The Jonas Brothers

A Little Bit Longer

There is an old story about 'what you value and to what matter of degree you value it' that I wish to get into here:

'Once upon a time there was a rich prince who cared for nothing but power and money.In his opulence,he strode along in the finest clothing and rode in the wealthiest carriages.He only ate the finest food and drank the most expensive wines and drinks.

'One day,as he was riding through his kingdom,a poor,but beautiful girl ran up to his carriage carrying a old beat up box filled with shiny red apples.One of the prince's guards immediately shoved this pitiful girl forcibly down shattering her wooden box and spilling her apples into the mud.

'As the prince rode away,he watched the now crying girl scramble to retrieve her apples out of the mud.

'The image of the poor young girl so affected this young prince that he could not sleep.Finally,in despair,the prince renounced all wealth and lived a pauper's life inside of a cave.'

The moral of the story to most people is either,one:'Money is the root of all evil.'Or,two,:'Where your heart is,so is your treasure'.

I fine neither answer to be exactly the truth,for in fact,I find actual little change in the prince.He was just exposing both sides of the same coin.Both the rich prince and the poor pauper were the same.Both based their existence on how much cash he possessed.He could neither have too much,nor too little money!His life was always based on money.

It was all just a matter of degree.

What this has to do with the Jonas Brothers is this...how do I go about judging their music?Do I go the boy band route?Do I play the Disney card?The screaming tweenager scene?Do I judge them by there hard work?Longevity?By their purity rings?Their Christian upbringing?

When it is all just a matter of degree,I finally decided that the only fair way to 'judge' The Jonas Brothers was by their music.

I liked their music.First off there is 'attempt' in their music.There is a hint of 'danger' in their sound.'Rage Against The Machine' danger?Well,no,of course not.but sometimes it is not what is said,but how it is said.In 'Burnin' Up' the Prince/Gorillaz attempt could be just a Disney front of pretend rebellion{most likely it is}but the attempt overwhelms the mode.Most parents of Elvis era children disliked his hip swiveling,but the truth be told,it was Elvis' voice that was the real danger.

Not that I am calling The Jonas Brothers dangerous...I am calling them artists.'Lovebug' is a perfect example of this.They(or their handlers) are fearless in their production of this cd(well...within the degree that The Jonas Brothers are a Disney Tweenage boy band).'Lovebug',is an excellent song all the way around.It deserves radio play.

There are plenty of sounds coming off this diverse cd.In a way of cursing them,The Jonas Brothers are not afraid of exposing their influences in their sound in a way that is eerily similar to the way the very early(Peter Best)era Beatles mimicked their early influences.

There is also a toe tapping funness to The Brother's sound.I bet there are plenty of soccer moms(and dads)singing and jamming along with music in their SUV and mini van trips to and from here and there.

As a matter of degree,worse could be said about many an adult cd.

A

MAMMA MIA! The Movie Soundtrack

Ella:Oh,I just love the new soundtrack to,'Mamma Mia!'It is soo good!

Don:Please-just kill me now.

Ella:Come on...it's fun.Everyone loves Abba.

Don:Cough[GAY]cough.

Ella:Oh,stop it.

Don:O-Kay,'Chick Flick',then.

Ella:You're terrible.And I really like'd it.The movie was extremely fun.And the music flowed so well within it.

Don:I have not had the honor of seeing the movie.All I can say is that that Amanda Seyfried sings like she's Disney's Snow White.I mean when she sings,'Honey Honey',it's all I can do not to imagine birds flying onto her fingers.

Ella:Why you kidder,you 'have' listened to it.

Don:Everyone talks about how noble Pierce Bronsan is in his attempts at singing,but I think he has some of the best songs.He stands out in both,'SOS',and,'When All Is Said And Done'.

Ella:I liked him too.Colin Firth does really good on,'Our Last Summer'.Oh,he's soo good.

Don:Look-If I admit that I like the cd will you stop trying to make me gag?

Ella:Deal.Which Meryl Streep song did you like the best?

Don:Hmmm...none of them.

Ella:Stop.

