In six short months, Mexican group RBD has become the biggest selling Latin pop group in the United States.

The reason behind the success can be found, to a large degree, in television. RBD is the youth-appealing group spawned by teen Mexican soap opera Rebelde, where the six members of the band -- three sexy girls, three cute guys -- play six school mates who form a pop group.

Nuestro Amor is the group's third album, and the third to make it to the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. In fact, Nuestro Amor topped the chart, taking over the spot previously occupied by Shakira and Daddy Yankee.

Like RBD's first album (the group's second release is a live set), this is absolute, commercial pop, with vocals traded off on the different tracks that are eminently romantic ("Este Corazón"), danceable ("Así Soy Yo") or up tempo with little touches of rock ("Fuera").

There is no denying its catchiness and appeal. This is especially true for teen, Latino listeners, who have so little material tailored specifically for them. Here, not only are the singers closer to their age, they actually sing about light topics they can relate to.

Such is the case with "Feliz Cumpleaños," where a girl and a guy both sing about dumping their respective love interests, during their birthdays. "On your birthday, I'll hook up with your girlfriends," he says snidely, and it's a thought every listener has related to at some point in their lives.

Granted, RBD is romantic. And that tone is set in the opening "Nuestro Amor," a romantic track where vocals are traded in the initial verses, then all come together in the big, up tempo chorus.

But it is contemporary romance, and electric guitars are a big deal on this album, largely supplanting the string driven sound that for so long was the staple of Latin pop.

Even the slower "A Tu Lado," a more classic-sounding, big ballad with male vocals, uses keyboards and synthesizers for a richer sound.

If you're searching for a distinctive voice in RBD, you won't find it. Although solo voices kick off the tracks, they then either trade off or harmonize with others. RBD is a group, and that's part of its appeal as well; fans can pick their favorite from the bunch.

Still, some songs are more personality-driven than others, notably "Fuera," where the girls tell off their two-timing boyfriend during a phone conversation, aided by electric and acoustic guitars and call and response in the chorus.

Largely, however, boys and girls share the spotlight, happily. The chemistry is best highlighted in a live version of "Una Canción," a cover of a track originally recorded by a Colombian pop group. In RBD's version, a solo male vocal jumpstarts the song, briefly, then the entire group harmonizes over a slow introduction before breaking into their trademark up tempo beat for the chorus.

Nuestro Amor, which also includes a bonus video of the video of "Nuestro Amor," ends with "Liso, Sensual." Here, both guys and girls sing about someone else's straight, sensual hair. Clearly, in this group, it's about being different, but being equal.

By Leila Cobo