Accelerate (CD - 2003)

Jump5: Chris Fedun, Brandon Hangest, Brittany Hangest, Lesley Moore, Libby Hodges (vocals).

Additional personnel includes: Michael Ripoll (acoustic & electric guitars); Lynn Nichols (electric guitar); Mark Hammond, Jeffrey Roach (programming).

Producers: Mark Hammons, Tedd T., Lynn A. Nichols.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Personnel: Michael Ripoll (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Jamie Moore (acoustic guitar); Alex Nifong, Jerry McPherson, Lynn Nichols (electric guitar); Mark Hammond (drums, programming); Dan Muckala, Michael Linn, Jeffrey Roach, Damon Riley (programming).

Audio Mixers: Dave Dillbeck; F. Reid Shippen; Marcelo Pennell; Tedd T.; Todd Robbins; Bill Whittington.

Recording information: Antenna Studios; Bridgeway Studio; Rec Room Studios.

Editors: Dave Dillbeck; Tedd T.; Rusty Varenkamp.

Illustrator: Joshua Sage Newman.

Photographer: Tony Baker.

Jump5 don't gloss over their age; the teen quintet open their second outing, ACCELERATE, with hearts right there on their sleeves, singing the line "do you like the freckles on my face/do you like my teeth, they're out of place/I'd like to think so," before making a comment about cleaning their rooms. The rest of that song "Do Ya," a synth-laden, danceable piece of confectionery, offers a sweet and innocent entreaty of love that recalls the heyday of the Partridge Family.

Unlike that 1970s band and unlike much contemporary teen pop, Jump5 are not manufactured, but came together like any other band, except their meeting came around kindergarten, gelling from playground friends into a tight pop group. This genuineness is the key to Jump5's charm as they sing their straightforward, positive, and ultimately catchy songs. ACCELERATE's first single is, fittingly, the remake of Sisters Sledge's uncomplicated anthem "We Are Family," in which they capture the simple spirit of the disco hit. Before the album ends, the fivesome cover Katrina & the Waves' unabashedly happy 1985 top-ten hit "Walking on Sunshine," again losing none of its essence. Jump5 never relent on the cheery pop on ACCELERATE, making it a truly feel-good record. minimize