98 Degrees heats up my life

Staff Writer

Kristen Pearson
While all the other girls in my high school fawned over 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, I found myself a group that was hotter than your average day in San Jose.
I always seem to fall for the underdog, which was just what 98 Degrees was.
It also helped that all the boys in this wonderful boy band were incredibly attractive.
They sang to me - told me I was their everything, that they'd do anything for me and that they loved everything about me.
Talk about boosting a girl's ego.
That's right, I used them to make me feel better about myself.
Isn't that why boy bands exist?
I realize 98 Degrees isn't doing anything right now, but I continue to love looking at the band members and listening to their music.
I remember when I was in junior high and 'N Sync arrived on the scene - for weeks I asked my friends, "Who are these guys? Why haven't I heard of them?"
Heck, I even asked, "What's a boy band, guys?"
Suddenly they appeared on TV.
The boys from my dreams.
They were the most beautiful men I'd ever seen and they were practically in my parents' home.
Their voices filled my house with a sweetness like honey in a boiling-hot cup of tea.
Unfortunately, it seems that the only band member who is actually doing anything of note in the music world today is Nick Lachey.
While Lachey always was the most coveted boy in the band, I wish I knew what happened to Jeff Timmons.
Lachey, in all his glory, was the pretty boy and I was never much for the pretty boy.
Timmons, however, looked more like a gangsta than any of the other members, and at the time, reminded me of a friend who was in the Navy.
I can't resist a man in uniform.
But enough about men who are in their late 30s, let's talk about their voices.
Clear and smooth is how I'd describe the sound of this particular boy band.
Yes, I know, you are probably thinking, "Isn't that what all of them were supposed to sound like?"
It's true, the point of boy bands seems to be to sell records to young girls who fall in love with men twice their age because of their voices.
As a former vocal performance major, I believe in powerful, strong, operatic, silky voices.
I have always believed that 98 Degrees has the best sound out of all the boy bands.
After all, these boys truly knew how to sing - other boy bands used voice synthesizers, but we didn't hear as much of that fake sound from 98 Degrees.
Another reason I love 98 Degrees is because it was split up into different vocal respects.
It had a first tenor, second tenor, a baritone and a bass.
It was so wonderful to see a band that actually respects the classical voice sections.
Yes, I'm a music geek.
But it makes me happy to know that members of my favorite boy band at least have some musical training.
Their delicious voices and sultry sounds serve up a hot dish of boy band.
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