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.

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