The Jonas Brothers - A Little Bit Longer

“You get the sense the Jonas Brothers can actually do the things they purport to do, like sing, play their instruments and even write music. That’s why it’s unfortunate that much of their sophomore effort is submerged in an ocean of heavy-handed production, so deep that the boys’ natural talents struggle to break the surface. But even though there are epic keys, layers of acoustic and electric guitar, and filtered synth zooms on nearly every track, the Jonases still chomp on their 4/4 pop-rock like a veteran band. Young Nick sounds fresh out of the Justin Timberlake school of seduction on album opener “BB Good.” First single “Burnin’ Up” owes more than a little to Maroon 5, while second single “Love Bug” goes from a campfire strum-along to a Steven Tyler rock wailer to power-punk in less than five minutes. —Kerri Mason”