Don:O-kay.O-kay.I liked,'Winner Takes It All,'But it was a little too over the top in parts.Aah,let's see,what else did she sing?

Ella:'Money,Money,Money'.

Don:I liked that.

Ella:Ummm,'Mamma Mia';'Dancing Queen';ummm,oh,'Super Trooper'.

Don:None of them is as good as 'Money'.

Ella:They're all good,though.

Don:If you say so.I liked,'Does Your Mother Know'.I never knew that was about a woman trying to pick up a young boy before.

Ella:That wasn't Meryl Streep.That was Christine Baranski.

Don:Did I say that it was Merly Streep?

Ella:No.

Don: Then don't put words in my mouth.

Ella:My favorite song was,'I have A Dream'.It is soo wonderful.

Don:So Disney you mean.Gad,I didn't know Abba sounded so much like 'The Little Mermaid'.

Ella:Pooh,you didn't like like it?

Don:Did I say I didn't like it?Sorry.O-Kay.I did like that song.Was that a dulcimer in that song?O-kay-O-kay.I liked it.I liked it.

Ella:I'm so proud of you.

Don:Yeah,yeah...just don't blackmail me with that knowledge will ya?

Ella:Wouldn't think of it...but only if you go to the next showing with me.

Don:Crap.I knew there'd be a catch to it,somewhere.

A-

Sugarland

LOVE ON THE INSIDE [DELUXE FAN EDITION]

EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE,IT IS NICE TO HAVE YOUR CD EXPECTIONS MEET THE ACTUAL PRODUCT.THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CD'S.REAL COUNTRY MUSIC THAT IS BOTH CONTEMPORARY AND NOT AFRAID TO BE BOTH BRAVE AND DARING.

THE OTHER GROUP THAT COMES IMMEDIATELY TO MIND THAT DOES BOTH OF THESE IS 'THE DIXIE CHICKS'.THE COUNTRY MOGALS IN THEIR RADIO GREED HAVE PUT THE 'CHICKS' INTO RADIO LIMBO>OUR LOST.

THANK OUR LUCKY STARS THAT 'SUGARLAND' HAS NOT BEEN SO BLACKLISTED{...AND,YES,I DO MEAN BLACKLISTED IN IT'S NEGATIVE MCCARTHYISM CONNOTATION}.

NOT THAT 'SUGARLAND' HAS DONE ANYTHING WORTH BLACKLISTING..,UNLESS YOU COUNT,'GENEVIEVE' AS BEING A LESBIAN LOVE SONG OR THE SONG,'STEVE EARLE' BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT THE LIBERAL TROUBADOUR STEVE EARLE.I ONLY KNOW THAT BOTH ARE GREAT TUNES WELL WORTH LISTENING TO AND ENJOYING.

*

THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES.EVERY SONG ON THIS CD IS WORTH REPEATED LISTENING.BOTH,'ALL I WANT TO DO',AND 'OPERATION:WORKING VACATION',PUT SOUTHERN COMFORT INTO MY TIRED BONES-SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS NOTHING-TOO BAD YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET THAT CHANCE....WELL...'IT HAPPENS':-) LOVE THE 'SSHH!' PART.

*

BOTH,'JOEY' AND ''LOVE' ARE CLASSIC COUNTRY TEAR-JEARKERS.BUT,'WHAT I'D GIVE' IS THE SONG MOST FILLED WITH HEARTACHE OF AND/OR FOR LOST LOVE.OF COURSE IT'S COUNTRY COUSIN,'FALL INTO ME',IS JUST AS LOVING.

*

GREAT COUNTRY TWANG.I'D LIKE TO HEAR ALL FOUR OF THESE SONGS IN CONCERT.

*

OF COURSE THE MARYANNE SONGS('AND THE REST')ARE ALL WORTH THE TROUBLE THEY'LL GET YOU INTO-EVEN THE EXTRA-LIVE-STUFF.

