Fangirl Deb's Perspective on Jordan Knight

Disclaimer

If I were considering who has the best personality and the sexiest body, Danny would be at the top of my NKOTB list. But if I add best singing voice to the list of qualifications, it is with profoundest apologies, I would have to choose Jordan and not Danny as number one. In fact, it was Jordan and not Danny who first lured me to NKOTB. And I've convinced myself the only reason I didn't first choose Danny is the age difference: Danny is one year older than Jordan. :)

Jordan, my Adolescent Years
I was one of those girls who plastered her wall with posters of Fred Savage and Jordan Knight. Jordan and NKOTB owned about 75% of my wall. I wish I had pictures like so many others do, but it's ok. My favorite "poster" was a puzzle of NKOTB that I had glued together after fitting all the pieces together. I've heard so many stories from other fans that they were obligated to choose a different favorite new kid if their #1 was already taken. That wasn't the case for me growing up. I had friends at my middle school who also liked Jordan, and if his name came up, there were ugly words thrown back and forth, but I never felt I had to choose Jordan; I just did because he was cute!

Jordan, my Thirties
I've been told that personality is perhaps more important than looks when choosing your favorite Boybander. I thought about that after first seeing the Today Show reunion mini-concert when my eyes first became glued to Danny Wood. Jordan certainly hadn't lost his good looks, and his singing voice hadn't changed at all. But I had changed. Jordan, to me, reminded me of the goody two shoes I was as an adolescent. Granted, some of his songs paint a different picture, but I still saw innocence in his face, an innocence I had lost over the almost 15 years since New Kids on the Block were on the forefront of my mind.
In our adolesence, we were only allowed to perceive personality from looks and stage presence. As adults, the curtain is opened for us to see so much more. Initially, I was unsure of Jordan, but as the years have passed since the original reunion, I have come to see Jordan as a sweetheart, a little shy at times, and a little bold at others. Like his older brother, he is hilarious on twitter, and I can tell his work ethic toward his music is the strongest of the group.

Jordan's Music
It was predicted that if any of the New Kids were to be successful as a solo artist, it would be Jordan Knight.
Wiki reports Jordan has sold over 1.5 million albums including 4 top 40 hits. The album sales represent Jordan's self-titled album, Love Songs, The Fix, and Unfinished. Unfinished, while only having been released at the end of May, has become Jordan's first top ten Independent Album release.

Jordan's Musicianship
Jordan started teasing fans in early 2009 that he was working on a new album that would have a "grown and sexy" feel. We complained that the album was taking too long, and maybe his tweets were a ploy. But as time progressed, we learned that Jordan had created his own record label, was collaborating with some amazing artists/songwriters, and redesigning his website. He was taking steps toward something huge, and it was worth the wait. He released his first single, "Let's Go Higher" with Ryan Seacrest's nationally syndicated radio show. He followed the debut with multiple interviews across the US and Canada. The song has broken the top 50 of the Billboard Top 200, as a single released on an independent label! He has since released a second single from "Unfinished", a remixed version of "Stingy", featuring Donnie Wahlberg.
Every song on his album is single-worthy. Certainly, the musician has the difficult job of saying what everyone else has said in a unique way. Jordan does this with his incredibly melodic piano playing on Believe, Inside and Never Alone. His lyrics on Like a Wave, with descriptors "I'mma serve you like a cabana boy" and "you got me in a ripzone" perfectly complement the dance beat that accompanies. His remaining blend of dance songs and ballads show the expertise that only a skilled musician who has taken what he has learned throughout the years and combined it with a very strong "never give up" work ethic attitude.

Jordan may not had the initial success as a solo artist like boybander Justin Timberlake, but with his latest musical effort, I believe there is still plenty of time for Jordan to find more than enough fame. I believe the stigma he may have struggled with in the late 90's is no longer a battle he'll have to fight.