** 1/2THE BOYS”The Saga Continues . ....

** 1/2

THE BOYS

“The Saga Continues . . . “

Motown

Three years ago, the Boys’ hit single “Dial My Heart” had many people touting these four brothers, with their sweet harmonies and sugarcoated charm, as the next Jackson 5.

But what was delightful 20 years ago--hey, even three years ago--is soft and dated now, and the Boys’ new album sometimes sounds like a pubescent Public Enemy with a bracing shot of teen-time testosterone.

The most remarkable aspect of the record is that it was produced by 16-year-old group member Hakeem Abdulsamad. He definitely has talent, but he doesn’t stray far from your patented inner-city gangsta mode.

The Boys play both sides of the street--glamorizing the tougher aspects of street life while bemoaning inner-city strife, violence and hopelessness. The Boys aren’t any more successful at straddling that bullet-riddled fence than most rap artists.

This record is radically different from “Dial My Heart,” but there’s too much following of the status quo and not much growth or thought-provoking innovation.

As the Boys concern themselves with a hormone-injected “Freak of the Week” and a girl who is “100% woman even though she’s only 13,” it’s easy to see that for all its potential and swagger, this group is still aptly named.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).