Rating:Three star

THE thing with 'Boy Band' labels is they are usually deserved but very hard to shake off.

Which is why Five will struggle to convince non-fans that they are more than just your average boy group out to please only their teenie girl fans.

But take it from me (someone who falls very firmly outside the band's fanbase) this album shows all the signs of the boys finally growing up.

The first few tracks, including the latest single Let's Dance, show a maturity that goes hand in hand with a funkier beat, a catchier tune, and a groovier sound.

There's even a cracking song featuring a sample of Frankie Valli's Grease Is The Word - perhaps an acknowledgement of encroaching adulthood.

But from then on in, it becomes an instantly-forgettable blend of pop tunes (exactly what you would expect) mixed in with some pretty weak ballads.

Which for an album of 15-plus tracks makes it pretty hard-going at times.

But not a bad try and you've got to hand it to them for a) not taking themselves too seriously and b) not going down that well-trodden boy band path of a ballad followed by a ballad, followed by, well, you get the idea...

SC