GENRE
Pop/Rock
RECORD LABEL
Hollywood CHART ACTION
No. 1 for two weeks. "Burnin' Up" cracked the Top 5 on the singles chart.
REVIEWED BY Bob Hoose and Bob Smithouser
Jonas Brothers
A Little Bit Longer
OCT. 2008
Romantic bliss requires that parties "BB Good" to each other. The guys aren't shy about telling girls they like them on "Got Me Goin' Crazy" and "Burnin' Up." They get bitten by the "Love Bug," which starts like a playful Beatles tune, ends with a guitar solo worthy of Queen and exalts modesty along the way ("Beautiful but you don't even try/Modesty is just so hard to find"). When things fall apart, being alone is not the end of the world ("One Man Show," "Can't Have You"). The singer accepts blame for relational woes and broken promises on "Sorry." A self-respecting boy decides to invest elsewhere if his flirty girlfriend can't be loyal ("Shelf"). On "A Little Bit Longer" the balladeer grapples with an illness and confirms, "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone." Tempted to date a flaky "Video Girl," the Jonases wise up with the help of friends ... and Mom.
The guys burn for a kiss on several songs. A vacuous "Video Girl" blurts "OMG!," and soon after we hear the crude expression "It's gonna suck."
Overall, fun, hook-laden melodies explore love's ups and downs without pushing too far.
