Today is J-Day.
Which, for those of you who have been living beneath a pop cultural rock for the past year or so, means that the Jonas Brothers new A Little Bit Longer album is out now. While some of you may be clueless as to why this actually matters, as a wise man once sang, the little girls understand.
The thing is, for all of the hype and hoopla that has surrounded squeaky clean teen-pop phenoms Kevin, Joe, and Nick for the past year or so, they actually aren't all that bad. Now this doesn't mean I'll be trading in my Springsteen CDs in for tickets to see these guys anytime soon or anything like that — trust me, even if I had a teenaged daughter you'd probably have to drag me kicking and screaming the whole way to a pre-teen cluster like that.
But as harmless, innocuous sounding power pop goes, this stuff isn't anywhere near as terrible you'd expect, at least not on a purely guilty pleasure sort of level. In fact, every once in awhile the JB's even cut loose and actually kinda' rock out a bit here. They also play their own instruments, and write their own songs — even occasionally touching on weighty subjects like Jonas Brother Nick's Type 1 Diabetes (on the title track).
Of course, before there was the Jonas Brothers, back in the late eighties/early nineties, there was New Kids On The Block (or NKOTB for short). The Kids may be a bit older these days, but they have decided to throw their own collective haircuts back into the ring for another go-round at the boy-band sweepstakes. Their new album and tour both happen this fall, but in the meantime we have a Greatest Hits set, complete with bonus tracks out this week.
David Sanborn brings the distinctive sound of his smooth saxophone back for more of his trademark "smooth jazz" on the new Here & Gone. Speaking of jazz, Tom Johnson is here to tell you all about a new collaboration that is a jazz bassist's wet dream come true. But first, Mark Saleski has some great news for fans of Springsteen.
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, Gary W. Tallent, Danny Federici...Bill Chinnock?
That's right, Bill Chinnock was a major player in the early E Street years. When I was a young guy in the state of Maine, Chinnock actually ranked right up there with Bruce. His brand of soulful rock music resonated with me right from the start. The song "Something For Everybody" got a lot of airplay on rock radio.
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Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
I just bought the SMV at Circuit City. Let's pause to be amazed not that I bought a CD on a Tuesday but that Best Buy had a jazz CD in stock and on sale for $9.99. How fuckin' weird is that? How fuckin' weird is it that I'm buying a jazz CD? Should I preemptively tell Mark to shut the fuck up now? I think I should.
I've listened to the first few tracks and I like it. I think this is going to be a very cool album.
2 - Mark Saleski
Should I preemptively tell Mark to shut the fuck up now? I think I should.
hathaway must be trying to impress somebody....and it ain't me!
3 - Glen Boyd
Sometimes I think you two should get a room...LOL...
-Glen
4 - Donald Gibson
I just bought the SMV at Circuit City. Let's pause to be amazed not that I bought a CD on a Tuesday but that Best Buy had a jazz CD in stock...
He bought it at Circuit City while being amazed that Best Buy carried the CD? Was he so amazed that he went over to Circuit City for the purchase???
5 - Tom Johnson
Sometimes the sheer shock of Best Buy actually carrying something can propel you, as if picked up by the hand of God, out of the store and across the street to Circuit City, Donald. It's really just physics.
I just have to ask, how do you sing about having diabetes? And does Wilford Brimley make a guest appearance to rap about Diabeetus Testin' Supplies from Liberty Medical?