98 Degrees '2.0' Album Released: New Songs from Reunited '90's Boy Band Includes 'Microphone,' 'Girl's Night Out,' & 'Lonely;' Hot Comeback for 'I Do' Singers?

The long wait is over!! The boys from '98 Degrees' (Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, & Justin Jeffre) who melted our hearts back in the '90's with their boy band hits like "I Do" and "My Everything," officially reentered the music scene yesterday (May 7th) with the release of their new album '2.0'

2.0 marks the fifth overall studio album for '98 Degrees' and their first LP release in over a decade. The latest from the reunited and all-grown-up soulful quartet features 11 brand new songs, plus 2 newly recorded, bonus acoustic versions of their Gold and Platinum singles "Because of You" and "Invisible Man." Also included are the two previously debuted singles: "Microphone" and "Girl's Night Out."

Rolling Stone describes the new album as a "sonically mixed bag": tracks such as the "Bruno Mars-penned "Take the Long Way Home" and "Let Go My Heart" are of the expected aching-ballad variety, while the EDM-driven lead single "Microphone" - which Lachey describes as the group's "nod at the current music landscape" - and the Michael Jackson-channeling "Can't Get Enough" feel comparatively contemporary.

Will the 2.0 version of '98 Degrees' set the boys up for a hot comeback or has the heat cooled off over the years?

The new album was released May 7th, on iTunes, and fans have been weighing in to reveal their opinions on the new 98 Degrees sound. Some listeners were over-heating with excitement with comments like:

"I've been a fan of 98 Degrees since their first album came out, back in the 90's. In my opinion, this is their BEST album by far! I waited 13 years for this album and it's FINALLY here. Is it different from their earlier stuff? Yes it is. But, keep in mind that the guys are older now, so naturally their sound has changed. But they STILL sound amazing, not to mention how hot they are."

"I am loving all the different sounds in the songs. The guys sound amazing. Love when Jeff hits those high notes! Chills :)"

Others, on the other hand, were not so impressed with 2.0:

"I've been a fan of these guys since the 90's. I know every past song by heart and support these guys in every way. This album didn't do it for me."

"I know I'm about to sound like a serious hater here, but let me just point out the fact that I LOVED 98 Degrees in the 90s and early 2000s. I didn't expect this album to sound exactly like their music from back in the day as I understand that musicians grow and change, but good lord this album is terrible. It sounds very trendy and over-produced. It sounds just like all the other garbage music out there that's digitized and auto-tuned and I can't begin to express the amount of disappointment I feel in them."

Nick, Drew, Jeff, & Justin also gave MTV their own input about their new album, which they began recording last October, aiming for a "balance between their classic R&B vocal blend & modern music armed with Top 40 potential," reports MTV.

"It's sort of the next version of 98 Degrees," Justin Jeffre said about their first release since 2000's Revelation. "We're still 98 Degrees, but we've stretched as artists and we tried to go beyond. What we didn't want to do was just do what we've already done before. We wanted to go beyond that."

Lead singer Nick Lachey adds,"I think we did a pretty good job of walking that line," he says. "We realized that music's changed quite a bit since 2000 when we made our last album together. We wanted to evolve with music, and we want to be current and relevant in terms of our sound. At the same time, we also wanted to be very cognizant of trying to keep the harmony and the vocal sound that made us what we were."

Jeff Timmons chimed in with, "We're the same guys. We're entertainers, singers, trying to evolve musically. Same guys, just a different era and, you know, trying to come up with new, cool stuff."

"We're a family. As dysfunctional as we are, we are family, and getting back together, we know each other, we love each other - most of the time," he jokingly added. "So being back together, getting back together is just like riding a bike, so it's a lot of fun. ... The magic never dies!" Drew Lachey revealed.

Drew's older brother, Nick Lachey, posted on Twitter yesterday:

"For everyone who has downloaded #98degrees 2.0 tonight....thank you! We are very proud of this record and hope you enjoy every second of it!"

The boys will also be hitting the road this summer with fellow '90s boy band-ers New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men on the Package Tour.

Check out '2.0' on ITunes and let us know if you think the boy-turned-man band kicked it up a few degrees with their new sound or if they were mas caliente in their "Una Noche" days.