98[degrees]

Interview, Oct, 2000 by Vivien Goldman

Ah, the price of beauty. Some critics don't take the hunky, Cincinnati-bred foursome 98[degrees] seriously as proper singers. But as Jim Morrison said, the little girls understand. And so does President Clinton, who once showcased them at the White House. With Revelation (Universal), the fourth disc from the fab four, brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre have more songwriting credits than ever before. Nonetheless, the group sensibly turned to their producers for the speedy salsa of the album's first single, "Give Me Just One Night."

TEMPERATURE'S RISING

They chose their name to suggest heat and romance, and this new single captures the flame. It instantly beat Britney Spears' record to become the most swiftly and extensively added single to hit radio playlists since the dawn of pop.

98[degrees] are a touch sensitive on the boy band issue. On the Net they state that they're not a boy band in the accepted sense of "prefabricated and marginally talented." Listen hard and you can hear in their voices the years the guys spent trying to make it. Yes, 98[degrees] really can throw down. Swoons one of their many fan sites, "They're not boys-they're men!"

Frequent Interview contributor Vivien Goldman is developing a British Latin-pop girl band.