I wanted to make an album that was painfully honest, like (Bruce) Springsteen's 'Tunnel of Love,'

A big section of our audience is young and female. Housewives like our love songs, but then again, everyone likes to dream about love.

I don't like nice people. I like tough, honest people.

The more rewarding part of doing a solo record for me was having more control in the studio.

I think in some way, there aren't a lot of people making pop music with sincerity, ... We offer a slight alternative to that -- for people not getting the 'N Sync vibe. We have simple, honest music and a little something for everyone.

It's quite autobiographical. It talks about relationships. The last record was naïve because we were. At that point, we would have done anything to succeed. And it's easy to get distracted and surround yourself with toys. But I wanted to get back to a sense of normality. I needed that sense of reality.