Bop to pop with Hanson

When Hanson came to fame at the tail end of the grunge era in 1997, context made them seem especially precious: Seeing their video for breakout hit “MMMBop” next to clips from hall-of-fame brooders like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam was a welcome ray of sunshine poking through all those cloud-covered skies.

It was like swapping hard candy for hard drugs.

But the Hanson brothers’ cheek-pinching cuteness and aww-shucks charm worked against them, in a way, when they tried to move on from the precocious sugar buzz of their smash third album “Middle of Nowhere.”

Since then, the trio has released a slew of albums of well-manicured, modestly received pop rock, most recently “Anthem,” whose second track, “I’ve Got Soul,” offers some truth in advertising.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow on Twitter @JasonBracelin.