Hanson

(Roxy Theater; 500 capacity; $20)
Presented inhouse. Opened and reviewed Aug. 28, 2003; closed Aug. 30.
Band: Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson, Zac Hanson.

By STEVEN MIRKIN

Trying to shed the kiddie pop image for a second time (2000's "This Time Around" attempted to recast it as a power pop unit), Hanson returns to the concert stage as an acoustic trio. Previewing its upcoming album "Underneath" (3CG Records), the evening shows the brothers working in the '70s, Laurel Canyon vibe, their soaring familial harmonies recalling Crosby, Stills and Nash (or in the case, Hanson, Hanson and Hanson).
It's a style that suits them well. The unadorned arrangements put the focus squarely on the material -- aching love songs that had the predominantly female aud squealing like the teenyboppers they were in 1997. That's why it's easy to dismiss Hanson: "Middle of Nowhere," the group's 1997 multi-platinum album, ushered boy bands into the mainstream, and the fraternal trio was just so clean cut and Tiger Beat cute, it was tough to take them seriously.

The new songs are anchored firmly in classic pop styles: "Penny and Me" recalls Paul Simon at his friskiest while "Hey" has the jangly soulfulness of early Elton John. They've also each developed their own stage demeanor: Isaac, the sober, serious older brother; laid back, athletic Zac sounding in his solo moments like another drummer from a singing family, Dennis Wilson, and the flirty Taylor, whose androgynous good looks and yearning grainy high tenor make him the focus of the crowd's ardor. More than just a pretty face, he has the vocal chops to pull off a more than credible cover of Lieber and Stoller's "Loving You." Isaac is only slightly less successful when he takes on Little Richard's "Rip It Up" to close the show.

Mature without being too staid, Hanson may have found away out of the teen ghetto by remaining true to its own tastes. It's a lesson the current teen popsters might want to heed.

Hanson is scheduled to end its current acoustic tour with a show at Carnegie Hall in late October.

[Please note that the last statement is 100% unconfirmed and likely not to happen]

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