Hanson

Bono called their music "genius." Hip producers like the Dust Brothers and Stephen Lironi worked with them early on, even before millions of fans screamed their names and critics applauded them. But for Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, it's always been about the music, and there's always been a message in the music for those who were really listening.

Starting out nearly 15 years ago in 1992 by releasing their first self-made albums, Hanson could not have predicted that one day the whole world would sing their song. Yet that's exactly what happened in 1997, when the band's sunny single "MmmBop", a song about the ephemeral nature of most relationships, became a worldwide number one hit. Their pop-Motown flavored major label debut, Middle Of Nowhere, pierced the gray fog of 1990's grunge and earned the band three Grammy nominations. The follow-up albums kept the hooks and the critical acclaim while revealing HANSON's evolution. Their sophomore effort, This Time Around, leaned toward rock, blues and gospel while 2004's Underneath was a more richly textured and organic twist on the band's signature brand of pop-rock, as heard on the album's lead single Penny and Me, which made it to #2 on the Billboard Singles Chart and notched the band a top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

Even a great message, though, is lost without great songs, and writing great songs, as you'll hear on The Walk, is what Hanson does best. Each brother brings his own artistic inclinations into the studio, but their collective vision and extraordinary talent result in a band that's in it for the long haul.