The Bottom Line
The Jonas Brothers are leading in to their upcoming album A Little Bit Longer with their most radio friendly single yet. Unfortunately, that means "Burnin' Up" sacrifices a bit of the trio's trademark energy and sense of urgency in favor of a glitzy, slick sound aiming to please everyone but truly excite very few.
Pros
- Radio friendly sound
- Aggressive vocals
Cons
- Overly glitzy and slick
- Pointless call and response
Description
- Written by Nicholas Jonas, Joseph Jonas, Paul Kevin Jonas II
- Produced by John Fields
- Released June 2008 by Hollywood Records
Guide Review - Jonas Brothers - "Burnin' Up"
With shrewd marketing from the folks at Disney and Hollywood Records, the Jonas Brothers have turned into one of the hottest commodities in the pop music marketplace. Their upcoming album A Little Bit Longer is virtually guaranteed to be a smash hit. That left open options of what to do with the lead-in single. It could have pushed the brothers forward in an exciting, artistic direction, or it could play things safe and ensure cash registers would keep ringing. The sound of "Burnin' Up" is an investment in the latter.
However, there are pleasures in this single. Clear pop energy is riding just below the service, and the trio's vocals remain pleasingly aggressive with just a hint of rawness appropriate for teen artists. The group is unlikely to lose any committed fans here, and some will take notice for the first time.
The Jonas Brothers are on the edge of making it over the hump toward being current pop superstars. "Burnin' Up" is a single that will help them in that direction, even if it's one that leaves a few listeners disappointed for what could have been.
