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Jonas Brothers

by Jonas Brothers

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To parents, they're the new Hanson. To kids who've been tuning into Radio Disney and flipping the pages of Tiger Beat, they're geniuses. Jonas Brothers, the sophomore effort from the close-knit, close-up ready trio of New Jersey boys, is a mercilessly catchy collection of short but sweet punk- and emo-flavored confections. "Goodnight and Goodbye" grabs hold with guitar-fueled urgency, "Still in Love" borrows from old-school acts like KISS to build a slighter, kid-friendlier brand of classic rock, and "Games" has a respectable go at ska without sacrificing much in the way of pure-pop accessibility. The whole disc follows suit--a couple of ballads slide in ("Hello Beautiful" is a pretty one), but the brothers don't do much to dispel the idea that for them, uptempo ditties are where it's at. Twelve-year-olds, take note: CDVU+, the new format pioneered by Disney, takes cuteness into account; because this disc is configured with bonus material, photos and posters of Nick, Kevin, and Joe are just clicks away. --Tammy La Gorce