*

A

Miley Cyrus

Breakout

I have to admit that my expectations of this Disney star's first non-Hannah Montana project as not being set very high.I don't know why.'High School Musical' and it's cousin,'High School musical 2'[both Disney vehicles] were likable enough projects.Miley's own Disney Tv show,'Hannah Montana' has a nice 'Lucy' like quality to it.Her 3-D concert movie,'The Best Of Best Worlds' received mostly favorable reviews.

What was I thinking?America has a fine history of young teenage rock stars.Why so skeptical of young miss Cyrus?Perhaps,as a father myself,I like Miley.

Call it my teenager Tv star bias.I've seen so many starlets ultimately crash and burn,that maybe,I hoped for a little failure to perhaps prepare her for being a 'has been' by age 21.

That grounding(as I said-based on my own bias) is going to have to wait.This cd is actually not half bad.I know-faint praise.

'Fly On The Wall' is the best song on the record.It has a funny snide side to it.Something,just a little unexpected.

'7 Things' is the first single off,'Breakout'.It's a likable enough song.In fact,it fits pretty much in with today's pop/country music.

'See You Again' sounds somewhat like,'I Wear My Sunglasses At Night' and,'These Four Walls' could be a Natalie Maines/ Dixie Chicks ripoff.On the other hand,'Girls Just Want To have Fun',sounds nothing like Cyndi Lauper's version.Miley Cyrus has turned into more of a stadium anthem.Ditto,'Full Circle'.

Well,you get the idea.'Breakout',is a very listenable cd.By Tv standards this is the gold standard.American Idol and other reality show cd's are not up to this production.

B-

Nas

Despite my disappointment of Nas not going with his much publicized original title of 'Nigger' on this production....I can understand why he didn't.

The power and the glory of the word as I believe he intended on using it{Listen to,'You Can't Stop Us Now',and tell me that I am wrong} would have simply gotten lost via the media:

"Hi,I'm 'the Drew'.You're listening to'W.U.N.D.',F.M.102.We're broadcasting from white,small town,U.S.A.Now,off his instant urban classic,'The 'N' word',here is the Wal-mart homogenized and thoroughly bleached clean Nas."

Or even worse:

"Hi,I'm Alison Becker,and this is the VH-1 special,'Nas and the making of 'Nigger'.'Nigger' is the controversially tittled cd by rap bad 'boy',Nas.VH-1 has decided to use the actual title of,'Nigger',the cd,not because of it's intended take on the social reverberations and implications of modern day American society and the artist's take on the perceptions of racial freedoms and free speech,but because we white people at VH-1 want to use this album's title as an excuse to finally be able to say the word:'Nigger.Nigger,nigger,nigger,nigger,nigger,man,that feels good to be able to use that word in public again.'

I know,I know...that is a tad over the top.But,I believe not far off the mark.

And that brings out the problem of the 'X'-ed out title.I,as a middle aged white man,grew up in the struggle of civil rights.I grew up a follower of Martin Luther King,and for the ideals he stood.All men are created equal.That means 'all people'.Photos of sicking dogs on elderly ladies(they could have been 'my' grandmother') and southern firemen using fire hoses on young adults(they could had been my cousins),had a profound effect on me.

The 'N' word stood for all that was wrong.Using it was giving into all my fears and hatreds,to all of my prejudices.I did not want to use it because it would offend other people so much as I did not want to offend myself.It's use was a wrong step backwards.

Yesterday,when John McCain accused Barack Obama of using the race card,I was not so much offended by him accusing Mr.Obama of such as his white Massa' tsk tsk tone,and going,"I'm so disappointed in him," speech afterwords in front of a black crowd.


I felt like standing up and sticking my finger in the air at him and yelling,"Fuck you,fuck you,mother fucker!".


This is where Nas and this great cd comes in.The title maybe gone,but the truth behind it is still there.Unlike so many other rap cd's,this is more then just fun and games.It's partying with a purpose.It reminds me of not only James Brown &NWA,but also of Woody Guthrie,Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.Heck,it even puts me in mind of 'Huck Finn'.

There has been allot of talk that rap is dead(some of it my own),but with records like this Nas cd,I am beginning to think this is rap's golden age.

A+