Jonas Brothers good news couldn't hope to make a more compelling case for themselves as a songwriting force than the soundtrack to their currently re titled Disney Channel series.
The bad news is they've made that case by not playing in the writing a big enough role, relying far too much on outside hacks to phone in tracks as toothless as "Feelin' Alive" and the hip hop flavored "Chillin' in the Summertime," which could pass for a Sugar Ray outtake if they'd tried a little harder.
The Overextended Brothers do contribute to a few songs. Nick for example, was one of five writers it took to crank out "L.A. Baby (Where Dreams are Made of)," one of the few tracks that really sound like it could be a Jonas Brothers song, if not one of their better ones.
But all three brothers took part in the writing of "Your Biggest Fan," a corny bid at sounding R&B that makes you wonder how no one involved in the process noticed how silly or, at best, unnatural it sounds for a Jo Bro to call a girl "Shawty." Even Justin Bieber sounds less like a White kid playing dress up.
The stand out there songs. "L.A. Baby" and "Hey You" are kind of infectious, delivered with plenty of Jonas-y spunk, and "Critical" does the Coldplay thing with style, making the most of a vulnerable vocal from Nick. But for the most part, they sound like they need to be taken aside and told that when they put their name on something, they should care as much about that product as a proper Jonas Brothers album.
The bad news is they've made that case by not playing in the writing a big enough role, relying far too much on outside hacks to phone in tracks as toothless as "Feelin' Alive" and the hip hop flavored "Chillin' in the Summertime," which could pass for a Sugar Ray outtake if they'd tried a little harder.
The Overextended Brothers do contribute to a few songs. Nick for example, was one of five writers it took to crank out "L.A. Baby (Where Dreams are Made of)," one of the few tracks that really sound like it could be a Jonas Brothers song, if not one of their better ones.
But all three brothers took part in the writing of "Your Biggest Fan," a corny bid at sounding R&B that makes you wonder how no one involved in the process noticed how silly or, at best, unnatural it sounds for a Jo Bro to call a girl "Shawty." Even Justin Bieber sounds less like a White kid playing dress up.
The stand out there songs. "L.A. Baby" and "Hey You" are kind of infectious, delivered with plenty of Jonas-y spunk, and "Critical" does the Coldplay thing with style, making the most of a vulnerable vocal from Nick. But for the most part, they sound like they need to be taken aside and told that when they put their name on something, they should care as much about that product as a proper Jonas Brothers album.
