Ever since the release of M2M's first album, Shades of Purple, we have been waiting for something new from this beautiful duo from Norway. With the release of The Big Room, the wait is over. The Big Room is an impressive collection of songs that showcase the girls' talents. From playing guitar to writing to singing, these girls do it all.

While other pop princesses like Willa Ford and Pink sing songs about how much they hate being compared to Britney Spears, along come Marion and Marit, a.k.a. M2M, ready to tackle subjects more complex than songs about pop star life.

In their first single "Everything" the girls sing about the frustrations of a love lost when everything seemed to be going perfectly. And when they sing the lyrics "still in my dreams you are so damn beautiful, " the word "damn" is authentic, as opposed to Britney, who sounds like she's just saying it for shock value in her single "Overprotected."

In the songs "Miss Popular" and "Jennifer" Marit and Marion sing about the competitiveness between girls. While these songs have playful harmonies, the girls attack their subjects lyrically. In the bridge of "Miss Popular," the song slows down and Marion sings sincerely, "Miss Popular, everybody hates you... I don't feel a bit sorry for you." In "Jennifer" the girls sing, "I wish someone would drop you."

Filled with bittersweet ballads written by the two girls, this album is an honest testimonial to girls that will help them become women more quickly than anything Britney ever released. Don't get me wrong, Britney is great, but her ballad "Not A Girl" seems like a parody of herself when compared to any of the ballads of M2M.

One ballad that stands out is "Wanna Be Where You Are." Starting off simply with piano and vocals, the song builds with more vocals, more instruments until it escalates with electric guitars and strong vocals. It's the teen pop power ballad we've been waiting for.

The album draws to a close with a song entitled "Eventually" that begins with an acoustic Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" type of feel. When was the last time a teen pop act made you think of Zeppelin? These girls know what they're doing.

This is the album that girls will listen to when they write in their diaries. These are the songs girls will play right before they tell the guy of their dreams that it's time to make a choice. This is the album that twenty-somethings will play to remind themselves that love is complicated, but if these girls are still gonna try to make it work, then why the hell can't anybody?

M2M will be touring with Jewel this summer, and Jewel can only hope that they won't overshadow her cuteness with their own. --Fred Flores
3/8/02