Casanova

DISCOGRAPHIC

Ultimate Kaos - Casanova (1997)

BACK IN THE mid-Nineties, there was a male singing group (not a "boyband" - "boybands" are white; singing groups are black. We know this because TV clipshows on the subject of boybands always feature the Backstreet Boys, never Blackstreet) called Ultimate Kaos.

When they first appeared around 1992, Ultimate Kaos was comprised of lead singer Haydon, together with Jomo, Jayde, Ryan, and Nico. Haydon, at the time, was just 9. When you consider some of the lyrics the boy was required to sing (the usual love'n'lust jazz), that's a bit wrong. But by the time of Casanova in 1998, Haydon had reached puberty, and it was definitely a case of boys to men.

It's probably still a bit wrong to say Haydon is hypnotically sexy in this video, but the director clearly thought he was too, with extreme close-ups of his patent UK Mixed Race® face flashing by every nanosecond. And boy, what a face...

The Kaos Theory, the second album by Ultimate Kaos, was a decent enough record, but as usual with British R&B acts at the time, creatively stifled by the record label. Four singles were released from the album, each boasting a healthy selection of thrilling B-sides that surpassed the average album tracks. Smile Some More (one of the album's weakest tracks, and the fourth single) had no less than four new songs tacked on, including the summery Southside, and truly smile worthy Could It Be Love. The poptastic My Lover featured the soaring I Didn't Know.

Like fellow UK acts MN8 and Damage, Ultimate Kaos were ahead of their time: edgier and fresher than their American counterparts, but without the huge audience. Fifteen years later, JLS would enjoy the success owed to their predecessors.

A version of this article originally appeared on 3rd February 2009.