Jonas Brothers: 'Jonas Brothers'

Unless you're a pre-pubescent, a parent or a pop writer, chances are you won't have heard of the Jonas Brothers. But this fresh-faced trio from the small town of Wyckoff, New Jersey - Kevin (dreamy), Joe (dreamier) and Nick (dreamiest) - are a bit of a phenomenon in the States, selling more than a million copies of their sophomore album. They've even starred in Camp Rock, their very own Disney Channel movie.

Nearly eleven months after it debuted at No.5 on the US albums chart, that sophomore effort is being released over here as the Jonas Brothers' "debut album". To be fair, it's probably wise that British fans aren't being treated to their actual first effort, whose sole hit single was a cover of a song we all know anyway: 'Year 3000' by Busted.

Actually, Busted isn't a bad reference point for this album, which offers 42 minutes of perky, Pro-tooled pop/rock with seemingly endless reserves of energy. The Jonases don't have the humour of their British predecessors, but there's no quibbling with the sugary pop hooks they dish out on songs like 'Hold On', 'Still In Love With You' and lead single 'SOS'. Many much cooler bands, meanwhile, would kill for the catchy guitar riffs they flaunt on 'Australia'.

In fact, much of Jonas Brothers is so well-constructed that's it's easy to overlook the group's less appealing characteristics: their uninspired lyrics about the trials and tribulations of teen dating, their slightly squeaky, girlish voices, the fact that the album's big ballad, 'When You Look Me In The Eyes', sounds like an even slicker version of Bon Jovi.

By the end, however, you're longing for them to let loose a little. Whereas Matt Willis and co. always sounded like they'd be up for a quickie with a Page 3 girl in the toilets of a West End nightclub, the Jonases are almost unbearably wholesome, even fantasising about a life with "a picket fence and a rose garden" on one song. At 15, 17 and 20 respectively, the Jonas Brothers are supposed to be at the height of their virility! Still, there are enough winning pop choruses here to ensure that many parents (and pop writers) will enjoy this album much more than they'd care to admit.


> Click here for our recent interview with the Jonas Brothers