20Th Century Masters-DVD Collections

Universal Music's series of DVD best-ofs, released under the discount-priced rubric of 20th Century Masters - The DVD Collection, tends to present four to six music videos at a running time of 20-25 minutes, which usually means that it shortchanges the artists, who have scored more hits than they have made promotional clips. But the entry for 98DEG. just about covers the group's career. All five of their Top 20 pop hits, achieved between 1997 and 2000, are included. Like the music, the videos are just about generic for the "boy band" phenomenon of the late '90s. "Invisible Man" finds the four singers in black and white in an abandoned warehouse; "Because of You" places them in scenic parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, topped off with their appearance at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge; "The Hardest Thing" is set in Las Vegas; "I Do (Cherish You)," in keeping with its theme, is full of romantic settings, including a wedding; and "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" finds the singers romping amid the Mayan ruins of Mexico among other colorful locations. Throughout, the four vocalists look directly into the camera and act out Boy Band 101 movements -- outstretched arms, shrugs, sidelong glances, and other obnoxious mugging -- though they don't display any real choreographic ability. Lead singer Nick Lachey hogs the camera more than the others, but not to any particular effect. The video directors clearly were looking around for distracting eye candy to offset the blandness of the music and the dullness of the performers. ~ William Ruhlmann|