In a top-40 world filled with dance pop groups like the Backstreet Boys andN’ Sync, Marvelous3 provides listeners with a slight change from the mainstream. The Atlanta-based trio, Butch Walker, the lead vocalist/guitarist; Jayce Fincer, bass; and Slug, the drummer create bubble gum pop with an alternative twist. Marvelous3 has the same corny lyrics that made the Backstreet Boys popular. Their second album “Hey!Album” contains 12 songs, which are mostly about a girl treating a boy badly. They debuted in 1997 with, “Math and Other Problems.” They followed it with the self-made “Hey!Album” last year. Shortly after, they signed with Elektra Records and rerecorded the songs.The most striking line on the CD is in the first song “You’re so Yesterday.” Describing a bad relationship, Walker uses lyrics such as “kool as hell, like e-mail” to describe his girlfriend. The rhyming was obvious and overused in the first song, and in most of them, for that matter.However, the music is good. The sound, singing, playing and overall feel of the music is great. It is catchy and easy to sing along with. The lyrics are somewhat funny but I don’t think the songs were meant to be that way. I would expect some of these lyrics to be found in something Adam Sandler would sing. In that case, the lyrics would work. In “Hey!Album,” the lyrics just ruin a potentially great CD.The second track, “Freak of the Week,” starts out with potential, giving an introduction reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins, “1979.” There are also odd phrases in this, such as “Cuz all the geeks that I meet, they all look kooler than me.” Once again, the chorus sounds much better than the rest of the song. The other good thing about this song is that it is not about a relationship or a depressed guy but rather an issue that a lot of people have.The third track, “Until You See,” is by far the best song on the CD. Despite the annoying rhyming and the lonely guy theme, the slow melody demonstrates the talent the band has.”Write on Your Hand” has more of these oddly placed words. Walker seems to have a great lyrical line but then ruins it by looking for something to rhyme it with. An example is him singing about being cool and he will go back to school.The album covers a variety of music types and therefore can attract a wide audience. The right lyrics can turn this band around. At times the lyrics and point that Walker is trying to make is apparent but then I hear words like cell phones, anti-drug commercials, mayonaisse and after-school specials. Despite the popularity of songs with odd lyrics, this setup does not seem to work for Marvelous3.By far the strangest song is “#27.” The lyrics reminded me of high school music. The line “All the Blur, and Cure, and Oasis cases” is an example. It sounded like I was reading Dr. Seuss books. Then he sings about playing Marco Polo. Even the tunes do not blend well. He sings upbeat, then slow and then picks up the pace again.In its press release Marvelous3 explains that they love to do live shows. Usually in a live show, the focus is on the music and performances, not the lyrics. With that in mind, their live shows are probably great. Their melody fits together just right, the music is very catchy and easy to listen to, as long as you ignore most of the lyrics.