Aqua were known thoughout the nineties as the ultimate cheesy pop band. The quartet from Norway and Denmark hit the big time in the UK when their single 'Barbie Girl' reached number 1 in the summer of 1997. Several more number 1 singles follow from their debut album 'Aquarium' and it was this album that produced the hit singles that to this day they are best known for.

However, a couple of years later, Aqua returned with their second album 'Aquarius' as as you would expect, it was full of the classic bubblegum pop that flooded their first album. This album was not as successful as their debut in the United Kingdom but that is not to say that it wasn't as good, there are some fantastic, if not better, pop gems on here that outshine what was on their first album.

The album's lead single 'Cartoon Heros' is a fantastic pop track, cheesy, disney-like pop. 'Around The World' was the albums second single as is on par with the first single but in my opinion is much better. The next track is 'Freaky Friday' which has a western-cowboy-pop feeling. Very good. 'We Belong To The Sea' is the first ballad on the album as was released as a single throughout Europe but not in the UK. It's a great song, simmilar to their previous hit 'Turn Back Time' and it's a shame this didn't get the chance to shine in the UK. 'An Apple A Day' seems very much like a filler track, it's annoying pop, 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' kind of grates after a few listens.

'Halloween' is a scary themed pop track with a haunting intro. It is laid out that Lene is the victim and Rene is trying to catch her. It's another fine slice of bubblegum pop. 'Good Guys' is the next track and its another of the slower paced tracks. I have to say, although Aqua do releasing annoyingly catchy pop songs that you'll either love or hate, they do manage to record some fantastic and credible pop ballads and this is one of them.

'Back From Mars', this is probably the most 'poppy' song on the album, i'm surprised they didn't choose this song to launch the album campaign as it has an instant pop 'punch' that Cartoon Heroes slightly misses. 'Aquarius' is the title track and is another excellent ballard, if you liked 'Good Morning Sunshine' from the first album then you will almost certaintly love this song. 'Cuba Libre' is track 10 on the album and Spanish/Mexican sound to it. There is nothing to dislike about this song. 'Bumble Bees' is another one of those classic Aqua tracks that has that bubblegum pop chorus and crazy verses. This song was released in Europe and had a great video to it. The final track on the album is 'Goodbye To The Circus' which signs off the album. It's a slow song and it's kind of like Aqua knew they were splitting up after this album, it's their goodbye song. Although they were set to return in 2011 with their comeback album 'Meglamania'.

Overall

If you like cheesy bubblegum pop then this is the perfect album for you, if I had to select the 5 best songs then I would have to pick 1. Back From Mars, 2. Around The World, 3. We Belong To The Sea, 4. Aquarius 5. Cartoon Heroes. I actually prefer this to their first album, the songs are not as annoying as 'Barbie Girl' or 'Doctor Jones'. They've found a way of making a classic pop record without making it too annoying. Buy this as your guilty pleasure.