Schizophrenic

Which one is JC? He’s not the Big Fat Greek Wedding one, the one with the cheesy dreadlocks, or the aspiring astronaut. And he’s obviously not Timberlake. So he must be the other one. It’s not a good omen if you don’t have enough personality to distinguish yourself in ’N Sync, and predictably, Chasez’s first solo effort suffers from a personality deficit. Production-line dance-pop (“Some Girls [Dance With Women]”) and bland ballads (“Build My World”) are the norm. There are some worthwhile moments: The warped Prince groove that the Basement Jaxx conjure on “Shake It” and the pulsing ’80s-style synth arrangement on “All Day Long I Dream About Sex” force Chasez from his vocal comfort zone—instead of just crooning over the tunes, he sounds involved. But at the end of the day, where his buddy Justin at least had the good sense to hijack some persona from his collaborators (notably, the Neptunes) and his spiritual guide, Michael Jackson, JC flounders, generally sounding as faceless as your average American Idol finalist.