The Essential *NSYNC is the fourth compilation album by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on July 29, 2014, four years after their third compilation The Collection (2010). It is also the second overall album under RCA Records following their self-titled album in 1998. The album contains a total of thirty-four tracks, including hit singles, album tracks, B-sides, rare recordings, and soundtrack features. Despite being only a compilation release, the album received widespread press coverage after it was revealed that none of the band members had been told about its release.
The album sold out on Amazon on the day of release, and quickly vaulted into the top ten albums on the iTunes Store.
Band member Lance Bass said of the album on his radio show, Dirty Pop: "There's a lot of these songs I don't think I've ever heard, I remember recording them but I've never heard them before, so I'm interested in just hearing them." JC Chasez tweeted about the album's release, stating: "I had the strangest dream last night that some old friends and I had a top 10 record on iTunes. Crazy right..." Chris Kirkpatrick said of the album; "It's great to release some of the songs that had never made a record before! I'm glad our long time fans get some new music!" Joey Fatone also said; "Pretty interesting this album comes out, which I really had no idea, and it's in the top of Amazon and iTunes... we owe it to our fans. Thank you."
Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said, "If these deep cuts appeal to you, Essential is the *NSYNC comp to get: it captures all the hits and hubris of their glory years. If all you need are the songs that were on Total Request Live, stick with Greatest Hits". Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said, "For fans, it has everything you could possibly need. For everyone else, it's a lengthy time capsule that is best kept where most time capsules should be: buried underground where no one can find it".
The album had sold 34,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan as of February 2018.
Track listing
Charts +Chart performance for The Essential *NSYNC Chart (2014) Peakposition
Certifications
References