Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean releases solo album "Have It All" out now

AJ McLean, the voice that captured the hearts of millions around the world as a member of Backstreet Boys (130 million records sold worldwide) will release his solo album "Have It All" this February. The carrier single is "Teenage Wildlife".

For the last 12 months, AJ has been in the studio writing with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, *N Sync’s JC Chasez, as well as industry legends, Mark Hudson and Kristin Lundin (producer of Backstreet Boys' 'I Want It That Way', *N Sync's 'Bye Bye Bye' & Britney Spears ' 'Born To Make You Happy') to create his debut. The album, which he sees as ‘pushing the envelope’, is a departure stylistically and musically from his Backstreet Boys material, and has seen him rediscover an inner sense of himself. A personal record, the record draws inspiration from his own experiences, including exorcising the alcohol addiction he once suffered.

Says AJ of his new material ‘This record for me has allowed me to rediscover a sense of who I really am. I’ve been writing with some amazing people like Ryan Tedder and Mark Hudson; to be able to finally create this body of work, I really do think I’m going to surprise people with the direction of this album.’

Talking further about the sounds of the album – ‘We recorded partly in Nashville so we’ve got this whole Southern Rock vibe going, as well as in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The record really allows me to unwrap another side to me’.

On first hear of the material, you get a sense that AJ really is, in his words, ‘a sponge in terms of musical influence’. You can sense some early Lenny Kravitz, a bit of Jamiroquai, dripping into Daft Punk and rounded off with some Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you had to use one verb to describe this record, it would be funky.

Having had massive success with the world’s biggest boy band, AJ is no stranger to global chart success. However, he understands that with this record, it is more about discovery as opposed to ‘ticking the boxes to fit in with what gets played on radio’. The album, but AJ admits ‘he has a few ideas’, is his vision, and won’t be compromised.

"Have It All" track listing:
1. TEENAGE WILDLIFE (First single)
2. HAVE IT ALL
3. LONDON
4. GORGEOUS
5. WHAT IF
6. DRIVE BY LOVE
7. LOVE CRAZY
8. SINCERELY YOURS
9. I QUIT
10. I HATE IT WHEN YOU'RE GONE
11. WHAT IT DO

Follow AJ McLean:
Official website: http://aj-mclean.com/beta
Japanese website: http://www.avexnet.or.jp/aj/index.html
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/AJMcLean
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ajmclean
Twitter: http://twitter.com/frillneck