This Time Around (Hanson Album)

This Time Around (Hanson album)

This Time Around was released in 2000 and is the fifth album by American pop rock group Hanson. Although Hanson had several albums in between, This Time Around is their first standard studio release since 1997s Middle of Nowhere.

This Time Around didn't have the commercial success of its predecessor Middle of Nowhere. This may be in part due to the change in Hanson's focus: This Time Around doesn't feature as many bubblegum pop style tunes like Middle of Nowhere. Instead Hanson opted to focus on a more classic rock sound, or as MTV.com put it "Yes, we're talking stadium rock." The album is also heavy on ballads, with songs such as "Sure About It" and "A Song to Sing" covering the themes of teenage insecurity and loneliness, much like "Weird" from Middle of Nowhere.

Critically, This Time Around was given a score of 67 out of 100 by Metacritic. Billboard noted, "It all adds up to a collection that successfully sets Hanson apart from the current teen-pop phenomenon that it helped start -- at least from a creative perspective," and CDNow said "This Time Around scores with more sophisticated harmonies and storytelling." Rolling Stone said, "Like a blond three-headed hydra, Hanson loom over the competition, making all other teen idols sound like Gerber-sucking clowns." Allmusic said, "It's hard not to miss the thrilling way Middle of Nowhere leapt out of the speakers upon its first spin with giddy fun, yet with its carefully considered craft and warmly ingratiating pop songs This Time Around is winning entertainment." However, not everyone was complimentary about the change in musical style, with Robert Christgau of The Village Voice stating "If you thought they were bad when they were cute, or even that they were cute when they were good, believe me, you don't want to hear them mature," and NME with the even harsher verdict: "But damn those cruel hormones – Hanson's collective balls have MmmDropped, and the giddy rush of adolescence seeks to mutate Mercury's finest investment into a trio of crack-voiced hulks."

To date, This Time Around has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. The single itself sold over 500,000 copies in the United States.