Life Is Good
LFO's self-titled 1999debutintroduced a boy  group with smarts and imagination a cut or two above those of theBackstreet Boysand'N Syncacolytes who might otherwise have been their peer group. Casually  pop-culture-savvy singles like "Summer Girls" and "Girl on TV" were partly  the product of member Rich Cronin's skills. OnLife Is Good,  Cronin's name appears as a co-writer of every song; again, allusions  from "Jack and Diane"  to early-'90s rappersBlack Sheepfill  the likes of "28 Days" (both in that song, in fact). The music ranges  from surprisingly guitar-driven pop-rock to hip-hop-wise beats,  sometimes melding on tracks such as "Every Other Time." Almost as  impressively, guest shots fromDe La SoulandM.O.P.don't  embarrass the host trio. Two versions of "Dandelion" are included, no  doubt to facilitate maximum radio exposure; one features neo-soul divaKelis. They  also demonstrate that the Cronin crew's ambitions are as much musical  as careerist.--Rickey Wright