August 12, 2008. The Jonas Brothers’ third album (second album on Hollywood records) “A Little Bit Longer” was released. They boys welcomed the new arrival of their CD at the Virgin Record store in Time Square of NYC (something they have been doing since the release of their fist album “It’s About Time”). With my first listen to “A Little Bit Longer” there were definitely favorite songs of mine and then others that just didn’t strike my fancy. However, after listening to the album my second and third time through, songs warmed up to me, just like how Fall Out Boy puts it “the songs you grow to like never stick at first”, and I’m a fan of close to every track. The album is a step up from the one the three brothers brought to us last summer, self titled “The Jonas Brothers”. The electric guitars are heavier, guitar solos are more frequent, and the rock factor was turned up a notch. These songs are full of energy and excitement, and are the perfect prescription to put someone in a good mood.
The album opens with the song “BB Good” where Joe takes the lead vocals. The title is exactly what the song is about, him being good to a girl only if she is good to him in return. Although the lyrics somewhat lack, the melody and music are so incredibly catchy that you can’t help but move and sing along to the song, which sets up the album to be fun and energetic, making “BB Good” a perfect pick for the first track.
A few songs into the album they slow it down a bit. The boys give a ballad like song “Lovebug”, which quickly turned into my favorite song off the record. This song has a Jack Johnson feel to it and is different than other music we have heard form the brothers thus far. It’s a fluffy, light hearted song about being completely in love “Hopeless, head over heals in the moment, I never thought that I’d get hit by this lovebug again.” They end the song with a whole lot of electric guitar and rocking out. The big ending for the song wasn’t exactly necessary, and they could have just kept it sweet and simple. Overall, makes you feel like you’re floating on cloud 9 and is officially my favorite song of the record.
Each week for four weeks a song off the new album was released. “Pushing Me Away” was one of the four songs pre-released as part of a countdown to the arrival of “A Little Bit Longer”. This track is also a favorite of mine about being ‘pushed away’ by someone you love and getting to the point where you can’t stay, or fight, for their love any longer, “Pushing me away, try to stop me now but it’s already too late. Pushing me away, if you really don’t care then say it to my face.” This song is a clear indication that The Jonas Brothers are growing up and elaborating on their music, with the great harmonies on the guitars and the powerful ‘in your face’ lyrics.
The album ends with an already well known track by all Jonas fans, “A Little Bit Longer”. If you didn’t know already, this song was written while on the set of Camp Rock by Nick about his fight with diabetes. Nick describes the song as not just about his diabetes but for anyone who is going through a hard time and feels as if no one understands what they are going through. Towards the end of the song a slew of guitars come in, acting as almost a ray of hope for those who are listening. The song slows down again and Nick peacefully sings, “So I’ll wait ‘til kingdom come, all the highs and lows are gone, a little bit longer and I’ll be fine….I’ll be fine.” “A Little Bit Longer” is a great way to wrap up the album, leaving the listeners with a sense of completion and begging for more.
So what will you be missing out on if you take the iTunes route instead of going out and buying the album? Well, not only is the CD casing made out of 100% recyclable material but it comes with exclusive videos and interviews, a whole bunch of downloadable images and wallpapers for your computer, and a digital booklet filled with the lyrics to all the songs. Did I mention that it comes with a bonus track that is not found on iTunes? “Live to Party” is the extra track you can find on the CD that is so addicting that you can’t help but get up and dance to it. If you’re a Jonas Brothers megafan then going out and getting the CD is a must! If you are just interested in their music then iTunes will give you just the right dosage of Jonas for you.
I give The Jonas Brothers a 4 out of 5 stars!
Kim Kaminske is a staff writer in the East Coast region for Musiqtone.com. You can contact her at kimkaminske@musiqtone.com or fill out this feedback form below.
