The Wilsons - The Wilsons (1997)

As the first musical collaboration between Carnie and Wendy Wilson and their father Brian, The Wilsons promised great things. Unfortunately, the album doesn't quite deliver. Instead of relying on the pure pop genius of Brian at his best, the album sounds similar to Wilson Phillips it's clean, simple, synthesized adult contemporary. This is particularly true of the tracks that feature just Carnie and Wendy, but even the four cuts featuring Brian have a stylized sheen that doesn't quite fit with his aging vocals. Nevertheless, there's a certain thrill in hearing him harmonize with his daughters, and the music is quite pleasant. The probelm is, Brian's co-written songs "Everything I Need" (written with Tony Asher) and "Miracle" (written with Carnie and Wendy) don't sound remarkably different from the material surrounding it. The songs aren't bad, they're just not distinctive, and that is ultimately the greatest failing of The Wilsons it could have been special, but it turned out ordinary.