet Boys in the States. But I feel like this is not the last we’ve heard from Five, y’all. A comeback for some artists can easily turn into a rebirth of a music career. Just depends on the right songs.
Whether you were a fan of 90’s music or not, these guys’ music, (next to iconic groups like Backstreet Boys & Boyz II Men) was a staple for me growing up as a kid in the 1990’s. Check out their latest LP Time available on all streaming music platforms today.
The Neiman Cruse Report 
You must be logged in to post a comment.